Public transport is now free in Geneva, as a way to combat a spike in ozone pollution. This is the first initiative of its kind in the Swiss city which began on Wednesday 13 August.
“High temperatures and low cloud cover mean ozone pollutants accumulate and take longer to be dispersed”, Canton of Geneva’s Environment Office said to Reuters.
Temperatures reached 37 degress (98.6°F) Celsius on 12 August, alerting the government to issue a heat warning.
The canton’s anti-smog monitoring system recorded concentrations of the pollutant above 180 micrograms per cubic metre over 24 hours.
This harmful gas can cause problems breathing and can trigger headaches and asthma attacks, according to the World Health Organization.
The scheme is aimed at encouraging residents to switch from private cars to buses, trams, trains, and boats, aiming to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions from the transportation sector.
Passengers do not need tickets, and ticket inspections will be suspended until pollution levels improve.
Authorities have also imposed restrictions on vehicle use, prohibiting the most polluting cars from the city centre between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m.
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