Croatia’s sixth largest city introduces free public transport for all

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The Croatian city of Velika Gorica has recently joined the ranks of cities offering free public transport.

As the sixth largest city in Croatia, behind Zagreb, Split, Rijeka, Osijek, and Zadar, Velika Gorica is now the largest city in Croatia to provide such a free public service.

Situated 16 km south of Zagreb, Velika Gorica gained city status in 1995. It is the largest city in Zagreb County, with a population of around 30,000 within the city and 65,00 in the municipality.

“The provider of municipal passenger transport in Velika Gorica is Autotrans d.d. from Cres, a member of the Arriva group, with whom a seven-year contract has been signed.

Bus transport by the mentioned carrier within Velika Gorica is free for all passengers, regardless of whether they are residents of Velika Gorica or other places,” stated the Department of Municipal Services and Transport of Velika Gorica.

The city and Arriva have signed a seven-year municipal transport contract worth €20.5 million excluding VAT, which is just under €3 million annually. Notably, this year’s budget for Velika Gorica is a record high, exceeding €122 million, reports N1.

Velika Gorica from the air (Photo credit: Divna Jaksic/CC BY-SA 3.0)

The city’s name means ‘big vineyard’ in the local dialect, reflecting its ancient winemaking history. It also hosts Franjo Tuđman Airport, the busiest in Croatia.