Austrian officials wanted to try something a little different to encourage citizens to use public transportation. The country began offering a year of free public transportation in exchange for getting a tattoo.
Pop-up tattoo shops were placed at the Electric Love Festival in Salzburg and the Frequency Festival in St. Polten to offer residents the chance to ride public transportation anywhere in the country free of charge for a year. This was only the case if residents got a tattoo reading “Klimaticket,” the name of a recently launched annual pass that fills the same purpose.
Klimaticket, which translates to “climate ticket,” is aimed at discouraging “motorized individual transport” and bringing Austria closer to its climate change goals under the Paris Agreement.
So far, campaign officials have said that six people have taken the offer and received Klimaticket tattoos in exchange for free tickets. Several others received free tattoos with various environmental themes but did not a year of free public transportation.
Leonore Gewesseler, a member of parliament with the Green party and the country’s climate minister, was criticized by some for promoting the tattoo offer at the Frequency Festival.
Some government officials have criticized Leonore Gewesseler, the country’s climate minister, for promoting the tattoo offer. Henrike Brandstötter, a member of parliament for the NEOS party, posted on social media that “offering people money for putting advertising under their skin reveals an unacceptable view of humanity from a government minister.”
Gewessler confirmed that the tattoos are only being offered during the daylight hours when festival-goers are less likely to be intoxicated. The tattoo artists have also ensured that every recipient is over the age of 18.