Transport to and from school – How does Sweden and Luxembourg compare?

An interview was conducted by the school newspaper regarding how students from both Sweden and Luxembourg travel to school as well as their opinion on the future sustainability of cars. A student by the name of Louis who lives in Luxembourg was asked about his experiences and opinions.

The Luxembourgish student named Louis Wampach explained to us that every Luxembourgish school is well connected with transport, meaning that the students have the ability to take the buses from any town, be it far away or near the school. What encourages the students to take the bus instead of driving their car, is the fact that the transport in Luxembourg is completely free, so going to school by car is a rare occasion. People who live close by also like to walk or bike if the weather is nice but that is not as common in Luxembourg. In Louis’ case, he takes the bus every morning, as his parents are not able to take him to school, after having to get up early to go to work in the city.

In his opinion, cars are somewhat a good idea. On the one hand, they assure one their own personal transport and space and can be a better option for people who have a strict schedule at work or even school. On the other hand, as Louis mentioned in the interview, cars are very bad for the environment because they create a lot of greenhouse gas emissions.

We asked Louis if making cars illegal in the future would be a solution to improve the environment and reduce pollution. He answered honestly saying that cars should not be illegal but to seek other solutions such as electric cars as they don’t pollute as much and do not contain gasoline which is harmful to the planet. However, electric cars are made of toxic metals such as lithium, which can increase the risk of accidents, because lithium is a chemical element that can overheat and easily catch fire if damaged in a car crash.

Some solutions that Louis proposed to save the environment are to limit the number of cars that are produced, so people will be forced to take the bus, walk or bike to their destination instead of driving cars. Suggested was also to insert more pedestrian crossings so that people have more free zones to walk on and feel freer to walk to school

instead of driving their cars. Finally, Louis Wampach  advised eliminating parking spaces, so that people don’t really have any other options than to take the bus and reduce pollution.

With the Luxembourgish perspective discussed, it is clear that the country of Luxembourg has a very well-designed public transport system for its citizens, with many students preferring bus or walking over cars. Moreover, the fact that public transport is free further incentivizes people to leave their car behind. However, a Swedish student by the name of Felix Axelsson shared his views on the subject, with a far more positive approach towards cars. He explained that people get to school in all sorts of different ways depending on how far away from school they live, as well as the current season.

- Lots of people who turn 18 and get their license take the car to school every day, especially people who live far away and otherwise need to travel by bus.

Furthermore, Felix reflected on how he gets to school.

- During the summer I ride my bicycle as it is warm and sunny outside. However, during the winter months I usually travel by car.

Felix does believe that cars are something necessary for the world and people. In his opinion, trains and buses are not enough. There are some places that can not be reached by public transport. He gives an example of his friend who lives in a town where there are no public transport connections from his town. He believes that it is necessary to sacrifice a part of the environmental aspects of cars, because of their importance to people’s lives.

He also agrees that electric cars are a better option as they do not affect the environment as much as regular cars fueled by nonrenewable gas. When asked about what cities could do better for public transport, he explained that he has limited knowledge on the subject. However, he does bring up that every school should have a free school bus and free bus cards. He does mainly believe that the current system works.

In conclusion, there is a clear and profound difference in attitudes towards cars from Luxembourgish and Swedish students, with the latter being more positive towards the use of cars. This reflects how the countries differentiate in their public transport, with Luxembourgish people generally having better access to public transport than their Swedish counterparts. For the future to be sustainable, Sweden will have to expand their public transport so that less people are dependent on their cars.