Belgrade becomes Europe’s first major city to offer free public transport

Public transport in Belgrade will be free for all users as of January 1, making the Serbian capital the first major European city to take such an initiative, the city's mayor, Aleksandar Sapic, announced Wednesday.

"This measure makes Belgrade the only European city with a population of over one million to offer public transport free of charge," Sapic, a former professional water polo player, noted during a news conference. 

Belgrade, a city with a population of 1.7 million, faces traffic congestion issues on a daily basis. The city is ranked among the world's ten most polluted cities, according to Swiss company IQ Air, measuring air quality levels globally.  

A member and current vice president of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), Serbia's ruling party since 2012, Sapic was elected mayor of Belgrade this year after also serving in 2022 and 2023, ahead of a...