During the New Year event for the local council workers, of which there are 4,000, Lydie Polfer (DP), the mayor of Luxembourg City, announced that they will get free public transport if they commit to using it. She argued that it would have an impact on reducing traffic “because 80% of them don’t live in the city”, but the plan also includes those 20% who do live in the city.

Contacted by Paperjam on Tuesday 9 January, Patrick Goldschmit (DP), local council alderman in charge of mobility, said that “the idea would not affect all 4,000 local council workers in the 140 different entities, but we hope to double the number of M-Passes.” Currently, around 15-20% of communal workers get the pass at a reduced rate (€150) with the local council paying €250.

Goldschmidt estimated that “free passes for all workers represents a cost for the local council, which could be around €600,000 a year, but this is a lot and not much considering the potential impact”.