French political analyst Paul Ariès visited Luxembourg on Tuesday for a conference hosted by Etika. At the conference, he presented his new book, Gratuité vs capitalisme (Free of charge vs capitalism).
His book examines free public transport, arguing in favour of it. According to Ariès, free public transport returns the right of using public transport to those in society who had been marginalised.
He also praised its effect on the environment, citing evidence that free public transports leads to a third of car-using residents ditching their cars. However, he cautioned that countries introducing free public transport must continue to ensure that transport personnel remain cared for. As Ariès pointed out, the point is not to let go of half the personnel.
The two trade unions Landesverband (National Federation of Railroad Workers, Transport Workers, Civil Servants and Employees - FNCTTFEL ) and Syprolux do not share his enthusiasm.
The political analyst cited other examples to show that personnel would adapt to the deep-reaching changes.
