Re: Free trams for St Kilda [Vic]

["LX..." <lxcmpl@yahoo.com>]

David McLoughlin wrote:

> > By the way -- what is the biggest city with wholly free public
> > transit?
>
> Is there one, anywhere? And major metro area, I mean, not a free bus
> route in some obscure place.

Probably Hasselt in Belgium which I visited a few weeks ago. It has free
transit provided for all city residents who appear to be issued with a
resident pass which they flash to the driver on any city route when they
board. Non-residents have to pay.

The five minute frequency shuttle routes from the main railway station
through the central city were the most notable ingredient I observed. And a
lot of very very full buses.

The following is quoted from the Auckland Getmoving campaign web site where
I first heard about Hasselt.  http://www.getmoving.org.nz/Main.html.

"In 1996 a new city council took the most radical steps yet seen in Europe
to implement a Green Plan in the city of Hasselt, Belgium (pop. 68,000).

 Hasselt has a population of 68,000. However, it is the main center for a
region with a population of 800,000. Because of this, it has two ring roads.
The new council immediately declared the innermost of the two ring roads a
"Green Boulevard." Half of its space was converted into pedestrian and cycle
paths.

During 1997 the city increased the number of buses threefold and doubled the
number of routes. The buses were also made FREE.  These policies caused the
number of bus users to increase 800% in the first eighteen months of the new
council. "

Alex CAmpbell