Geneva has taken the unprecedented step of making all public transport free, in a bid to tackle a dangerous spike in ozone pollution that has blanketed the city, the first time Switzerland has used such a measure, underlining the severity of the environmental crisis gripping the French-speaking canton.
This week, temperatures in Geneva soared to 37°C (98.6°F), combining with stagnant air and clear skies to trap harmful ozone close to the ground. The canton’s anti-smog monitoring system recorded concentrations of the pollutant above 180 micrograms per cubic metre over 24 hours — well above the World Health Organization’s safety threshold. Such conditions can aggravate asthma, trigger headaches and cause breathing difficulties, prompting officials to act swiftly.
From Wednesday, buses, trams, trains and even the city’s lake boats are free to use, with ticket inspections suspended until the air quality improves. The aim is simple: coax drivers out of their cars, cut nitrogen oxide emissions, and slow the build-up of ozone-forming pollutants. Authorities have also imposed restrictions on vehicle use, barring the most polluting cars from the city centre between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m.
For Geneva, a city better known for its international diplomacy and watchmaking precision than for radical environmental interventions, the move reflects a growing willingness to deploy emergency measures once seen as politically unpalatable. It is also a glimpse into the challenges that climate change and urban air quality crises will increasingly pose to European cities.
The canton’s Environment Office has stressed that the measure is temporary — but with meteorologists warning of more frequent heatwaves, this could become a template for future responses. Critics, however, question whether such steps are more symbolic than transformative, noting that real progress will require longer-term investment in clean transport, stricter emissions standards, and a cultural shift away from car dependence.
For now, the experiment will be closely watched, both in Switzerland and abroad, to see whether free transport can meaningfully cut pollution when the air turns toxic. Geneva may have acted out of necessity, but the precedent it has set could ripple far beyond its borders.
Main Image: By Alexey M. – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=43981793
