The Free Mobility Program of Cascais

• City: Cascais, Portugal
• Size and population development: 215 000
• Population composition: 21 000 immigrants from all over the world
• Main functions: commerce and service centre
• Main industries / business: Tourism, service, commerce, research and development
• Political structure: Mayor and City Council
• Administrative structure: 1 municipality and 4 parishes
• Website: www.cm-cascais.pt

The first free transport initiative in Portugal was carried out by the Municipality of Cascais, that implemented the Free Mobility Program (FMP) in January 2020. This initiative was a bold measure and allows residents, students, and workers of the municipality, of all ages, to have free access to buses and shared bicycles in the municipality, any time of the day, every day of the week.

The municipal strategy aims not only at adjusting the operation and transport infrastructure to the most vulnerable groups, but also to improve the offer and quality of the service, with the goal of encouraging the modal shift from individual transport to public transport.

The Free Mobility Program contributes to the redistribution of household incomes and rebalances the families’ monthly budget. This result is an appreciable improvement in the living conditions of families and to mobility in the Municipality.

Public transport is crucial for society and the economy, but it brings about various negative effects, including atmospheric pollution, climate change, noise, urban sprawl, and road accidents. The transport sector significantly contributes to greenhouse gas and toxic particulate emissions, accounting for about a quarter of global emissions, as reported by the European Environment Agency.

The City Council of Cascais has been making a set of sustainability commitments in its territory, and Cascais is dedicated to promoting an environmentally friendly urban mobility. To complement the MobiCascais system and to encourage the use of public transport, in January 2020, Cascais adopted the Free Mobility Program, a bold policy which allows its residents, students and workers to use municipal buses and bike sharing for free.

There are several examples, from countries and cities, where public transport is free to use. Due to the novelty of this measure, tests and experiments are still being carried out and deserve close attention. In Portugal, the first free transport initiative was carried out by the Municipality of Cascais, that implemented the Free Mobility Program.

The municipal strategy is to encourage the modal shift from individual transport to public transport and to improve the offer and quality of the service. The Free Mobility Program also has the goal to promote social inclusion by easily connecting the people to their jobs, social events, education, health care and leisure activities, as well as to create employment opportunities. While promoting equality of opportunities through transport, it is important to consider that public transport must be accessible, affordable, available, and acceptable to all users.

By applying for a “Viver Cascais” mobility pass and through the ticketing system, the students and municipal workers have the advantage to use their identification cards to access bus and bicycle sharing services

With the implementation of the Free Mobility Program, the people living in surrounding areas without access to a car, people living in deprived areas, people with physical or sensory impairments, the elderly population, people on a low income, people without a car, people that use their own cars just for emergency situations, the immigrants, the people who are afraid to drive, the children and young people, started using the public transport to satisfy their daily needs and to participate in city activities.

MobiCascais has created a brand to advertise the system, that became a national reference, and runs several marketing campaigns through social media and a website with daily updates: https://pt-pt.facebook.com/mobicascais/, https://www.mobicascais.pt/. Through the MobiCascais’ channels the users not only have access to real-time communication and information, but also apply for the Free Mobility Program.

The cost of the Free Mobility Program is around 12 million euros per year, and it is entirely supported by the City Council of Cascais through two main sources of revenue: the operation of on-street parking and municipal car parks, and the income from the Vehicle circulation tax (IUC). Therefore, the sustainability of the model, in economic and financial terms, is totally supported by individual transport.

In 2022, 8.8 million passengers used the public transport and, since 2020, 85.000 users, about 40% of the population of Cascais, have registered for the Free Mobility Program. There was a 76% increase in total active transport passes between 2020 and 2021.

This increased is observed by the number of validations of the different transport passes available. The Viver Cascais pass already has a share of 47% in terms of the number of validations, in comparison to the others. However, the most important conclusion to be drawn is that the validations registered by all of the passes continue to show a positive trend of sustained growth, with a 46% increase in the number of validations registered in the last quarters of 2020 and 2021 (only the figures for the last quarters are observed because of the restriction measures imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic).

In the first two years of the Free Mobility Program, it is estimated that each user saved 720 euros, which represents a saving of around 23 million euros for all users. Thereby, the program contributes to the redistribution of household incomes and rebalances the families’ monthly budget. This result is an appreciable improvement in the living conditions of families and to mobility in the Municipality.

Currently, the number of validations from the residents has increased significantly by almost 50%. In addition to the economic aspects, the young student population of the municipality has been increasingly using public transport in their daily journeys to school. There is also an enormous diversity among the users of the program regarding age, social, cultural and economic terms.

The municipal strategy of the Free Mobility Program is to encourage the modal shift from individual transport to public transport and to improve the offer and quality of the service. This measure aims to improve the living conditions of families and mobility in the Municipality. However, the municipality faces a huge challenge in terms of improving the frequency and the efficiency of the public transport service.

For this reason, the decision to increase the bus fleet both with hydrogen cell-powered and autonomous electric vehicles, will allow an operation with greater time ranges and will contribute to a modern and more appealing public transport service.

-https://pt-pt.facebook.com/mobicascais/

-https://www.mobicascais.pt/

Paulo Marques Augusto
Director of Mobility
Cascais Próxima E.M. S.A
paulo.marques@cascaisproxima.pt
Tel: + 351 21 464 77 60

Paula Faria
Director of the Transport Department
Cascais Próxima E.M. S.A
paula.faria@cascaisproxima.pt
Tel: + 351 21 464 77 60