The Romanian capital Bucharest will announce next year its plans to make public transport entirely free, Mayor Gabriela Firea announced after the Bucharest city council approved the plan to make public transport free for those accompanying elderly people and make public transport free for all students (who so far benefited from a 50% discount).
In Bucharest – as in other Romanian cities – public transport is free for pensioners. Pensioning age in Romania is 63 for women and 65 for men.
“Once we have a suitable vehicle fleet, we will be able to offer free public transport with the aim to cut down on car traffic as much as possible and citizens will be able to choose the most comfortable and civilized way of transportation,” Firea said.
The first European capital to make public transport entirely free for its residents was Tallinn in Estonia. Paris and several large cities in Germany are also considering a similar move.
