The French city of Montpellier has become the latest city in Europe to introduce free public transport for its residents.
From Thursday evening, Montpellier residents with a special pass were able to ride trams and buses free of charge in the southern city.
Tourists and visitors will still have to pay €1.60 a trip.
The introduction of free public transport was one of the promises made by Socialist mayor of the city Michael Delafosse, who was elected in 2020.
Delafosse said the initiative was part of a “European commitment to the climate and purchasing power”.
“We have set up an association to help other European mayors make the same choice,” he said.
Audrey Benezech, a 46-year-old travel agency manager, was impressed.
“This could encourage people to use their cars less, especially with the price of petrol at the moment,” she said.
Before the initiative to make public transport free in Montpellier, just 86,000 people had paid subscriptions to use it, according to figures obtained by AFP.
But that figure has tripled to 260,000 subscribers in recent days
