Poplular free shuttle of Cape May County New Jersey celebrates 40 years

Photo by Dale Gerhard

pressofAtlanticCity.com: "The service was started in 1973 by a small group of private citizens who purchased a surplus military bus and used their limited funding to provide elderly residents with transportation from the Villas section of Lower Township to the shopping district in Rio Grande."

Dubai free transport day cuts CO2 emissions by 10%

GulfNews.com: "Dubai: An estimated 900,000 people travelled by public transport on Friday, taking advantage of unlimited free trips to mark the fourth edition of the Roads and Transport Authority’s annual Public Transport Day.
Many roads in Dubai were free of traffic as people left their cars at home for a day to use other modes of transport, which resulted in an estimated 10 per cent reduction in Dubai’s CO2 emissions generated through vehicular traffic."

Ridership up 80% with #freetransit in Avesta, Sweden

Planka.nu: "Zero Tariff in Avesta (21,500 inhabitants), which we previously wrote about , has now been evaluated. The results are impressive: 80% more passengers, 13% of new travelers and 39% of new bus trips have replaced a drive."

Penang Hop On Free Central Area Transit (CAT)

Penang Hop On Free Central Area Transit (CAT): "Visitors to Penang can now enjoy a bus ride within George Town, the UNESCO World Heritage City, for FREE."

Free is cheaper. Hasselt was able to lower taxes after implementing #freetransit

CarFree Times Issue 7: "The Fall, 1997, issue of Carfree Times reported that Hasselt, Belgium, had made its bus system free. The mayor rejected plans for a third ring highway, converted one existing ring highway into a pedestrian and bicycle street, and made the buses free. Since then, bus ridership has increased by 800%. This initiative has been so successful in attracting new business to Hasselt that taxes have been cut and the city's debt is down. To celebrate the first anniversary of the changes, the mayor announced free bicycles. One of the reasons the measure was adopted was a shortage of funds - the city did not have enough money to expand its roads. Free buses were a cheaper alternative, and it worked. The city had been slowly losing population, but since the new measures were adopted, population has been rising 25 times faster than it had been shrinking."

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The moving revolution: Venezuela's free public transport

The moving revolution: Venezuela's free public transport: "Merida, capital city of the province of Merida (population 843,880) has been offering fare-free trolley bus services for six years."

Adelaide, Australia, free connector bus, 150,000 passenger trips a year

If more people use public transport, there will be less traffic, making everyone’s travel quicker and easier. To ease congestion, cities around the world are consciously pursuing a transition towards more people using public transport.

• The Adelaide Connector has been operating since 2000
• Every year the bus service transports over 150,000 passengers
• The bus fleet consists of three buses including Tindo, the world’s first
• solar-powered electric bus that is recharged using 100% solar energy.
• Tindo travels over 50,000km per year and saves 14,000 litres of diesel

Żory, Poland to begin free public transport

A visit to “Summer School – The Capital of Free Public Transport” in Tallinn | Free public transport: "Żory is a small town in southern Poland, but a town wih big ambitions: they want to become the leading free public transport-city in the country. Starting next year they will implement zero-fare as one of several measures to stop the population decrease. They have not decided on wheather to make it free for everyone or just for people registered in the town. When they asked the participants, the representative from Aubagne said that everyone should benefit, because no one likes to be controlled."

Zero tariff: public transport is free in Muzambinho, Minas Gerais

Southern Minas: "The town of just over 20,000 inhabitants have transportation since October 2011. Every trip, vehicles travel 28 kilometers of streets and avenues through various neighborhoods. In the bus, no turnstiles, but there are collectors. Just go and continue the trip without any expense. Unlike cities where public transportation is complicated and overcrowded in Muzaffarnagar, generally, all passengers are seated."

Mayor of Paulinia, Brazil announces free public transport in October 2013

Edson Moura Junior announces zero tariff for public transportation and appoints secretaries - Portal Paulinia: "...Edson Junior Moura (PMDB), announced zero tariff on transportation to population from 1 October this year. Paulinia becomes the first city in the RMC (Metropolitan Region of Campinas) to ensure free public transport for residents. The rate will be fully subsidized by the government..."

Free bus on Denver's 16th Street. FREE MallRide. Good connections.

RTD Denver

RTD | FREE MallRide: "Experience the sights and sounds of downtown Denver with RTD's FREE 16th Street MallRide. Our shuttle bus is your ride to great restaurants, shops, theatre, galleries, tourist attractions, and businesses up and down the mall."

Kokomo’s free transit popular, expanding

Kokomo Perspective: News: "“It’s great to be able to extend Kokomo’s public transportation service and keep it free of charge at a time of ridership growth,” said Mayor Greg Goodnight. “The new trolleys and expanded routes connect more residential neighborhoods to our parks, schools, medical service facilities and shopping areas.”
In 1964, Kokomo discontinued its public bus system. In 2010, the City of Kokomo introduced the City-Line Trolley as free public transit, and the demand for its service has steadily increased."

Yet another free beach trolley... they work!

Delray Beach: Take the trolley around town - South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com: "A parade of red, white and blue is rolling into Delray Beach a few days before the city's Independence Day celebration. The new patriotic-colored trolley system will make its debut in the downtown area on Monday.

Three air-conditioned trolleys will make the Downtown Roundbout shuttle vans history. The service remains free to riders, each trolley can seat about 20 passengers and the hours have been extended on the two existing routes that run down Atlantic Avenue."

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Brazil: Rio Grande do Sul Government announces free transit fares for students starting in August 2013

FSP 06/27/2013: "The governor of Rio Grande do Sul, Genro (PT), announced on Thursday (27) that students will have a free pass in four geographical regions of the state starting in August."

Free Public Transport in Lugoj, Romania

Free Public Transport in Lugoj, Romania: "Lugoj became the first city in Romania which adopted a "free of charge" policy to the citizens using public transportation. The measure comes to encourage people to ride in buses, as well as to decrease the number of cars circulating in the city."

Thai government decides to keep free bus lines and free 3rd class train tickets

สำนักข่่าวแห่งชาติ : Free public bus & train services to continue for 6 more months: "BANGKOK, 31 March 2013 (NNT) - The mobile Cabinet meeting has decided to extend the free transport service, intended for low-income public, for another six months.

Government Spokesman Tossaporn Serirak said on Sunday the assistance measures, previously scheduled to end in March, will be extended until the end of September instead.

The free service includes public buses and third-class train rides."

60% Tallinn residents used public transport in February :: The Baltic Course | Baltic States news & analytics

60% Tallinn residents used public transport in February :: The Baltic Course | Baltic States news & analytics: "According to the data of public surveys, in February, 60% of Tallinn's inhabitants used the public transport means motivated by possibility to go by transport for free, reports LETA, referring to Tallinn municipality."

Capital Region Town Introduces Free Public Transport | Economy | News | ERR

Photo: Postimees/Scanpix 

Capital Region Town Introduces Free Public Transport | Economy | News | ERR: "The town of Keila has announced a flash decision to switch to free public transport - but without those potentially troublesome farecards.
The move, set to take effect on February 1, was approved at a city council sitting on Tuesday. "