Up until now, park-and-ride carparks in the south and east of Brussels have not succeeded in enticing commuters to leave their cars outside the city and take public transportation the rest of the way.
In Anderlecht, a large parking lot costing 14 million euros was built next to the Coovi metro station. Only 2.5% of the carpark was occupied last year.
By making the car parks free of charge, the Brussels regional government hopes to encourage more commuters to leave their cars at the edge of town. Instead, they can take the tram, bus or metro instead. The decision is part of a broader regional transportation plan called “Good Move.”
A season ticket for the park-and-ride carparks currently costs 60 euros per year plus 1.50 euros per day of use. Season ticket holders will no longer need to pass by the parking payment machines every time they park. If they scan their public transport ticket before leaving the park-and-ride carpark, the price charged to those who use it only occasionally will fall from 3 euros/day to 0 euros/day from 5 September.
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