From September

Free public transport tickets planned for Viennese schools

(Bild: APA/HELMUT FOHRINGER)

The City of Vienna is giving schoolchildren and accompanying adults free travel on Vienna's public transport system. In future, they will receive a free ticket for school trips. The measures will come into force at the beginning of the coming school year.

This was announced by the office of Deputy Mayor and City Councillor for Education Christoph Wiederkehr (NEOS). Public and private Viennese compulsory schools, such as primary and secondary schools, are eligible. State teachers receive a "job ticket", i.e. a free annual pass.

Relieving the burden on parents
The excursions will also cover excursions as part of school day care. Vienna is thus relieving the burden on parents' wallets and enabling all pupils to participate regardless of their socio-economic situation, Wiederkehr emphasized. "We know how important school trips are for pupils and teachers."

Accompanying adults also involved
In the past, there have always been challenges in obtaining the necessary public transport tickets. Now the new tickets will make the process easier. Accompanying persons are also important and often necessary to ensure the safety of the pupils, he emphasized. That is why the travel costs for these people would also be covered.

Own school group ticket
Specifically, Wiener Linien provides schools with their own school group ticket. Eligible schools will receive a link to a contact form. The schools will not incur any additional costs, they claim. These would be covered in full by the city.

In a statement, Mayor Michael Ludwig (SPÖ) spoke of a "further milestone for social cohesion and climate protection". The aim is to offer teachers a convenient and uncomplicated way to order tickets for the whole class, emphasized Alexandra Reinagl, Managing Director of Wiener Linien. "The new online form provides a collective ticket for the whole class, which can be printed out or shown digitally on a cell phone."