Vienna starts car bet: 40 households live until July without a car!

Vienna starts car bet: 40 households live until July without a car!

Wien, Österreich - On May 1, 2025, the starting signal for the innovative car bet of the Viennese lines, which will be carried out by July 2025. In this project, over 3,000 people have applied, of which 40 selected participants exchange their private cars for public transport and sharing offers such as car sharing, bikesharing and scooters sharing.

The participants receive a monthly mobility budget of 500 euros, which is provided in the form of prepaid credit cards. This budget should enable the participants to cover their mobility costs comprehensively and to compare the advantages of alternative means of transportation with those of the car. The Viennese lines support the participants during the project and collect important data on the use of the various mobility offers.

Scientific support and digital recording

The project accompanied by the University of Natural Research. The individual paths are recorded using a digital logbook that is integrated in a special app. In addition to the quantitative survey, the participants are also asked in terms of quality in order to better understand their experiences without a car. The feedback is collected in three personal exchange formats, which promotes direct dialogue.

An additional goal of this study is to gain reliable knowledge about mobility behavior in Vienna. Ultimately, the car bet should help to show the usage costs of alternative means of transport and to enable well-founded decisions for climate-friendly urban planning.

urban mobility rethink

The car bet is part of a larger initiative that aims to reduce the degree of motorization at private cars to 250 cars per 1,000 inhabitants by 2030. This is in line with the goals of reducing the number of cars in the Vienna districts. In the previous year, an analysis of the VCÖ already showed a decline in the number of cars in 18 Viennese districts, with the number of cars per 1,000 inhabitants below 400 in 13. Währing, which is a partner district of this bet, was already involved in similar projects.

Developments in the field of urban mobility are crucial for the achievement of climate goals and the creation of a fair habitat in cities. Climate change and the overload of urban spaces call for a fundamental redesign of the car-centered mobility systems, as is also emphasized by the Heinrich Böll Foundation. Access to safe and reliable means of transport plays a central role in sustainability as well as for social justice.

The need for data availability and digital technologies is becoming increasingly clear. These can not only support the exchange of mobility data, but also contribute to the planning and improvement of urban mobility systems, so that the city dwellers receive more easily access to jobs, education and livable public spaces.

This experience could be formative for the participants of the car bet, not only with regard to their own mobility, but also as part of a larger whole that could pave the way to a more sustainable urban future.

For more information about the car bet, please visit the pages of the Viennese lines: Wiener Linien and the website of vienna.at .

More on the general discussion about urban mobility can be found at the Heinrich-böll-Foundation .