From autumn 2025, drivers in Aarhus can travel for free by light rail and bus during rush hour if they park at the Park and Ride facility at Klokhøjen.
This is stated in a press release by Midttrafik, which together with Aarhus Municipality is behind the pilot trial.
The trial will test whether free travel by light rail can motivate more drivers to leave their cars and continue their journey by public transport, with the aim of reducing congestion and car traffic in the city centre.
Drivers can collect a free ticket via the Rejsebillet app at Klokhøjen. The trial will run until the end of 2026.
One step forward, one step backwards. Somehow, Denmark manages to make public transportation benefit only the people who need it the least.
It’s part of a larger plan to get cars out of the central city, which is plagued by rush hour traffic and expensive parking.
The point is to get the commuters out of the cars outside of the city by allowing them to ride the train for free from the commuter parking outside the city at the freeway and into the city.
Poverty isn’t an issue in this regard. The public transport is already cheap and the entire city has bike lanes everywhere. I wouldn’t want to own a car there if I lived there, but for a lot of people it’s necessary in order to commute to the city.