Lisbon to offer free public transport for young and elderly

div classBodysc17zpet90 cdBBJodivpBy Sergio Goncalvesp

pLISBON Reuters – Lisbon will offer free public transport to children, students and elderly residents in a move Mayor Carlos Moedas said was crucial for the Portuguese capitals fight against climate change.pdivdivdiv classBodysc17zpet90 cdBBJodiv

pMoedas said Lisbon was following in the footsteps of other European cities. Estonias capital Tallinn and Luxembourg City offer free transport for all residents, while some other cities including London and Paris offer free travel for some children and elderly residents.p

pLisbon city council unanimously agreed on Thursday to the plan whereby all residents under the age of 18, students up to the age of 23 and seniors over 65 will enjoy free transport on the subway system, public buses, most rail lines and the yellow trams that crisscross the city.p

pThe measure will cost Lisbon, with a population of over half a million people, around 15 million euros 16.28 million a year and should come into effect by the summer.p

pMoedas said Lisbons move would push the rest of the country to adopt similar measures.p

p“This is a historic moment. Positioning Lisbon in this Champions League of cities against climate change is essential,” he said, acknowledging that financially it was not yet possible to offer free transport for everyone.p

pThe measure would also help protect the poorest people against soaring fuel prices, he said.p

pInitially the free travel initiative will only be available to residents of central Lisbon but Moedas said he hopes that, with government help, it can be extended in the future to the entire metropolitan area of the capital, where around 3 million people live, or more than a third of Portugals population.p

p1 0.9217 eurosp

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pp Reporting by Sergio Goncalves Editing by Nathan Allen and Susan Fentonp

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