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Free public transport, often called fare-free public transit or zero-fare public transport, is public transport which is fully funded by means other than collecting from passengers. It may be funded by national, regional or local government through taxation, and/or by commercial sponsorship by businesses. Alternatively, the concept of "free-ness" may take other forms, such as no-fare access via a card which may or may not be paid for in its entirety by the user.
On 29 February 2020, Luxembourg became the first country in the world to make all public transport in the country (buses, trams, and trains) free to use. On 1 October 2022, Malta made its public transport free on most routes, though unlike in Luxembourg, this applies only to residents.
As some transit lines intended to operate with fares initially start service, the organisation may elect not to collect fares for an introductory period to create interest or to test operations.
In the U.S. state of Washington, 14 rural transit systems have adopted zero-fare policies, either permanently or through pilots in the 2020s. Fares for passengers aged 18 and younger have been free on most local and inter-city transit systems in the state since September 2022. The program was part of a larger statewide transportation package and also includes inter-city Amtrak trains operated by the state, as well as the Washington State Ferries system.
Kharkiv in Ukraine is the largest city in the world with free public transport with a population of 1,420,000 residents, where free public transport for everyone has been introduced in 2022.
Since 2025, local transport in Belgrade, a city with 1,380,000 inhabitants, has been free.
Zero-fare transport is often operated as part of the services offered within a public facility, such as a hospital or university campus shuttle or an airport inter-terminal shuttle.
Some zero-fare services may be built to avoid the need for large transport construction. port city where shipping would require very high might provide zero-fare ferries instead. These are free at the point of use, just as the use of a bridge might have been. Machinery installed within a building or shopping centre can be seen as 'zero-fare transport': , escalators and are often provided by property owners and funded through the sales of goods and services. Community bicycle programs, providing free bicycles for short-term public use could be thought of as zero-fare transport. In Australia, Melbourne and Adelaide have a free tram zone in their CBDs to encourage car commuters to keep the cars outside of the nucleus of the city.
A common example of zero-fare transport is student transport, where students travelling to or from school do not need to pay. The University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point partly funds the Stevens Point Transit system. All students at the university can use any of the four citywide campus routes and the other four bus routes throughout the city free of charge. The university also funds two late-night bus routes to serve the downtown free of charge with a goal of cutting down drunk driving. The University of Nottingham offers free Hopper Bus between its University Park and Jubilee, Sutton Bonington and Royal Derby Hospital campuses, where no other bus companies operate direct routes between. However, this service requires passengers to tap their university ID to board, meaning that members of the public cannot ride on these buses.
In some regions transport is free because the revenues are lower than expenses as fare collection is already partially paid by government or company or service (for example BMO railway road in Moscow, most part of is used to as service transport and officially pick up passengers).
Many large have trams servicing large parking lots or distant areas. Disneyland in Anaheim, California, runs a tram from its entrance, across the parking lot, and across the street to its hotel as well as the bus stop for Orange County and Los Angeles local transit buses. Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California, provides tram service throughout its parking lot.
In July 2017, Dubai announced it would offer free bus services for a short period of time on selected days.
In the northwestern United States, some tribal governments offer free bus service on their respective reservations, including on the Muckleshoot, Spokane, Umatilla and Yakama Indian Reservations.
Some agencies, including the Central Ohio Transit Authority and King County Metro, offer free public transport during Snow emergency to reduce the number of vehicles on the street.
Passenger aggression may be reduced. In 2008 bus drivers of Société des Transports Automobiles (STA) in Essonne held strikes demanding zero-fare transport for this reason. They claim that 90% of the aggression is related to refusal to pay the fare. Volkskrant.nl – Franse chauffeurs voor gratis buskaartje (in Dutch) ( tr. French drivers for free bus ticket)
A randomized controlled trial conducted in Santiago, Chile, found that access to fare-free public transport increased overall travel by 12%, particularly boosting off-peak travel by 23% due to a rise in both public transport and non-motorized trips.
Research findings from Stroud & Bekhit (2023) about inclusivity gaps in FFPT research studies Research of fare-free public transport (FFTP) studies by Stroud and Bekhit (2025) reveals that only 25% of the studies significantly consider non-dominant groups of the population in their research, with extensive knowledge gaps about FFPT impacts on marginalized communities.
This U.S. report suggests that, while ridership does increase overall, the goal of enticing drivers to take transit instead of driving is not necessarily met: because fare-free systems tend to attract a certain number of "problem riders", zero-fare systems may have the unintended effect of convincing some 'premium' riders to go back to driving their cars. It should be kept in mind that this was a study that only looked at U.S. cities, and the author's conclusions may be less applicable in other countries that have better social safety nets and less crime than the large U.S. cities studied.
| Free public bus transportation for everyone on the busses within the municipality; It was decided, because mostly school students used busses which the municipality covered | |||||
| Free electric bus, with a small fee if you bring a bicycle or stroller | |||||
| Free wifi, you can bring your bike, dogs are allowed | |||||
| Free public bus transportation for residents, students and workers registered in the Municipality of Cascais. Cascais was the first in Portugal to implement the measure and is the fourth-largest city of the country. | |||||
| Lot : les bus de Cahors deviennent gratuits ( tr. Lot: Cahors buses become free). By Stéphanie Bousquet. 5 Nov 2019. By France 3 Occitanie. | |||||
| Free public transport for students Studentenreisproduct or OV-studentenkaart in the whole Netherlands. Students can choose for free transport on weekdays and 40% discount in the weekends, or vice versa. | |||||
| Free buses run every 30 min. (designated by the letter Н) | |||||
| Local buses are free, include to railway station (from 2019, weekdays, delayed), longer routes are charged unless they ride via Auchan or Vegas | |||||
| Free trolleybuses and buses | |||||
| Only for residents and workers. Tourists have to pay. | |||||
| (Manises) municipal website (in Spanish) www.lasprovincias.es retrieved 2009-05-08 | |||||
| Only for enrolled citizens. | |||||
| 1,300% ridership increase 1996–2006. In 2013, Hasselt stopped free bus service for adults; riders under 19 still travel for free. | |||||
| Only valid for one ride | |||||
| Free public transport was offered when the construction of a new bridge made the connection between the two sides of the town impossible. | |||||
| 2,953,816 | All bus operators in the West Midlands | 2024 | 9–13 December 2024 | Free bus travel in the West Midlands bus boundary between 7pm and 3am. | |
2012
target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> Avesta, Sweden retrieved 2016-06-17 | Ended due to increased operating costs. | ||||
| Kiruna municipality website (in Swedish) retrieved 2012-07-09 | |||||
| 70 km of free rides on local buses in this rural municipality | |||||
| Unconditionally free for all users. | |||||
| Unconditionally free for all users. | |||||
| Unconditionally free for all users. | |||||
| For car owners registered in this municipality only. | |||||
| Unconditionally free for all users. | |||||
| Starachowice | 43,883 | 2022 | Since 1 April 2022 | For residents and tax payers in this municipality (and their minor family members. | |
| HotNews.ro – Premiera in Romania: Municipiul Lugoj va avea transport in comun gratuit ( tr. Premiere in Romania: Lugoj will have free public transport), www.hotnews.ro | |||||
| Free transportation on tram and bus lines every Friday | |||||
| The benefits are limited to city residents with an income under 3,000 RON per month (about €670). | |||||
| Free transportation on tram and bus lines every Friday. | |||||
| Free transportation to all, but only local buses, for specifically only local municipality buses. | |||||
| Tallinn is currently the largest city offering free public transport for its residents. Regional buses are excluded from the scheme. Elron commuter trains are also free inside the city limits. Tallinn is also the first capital with free public transport for its residents. | |||||
| Influenced by Hasselt | |||||
| Free busses since November 2021 within Kelheim County | |||||
| Free public transport within a zone downtown called "City-Zone" | |||||
| Free use of all buses in the inner city for everybody | |||||
| Free use of all buses and the lightrail lines S6 and S68 in the city areas of Monheim am Rhein, Langenfeld (Rheinland) and Düsseldorf-Hellerhof, for residents of Monheim am Rhein only | |||||
| Since 1 April 2018 city transport has two bus lines. Temporarily suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic until 1 September. | |||||
| The Aubagne tramway is considered to be the first completely fare-free tram system in the world. | |||||
| The first area of France to offer zero-fare public transport which is still in operation at present | |||||
| municipal website, mairie-compiegne retrieved 2009-05-07 (in French) | |||||
| Has free in the name of the service (Transport Issoudun Gratuit). Works on certain days of the week in the afternoons only. | |||||
| First French urban agglomeration to do so. | |||||
| Free metro and bus lines to all local university students | |||||
| Under Mayor Jiří Houdek (KDU-ČSL), city transport has only one bus line (No 340300), influenced by US school buses | |||||
| Also always during time of the smog or other emergency (used rarely – 1996–1997 for 2 day, 1992–1993 for 4 days). Smogový regulační systém ( tr. Smog control system), ENVIS Praha/ envis.praha-mesto.cz Tarif PID , XIV., 3. | |||||
| City transport has only one bus line (no. 210009 alias C09 or C9) | |||||
| City transport has five bus lines | |||||
| Initial price at the newly established first city bus line (no. 665101) | |||||
| Only 365-day chip coupon (however the chip card costs 299 Kč and prolongation 1 Kč) and user must to not be a debtor toward the city. Number of passengers has increased from 3.8 million in 2010 to 5.7 million in 2013. Since 2014, it is possible to travel free on regional bus lines to next 18 villages and towns. Population in the serviced area is 100,000. Chip card for free public transport has 25,000 passengers. | |||||
| In 2017, the city bus transport was free for senior citizens, children and students up to 26 years; since 2018, buses are free for all, but only in the city zone (sections outside the city are still paid).Alena Šrámková: MHD zadarmo! Od nového roku ( tr. Free public transport! Since the new year), Strakonický deník, 2017-11-19Radek Štěpánek: Strakonice mají MHD zdarma pro všechny. Je to populismus, říká opozice ( tr.Strakonice has free public transport for everyone. It's populism, the opposition says), iDnes.cz, 12. 1. 2018 | |||||
| The only bus line no. 558001 started 10 years ago, 2008-01-28 | |||||
| Two bus lines | |||||
| 3 intervallic lines (yellow, red and blue) and 3 school lines (Š1, Š2, Š3), licence numbers 289001–289006, in working days only. Previous lines of Prague Integrated Transport remain paid. | |||||
| Six different bus lines | |||||
| Also includes 52 villages and settlements around Jagodina that are connected with the city. | |||||
| Kryvyi Rih | 603 904 | Municipality | 2022 | Including trams, metrotram, and trolleybus | |
| Kharkiv | 1,421,125 | Municipality | 2022 | Including trams, Kharkiv Metro, and trolleybus | |
| Free transport; includes all forms of public transport within the Belgrade Metropolitan Area. |
| zero fare is official to anybody (de jure service line because the taxes would be higher than revenues) |
| Nine free bus routes, including city tour buses, and all Mikrotrans feeder routes |
| Go KL City Bus |
| free bus services for women |
| Free weekend public transportation array that exists in 6 authorities in Gush Dan – Givatayim, Kiryat Ono, Ramat HaSharon, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Yehud-Monosson and Shoham. |
| one bus line that goes on Saturdays |
| Fare-free bus service for the children, youth, and elderly |
| In some bus lines in older unair-conditioned bus (fare prices are also about age/equipment of bus). Also time and again for new public metro tracks for several months. |
| All municipality-operated buses are free |
| Free in three neighbourhoods that doesn't have privately operated public bus |
| free metro and bus services for women |
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| combination of funding from the town, Appalachian State University, Watauga County, and state and federal agencies. | |||||
| operated by the Town of Chapel Hill to serve Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and UNC-Chapel Hill; supported by taxpayers and University fee-payers | |||||
| Does not apply to long-distance routes and Hurricane Ridge shuttle | |||||
| partnership between Clemson University and surrounding communities | |||||
| all transportation services are free of charge | |||||
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| Shuttle connects downtown Dayton and University of Dayton | |||||
| Connecting northern suburbs to central Detroit | |||||
| Detroit, Michigan | 639,000 | Detroit People Mover | 2024 | since 2024 | Sponsored pilot project. |
| CUE stopped collecting fares in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and has since continued operating zero-fare. Funded in part by the Fairfax, Virginia and a grant from the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation. | |||||
| Transfort stopped collecting fares in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and has since continued operating zero-fare. As of January 2023, the city is considering keeping Transfort fare-free permanently. | |||||
| Became permanently fare-free in 2022. | |||||
| The first large U.S. city to implement a universal, systemwide fare-free scheme after a unanimous City Council vote to make RideKC buses Zero Fare through 2023. The bus system previously cost travelers $1.50 per ride or $50 for a monthly pass, while the KC Streetcar has been fare free since it began service in 2016. | |||||
| combination of state and federal funding and from Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and Dartmouth College. Also serves Hanover and White River Junction, Vermont | |||||
| Hop streetcar services provided free through various sponsorships starting in 2018 | |||||
| Fares charged on intra-county routes | |||||
| Montgomery County, Maryland | 1,082,273 | Ride On | 2025 | ||
| Mountain View Community Shuttle, electric bus service 10AM to 6PM daily | |||||
| New York City, New York | MTA Regional Bus Operations – Q70 bus | 2022 | since May 2022 | The Q70 bus route has been permanently fare-free since May 2022. The Q4, B60, Bx18, M116 and S46/96 temporarily became fare-free 24 September 2023, but fares were reinstated 31 August 2024. | |
| New York City, New York | Roosevelt Island Red Bus | 2014 | since April 2014 | ||
| 5-year pilot, later extended to 2027 | |||||
| Also serves Snyderville Basin | |||||
| Utah Valley Express (UVx) Bus-Rapid Transit Line only. UVX fare has been covered by a Federal Highway Administration Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement grant through 2021. | |||||
| Beginning on 4 October 2021, the City of Rome Transit Department began offering free Fixed-Route Transit Service in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The fare adjustment is currently set to expire on 29 December 2023. | |||||
| Eliminated after extension | |||||
| Service with fares started in 2002, free since 2018. | |||||
| Fare free for the entire Pima County since Spring 2020. Originally a pandemic-era temporary measure, it is now permanent. | |||||
| over 20 hours of service every day during winter | |||||
| free 14-route public transit system serves 700,000 annual riders | |||||
| Until 2026 | |||||
| June 1 through September 5 (Labor Day) | |||||
| free 13-route public transit system operated by Southeast Vermont Transit serving 200,000 riders annually and providing commuter bus service between Bennington and Brattleboro. Operates as "the MOOver". | |||||
| Worcester, Massachusetts | 206,518 | Worcester Regional Transit Authority | 2020 | since 2020 | All buses fare-free |
| Irvine, California | 307,670 | City of Irvine | 2024 | since 2024 | operated by local municipal government, beginning as a one-year pilot |
In the United States, mass transit systems that collect fares are only expected to generate about 10% of the annual revenue themselves, with the remainder covered by either public or private investment and advertisements. Therefore, politicians and social-justice advocacy groups, such as the Sweden network Planka.nu, see zero-fare public transport as a low-cost, high-impact approach to reducing economic inequality. It has also been argued that transportation to and from Employment is essential to the employer in the managing of work hours, so financing of public transportation should fall to employers rather than private individuals or public funds. Planka.nu: Kollektivtrafik ska vara avgiftsfri ( tr. Public transport must be free of charge) (Swedish)
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