Master thesis in Sustainable Development 2019/59 Examensarbete i Hållbar utveckling The Present and the Future of Fare-Free Public Transport and Sustainable Public Transport: The Cases of Avesta and Tallinn and The Visions for Luxembourg and Uppsala André Dutra DEPARTMENT OF EARTH SCIENCES INSTITUTIONEN FÖR GEOVETENSKAPER Master thesis in Sustainable Development 2019/59 Examensarbete i Hållbar utveckling The Present and the Future of Fare-Free Public Transport and Sustainable Public Transport: The Cases of Avesta and Tallinn and The Visions for Luxembourg and Uppsala André Dutra Supervisor: Peter Söderbaum Subject Reviewer: Cecilia Mark- Herbert Copyright © André Dutra and the Department of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University Published at Department of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University (www.geo.uu.se), Uppsala, 2019 THE PRESENT AND THE FUTURE OF FARE-FREE PUBLIC TRANSPORT AND SUSTAINABLE PUBLIC TRANSPORT: THE CASES OF AVESTA AND TALLINN AND THE VISIONS FOR LUXEMBOURG AND UPPSALA ANDRÉ DUTRA Dutra, A., 2019: The Present and the Future of Fare-Free Public Transport and Sustainable Public Transport: The Cases of Avesta and Tallinn and The Visions for Luxembourg and Uppsala. Master thesis in Sustainable Development at Uppsala University, No. 2019/59, 64 pp, 30 ECTS/hp Abstract: This research intends to illuminate the concept and application of the public policy named fare -free public transport (FFPT), using the cases of Avesta and Tallinn and analysing future applicability of it in the cases of Luxembourg and Uppsala city. The analysis explores the fare-free public transport policy and the theory of sustainable transport. The study presents the different benefits of the policy and its limitations, and how the FFPT is connected to sustainable transport and sustainable development theories and application. Through a case study analysis based in literature review, the analysis of both cities wants to elucidate the application of the FFPT as one important policy tool within cities both for the environment and for the people, and how the policy can develop in the future. Considering this, the presented research also opens the possibility of expansion of the policy to other cities and countries. Keywords: Avesta, Fare-Free Public Transport, Public Policy, Sustainable Development, Sustainable Transport, Tallinn André Dutra, Department of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University, Villavägen 16, SE- 752 36 Uppsala, Sweden THE PRESENT AND THE FUTURE OF FARE-FREE PUBLIC TRANSPORT AND SUSTAINABLE PUBLIC TRANSPORT: THE CASES OF AVESTA AND TALLINN AND THE VISIONS FOR LUXEMBOURG AND UPPSALA ANDRÉ DUTRA Dutra, A., 2019: The Present and the Future of Fare-Free Public Transport and Sustainable Public Transport: The Cases of Avesta and Tallinn and The Visions for Luxembourg and Uppsala. Master thesis in Sustainable Development at Uppsala University, No. 2019/59, 64 pp, 30 ECTS/hp Summary: The constant growth of car ownership in the world and the proliferation of private transportation is a threat to the environment and to the most vulnerable people in society. A public and free access-based transport system can be one effective additional way to tackle both environmental and social issues within cities. This study wants to illuminate a growing policy named fare-free public transportation. To do that, two cities that implemented this policy were analyzed: Avesta and Tallinn. Avesta is a town in Sweden which implemented this policy with relevant results. Tallinn, capital of Estonia, is the biggest city in the world promoting complete free access to the public transport system to its citizens. The presented analysis will illuminate the concept of fare-free public transport and sustainable transport, also being possible to see its strong and weak sides and possible implementation in other cities. Moreover, Luxembourg will be presented as a future vision for policy implementation, as the first country to implement the fare-free public transport in its whole territory. Finally, Uppsala, the fourth biggest city in Sweden, will be analyzed as a possible future city that could consider implementing this kind of policy, reinforcing its efforts of becoming one of the most sustainable cities in the world. The fare-free public transport policy alone is not enough to solve all environmental and social problems in a city. However, it can work as an important element of public policy to the people and to the environment, and, most importantly, to the most vulnerable classes of society. Keywords: Avesta, Fare-Free Public Transport, Public Policy, Sustainable Development, Sustainable Transport, Tallinn André Dutra, Department of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University, Villavägen 16, SE- 752 36 Uppsala, Sweden Contents 1. Introduction ...................................................................................................................................................1 1.1 Phenomenon ..............................................................................................................................................3 1.1.1 Health Implications .........................................................................................................................5 1.1.2 Environmental Implications ............................................................................................................7 1.1.3 Social Implications ..........................................................................................................................8 1.1.4 Economic Implications ....................................................................................................................9 1.2 Empirical Problem ..................................................................................................................................10 1.2.1 Public Transportation and the Sustainable Development Goals .......................................................12 1.3 Aim and Research Question ...................................................................................................................14 2 Method ..........................................................................................................................................................15 2.1 Data Collection and Case Studies ...........................................................................................................15 2.2 Purpose and Delimitations ......................................................................................................................16 3 Theory ...........................................................................................................................................................18 3.1 Conceptualizing Sustainable Development .............................................................................................18 3.2 Sustainable Development in Sustainable Transportation ........................................................................19 3.2.1 Conceptualizing Sustainable Transportation .................................................................................20 4 Empirics .......................................................................................................................................................25 4.1 Tallinn .....................................................................................................................................................25 4.2 Avesta ......................................................................................................................................................28 4.3 The Future of Public Transportation .......................................................................................................30 4.3.1 The Future of Public Transportation: Luxembourg .......................................................................31 4.3.2 The Future of Public Transportation: Uppsala City ......................................................................32 5 Analysis .........................................................................................................................................................37 5.1 Analysis of Individual and Collective Transport ....................................................................................37 5.2 Frame of Reference for Analysis of Cases ..............................................................................................39 5.2.1 Socio-Economic Reference of Analysis ........................................................................................41 5.2.2 Environmental Reference of Analysis ...........................................................................................41 6 Discussion .....................................................................................................................................................43 7 Conclusions ..................................................................................................................................................46 8 Acknowledgments ........................................................................................................................................49 9 References ....................................................................................................................................................50 List of abbreviations, acronyms, and units EC – European Commission EEA – European Environmental Agency EU – European Union FFPT – Fare-Free Public Transport GHG – Greenhouse Gases ICT – Information and