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On January 1, the Serbian capital Belgrade introduced free public transportation for all. It's a daring move at a time when so much of Europe is mired in economic difficulty - but with projected economic growth of 3.8 percent last year Serbia is feeling flush.
Belgrade has joined around 100 cities worldwide where public transport is fully or partially subsidized. It's the largest city in the world where people can ride for free.
The change is dramatic for Serbian residents, but the generous new policy is just a part of a wider plan, according to city mayor Aleksandar Šapić.
"This is a part of a social program that we started to implement since the moment when I became a mayor," Šapić told CGTN.
A traffic jam in Belgrade, Serbia on December 24, 2024. /Filip Stevanovic/Anadolu via Getty Images
Belgrade has also introduced free kindergarten for its residents' children and many other socially orientated measures. Mayor Šapić, of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), believes free public transport will have other benefits.
"This free transportation from the social program gives many other potential effects, like reducing the air pollution in the city and attempting to reduce traffic jams in the town's center," he said. "By introducing free public transportation, we aim to motivate people to use it more."
Road congestion and traffic jams have long been a daily nightmare for Belgrade's 1.7 million citizens and hundreds of thousands of daily visitors. A disproportionate economic development of the capital compared to the rest of the country resulted in a dramatic population increase in Belgrade.
Residents across the city use their cars to travel to and from work, drive their children to schools and back and undertake their daily chores. It's little wonder the consequence of all that commuting is frequently traffic brought to a standstill.
Mayor Šapić, voting during last June's local election, in Belgrade, is confident his free transport policy will prove cost effective. /Zorana Jevtic/Reuters
City authorities hope they can reduce this congestion with the introduction of new public transport vehicles. The experiences of other towns worldwide with free public transport is that well-maintained buses and trams are a key reason for people choosing to use them instead of their cars.
Bojan Bovan, acting Belgrade Transportation Secretary, laid out for CGTN a bold plan for a complete overhaul of the public transport fleet.
He said: "We are giving credibility to the free public transport measures by continuous renewal of the fleet. We expect that by the end of 2025 there won't be a vehicle older than two years and that has never happened (before) in Belgrade."
The big question is 'how much money will this cost?' The city says that its decision to subsidize public transportation will cost between $360-412 million. That amount should allow over 1,300 buses, trolleys and trams to run smoothly for the entire year.
Mayor Šapić is confident this will prove to be money well spent.