Belgrade is making history with a groundbreaking announcement: starting January 1, 2025, public transport in the Serbian capital will be free for all passengers. This was confirmed by Mayor Aleksandar Šapić during a press conference held on December 18, 2024.
Belgrade’s Bold Move: Free Public Transport from January 2025
“From January 1, 2025, all public transport in Belgrade will be free. Nobody will need to pay for tickets anymore—no monthly passes, annual subscriptions, or discounts. With this social measure, Belgrade will become the only city in Europe with a population over 500,000 to offer completely free public transport,” said Mayor Šapić.
Fleet Modernization: New Buses, Trams, and Trolleybuses by 2027
In addition to free transport, Šapić unveiled plans to fully modernize Belgrade’s public transport fleet by 2027. This includes replacing all buses, trams, and trolleybuses with brand-new vehicles.
“By the end of 2025, no buses older than two years will be on the streets of Belgrade,” Šapić announced. “The only exception will be those vehicles purchased in late 2022, as they are practically new. All others will be from 2023 or 2024.”
Šapić also highlighted that, for the first time in over 30 years, private transport operators in Belgrade will be required to invest in new vehicles, ensuring a consistent standard across the entire fleet.
“By the end of 2027, we have set ourselves the task of securing funding to purchase all the trolleybuses—100 of them—and the remaining 100 or 120 trams. We’ll see whether this will be through public-private partnerships or other means that we provide ourselves. What’s most important is to acquire the new vehicles as quickly and cost-effectively as possible,” he said.
A Historic Overhaul of Belgrade’s Public Transport System
Mayor Aleksandar Šapić emphasized the unprecedented scale and speed of the planned public transport overhaul: “By the end of 2027, we aim to have all new vehicles. No city in history has ever accomplished such a feat in such a short timeframe. This will be achieved by the city of Belgrade, and simultaneously, there will be no fare collection for public transport.”
Addressing concerns about traffic congestion, Šapić pointed out that the number of cars in Belgrade has increased by 250,000 over the past decade. While efforts are underway to expand streets and boulevards to ease the strain, he acknowledged that significant relief will only come with the completion of the long-awaited metro system.
Leave a Reply