Free public transport on Friday – but not unlimited
Bavarian commuters who take the bus or the S-Bahn to Salzburg to work or school every day were only happy for a short time.
The country had announced the free use of public transport on Fridays, valid from April 1st and initially until June 24th. However, this only applies to the state of Salzburg, “that is, on line 24 only to the last stop in Liefering before the border,” says Johannes Gfrerer from the Salzburg Transport Association. The same applies to the S-Bahn.
Does Freilassing now belong to the transport association or not? “With the annual tickets, yes,” says Gfrerer, but not with this free campaign by the state, because the state only wants trips in the federal state. Line 24 is largely managed by the city and state of Salzburg, with the city of Salzburg paying 55,000 euros a year and the state 105,000 euros. The city of Freilassing contributes 35,000 euros. For the S-Bahn, too, the free package is only valid up to the last stop before the border, i.e. “Salzburg-liefering”, for the one station further to Freilassing train station a valid ticket must then be presented again.
The background to the “petrol-free days” campaign is to offer those who still drive cars a chance to test the use of buses and trains. The idea that Friday should be the free day came from Gfrerer: “On Monday, for example, we have the highest utilization, whereas Friday is ideal for both commuters and leisure users.” − ugh