Transport as Climate Policy: How European Cities Are Changing People’s Habits

In European capitals today, it is no longer sufficient for public transport lines to simply become faster and more modern. Urban transport is increasingly viewed as a tool for reducing emissions, air pollution, and the number of cars in urban areas, as well as a way to encourage citizens to choose buses, trams, or the metro instead of their private vehicles. In other words, mobility in cities is increasingly becoming part of climate policy.

London is certainly one of the most striking examples of an accelerated transition toward cleaner urban transport, primarily through the intensive electrification of its bus network. According to a statement by Transport for London (TfL), the public body responsible for urban transport in London, published in June last year, more than 2,000 zero-emission buses were operating on the streets of this metropolis. With this, London reached an important milestone in the modernization of public transport, as the number of such vehicles increased from just 30 in 2016 to more than one-fifth of the total bus fleet. TfL also stated on that occasion that around two out of every nine of London’s iconic red buses had already become green. As explained, buses can carry up to 80 times more passengers than cars while occupying only about three times as much road space, making them one of the most efficient ways to use streets in large cities.

At the same time, the city is implementing a broader policy of limiting pollution through the ULEZ (Ultra Low Emission Zone), which covers almost the entire area of London. Vehicles that do not meet strict environmental standards are required to pay a daily charge, thereby directly discouraging the use of older, more polluting cars. By combining investments in cleaner, better-organized public transport with restrictive measures on individual traffic, London aims to achieve a dual effect, reducing the need for car travel through the city.

However, when you arrive in Vienna, it becomes clear what it means when public transport is much more than a competitive, more affordable, and less burdensome alternative to the car. In this city, the metro and trams already operate on 100 percent green electricity, while the goal is for bus transport to become climate-neutral by 2040. Through major infrastructure projects, such as metro expansion, the city directly reduces car traffic. According to estimates, such investments could reduce emissions by tens of thousands of tons of CO2 annually. This is also indicated by the fact that the U2 and U5 metro line expansion project could reduce the total annual car travel distance in the city by around 550 million kilometers.

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Their model shows that the focus is not only on technology, but also on ensuring that a broad, reliable, and accessible system becomes the logical choice. This is confirmed by the figures – in Vienna, public transport is used by around 2.4 million passengers daily, while approximately 873 million trips are recorded annually, accounting for about 34 percent of all mobility in the city, according to data from Wiener Linien, the city’s public transport operator. The system further demonstrates its mass adoption, with around 1.3 million people holding an annual pass or some form of subscription, making public transport in Vienna a primary mode of everyday mobility.

Tallinn, as a smaller city than those previously mentioned, on the other hand, manages to combine the environmental and social dimensions of transport policy. Public transport is not only less polluting but also free of charge for city residents, further encouraging its use and reducing reliance on cars. A similar direction can be seen elsewhere in Europe – Luxembourg has introduced free public transport at the national level, while Belgrade joined this group in 2025 as the largest European city with such a policy. However, unlike major European metropolises, Belgrade’s system still lacks a metro, leaving open questions about the capacity, speed, and reliability of public transport.

What these examples have in common is the effort to influence people’s everyday decisions through transport infrastructure. From here, the story naturally expands, as emissions are not generated only by citizens’ daily mobility but also by how people arrive in a city and how they behave during their stay. In other words, the boundary between urban mobility and tourism is becoming increasingly blurred, prompting cities to think about transport beyond the framework of daily commuting. Some metropolises are therefore introducing more creative models that influence not only the habits of residents but also the behavior of visitors.

Copenhagen, through the CopenPay project, attempted to go a step further. The initiative was first tested during 2024 as a pilot project with 24 attractions, aiming to encourage tourists to make more sustainable choices, such as walking and cycling. Among the more notable examples was a model in which boat rides were free for those who collected waste from the canals, while some other activities were rewarded with coffee, a meal, or access to city amenities. Positive results, including a 29 percent increase in bicycle rentals, led to the program’s expansion the following year. In 2025, CopenPay was implemented from June 17 to August 17, with as many as 90 attractions participating.

Through this project, Copenhagen also focused on the way visitors arrive in the city, not just how they move within it. Travelers who arrived by train rather than by plane were rewarded for lower CO2 emissions, while those arriving by electric car could benefit from perks such as parking discounts.

In addition, rewards were linked to the concept of “travel less often, stay longer,” aimed at reducing the overall environmental footprint of travel—fewer frequent weekend visits with high emissions, and more extended, more efficient stays.

Instead of restrictions, Copenhagen sought to influence visitor behavior through incentives, thereby demonstrating how mobility and tourism can jointly become part of the same climate strategy.

Prepared by Milica Vučković