Auto Bet of Wiener Linien: Team Währing Aims to Contribute to Fewer Cars in Vienna

From May to July, the private car remains unused in the garage. During this time, the participants of the car bet use public transport, walk, cycle, use various sharing services, taxis, or rental cars.

Wiener Linien aim to make public transport or sharing offers appealing with car bet

During a press conference at Kutschkermarkt, the candidates explained their reasons for participating in the car bet: "I used to be the one who cycled to university. Now I'm the one who drives everywhere. Maybe the car bet is a chance to reevaluate a bit," expressed Henrik from Team Währing. Teresa reports: "I will miss my car the most when I go to my sports activities, which often, when you do sports from 8 to 10 pm, is more comfortable when you get in the car and are quickly home." Nevertheless, she adds: "I believe that Vienna would be an even more beautiful city if there were fewer cars on the street – I want to contribute to that," she explains her motivation. She plans to test various sharing options, starting from WienMobil to Grätzlrad.

This is also a goal of Wiener Linien: "With the car bet, we want to make alternatives to owning a car, such as public transport or sharing offers, appealing. Because owning a car in the city is actually not necessary for many people. The project also helps us learn more about the motives behind mobility usage behavior," explains Petra Hums, managing director of Wiener Linien. Silvia Nossek, the district leader of Währing, shares this view: "The car is a really useful invention – we just have far too many of them. A car in Vienna stands idle for more than 23 hours a day on average. This costs the owners a lot of money and the public space. Everyone should have a car available when they need it – but you don't have to own one. And the car bet makes you want to try it out."

Thousands of registrations for Wiener Linien's car bet

The reactions to the car bet have already shown that many residents of Vienna can imagine a life without their own vehicle. Nearly 3,000 households applied to participate. This corresponds to the current trend: According to the latest survey in 2023, the number of cars decreased in 18 of the 23 Viennese districts, according to the mobility organization VCÖ. The project is closely accompanied scientifically by the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, which includes recording individual routes via app as well as qualitative and quantitative surveys.

The initiative is supported in the automotive sector by the climate team. "In the Vienna climate team, Viennese residents have the opportunity to implement ideas for a better climate in the district. The car bet is a good example of how new, innovative projects can emerge through participation. This allows citizens to make a direct contribution to CO2 reduction," explains climate and democracy city councilor Jürgen Czernohorszky.

In 2023, the climate team in Währing selected a project idea to promote sustainable mobility. In parallel, Wiener Linien developed a comparable campaign. From this collaboration, the car bet project emerged. Those interested in following the progress of "Team Währing" and experiencing the insights, successes, and challenges of the bet participants can do so under the hashtag #autowette on social networks.

More information about the car bet of Wiener Linien can be found here.

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