Bezpłatny transport publiczny narzędziem kształtowania przewagi konkurencyjnej obszaru metropolitalnego

Idea of freepublic transport system is often presented as a mean of counteraction of the adverse, spatial, social and economic consequences of metropolisation process. A Belgian city of Hesselt, where inhabitants don’t pay for public transport journeys since 2007, is presented as an example to follow and supporting this thesis. Few other examples of the free public transport system in operation incline to reconsider the balance between benefits and costs of described solution. In the article there were presented definitions and a taxonomy of terms related to the free public transport system and reviewed Polish legal requirements for operation and development of the public transport system. The importance of the toll level in the public transport is analyzed in the paper in the context of the operation of the transport system in developing metropolitan area. In the summary there is presented considerations of the applicability and value of the free public transport for Gdańsk Metropolitan Area.