In the modern age, public transportation is an important solution for reducing emissions. Travel is increasing, with many commuting for work and others heading on vacation. At the same time, eco-friendly travel is a major consideration for the modern mover. Cities and countries around the globe are innovating solutions to make urban and regional transportation climate friendly and easily available to their residents. 

Here are eight that stand out. 

Luxembourg 

One of Europe’s smallest countries with a high GDP, Luxembourg faced a good deal of gridlock and traffic congestion. The government responded to this by making public transportation free and reducing the number of cars on the road. Trains, buses, and trams are all free to the 630,000 citizens of Luxembourg, and bike paths and hiking trails interconnect the public transportation stops. 

Switzerland 

In this iconic Alpine country, interregional trains make travel easy for pedestrians and motorists. Switzerland runs trains between its mountains, which can be windy and dangerously impassable for drivers, that people can actually drive their cars onto and hitch a ride from one city to another. 

Shanghai, China

A glimpse of the future can be seen in the city of Shanghai where frictionless and eco-friendly Maglev trains run. This stands for magnetic levitation, which employs magnetic propulsion in an entirely electric system to accelerate these trains to up to 375mph. That’s fast enough to make cross-country train travel almost as fast as a commercial jet. These amazing trains run in Japan and Korea as well, and more are under construction. 

Hamburg, Germany

Germany has been making great strides toward carbon neutrality. To this effect, the city of Hamburg has committed to replacing its 1,100 diesel public buses with zero-emission vehicles by 2030. 

Trondheim, Norway 

This Nordic city doesn’t have much in the way of public transportation, but it does make it easy to ride a bike with its famous Trampe Bicycle Lift. Think of a bicycle elevator. Trondheim bikers rest one foot on a pedal attached to a conveyor belt which travels up a long and steep city hill taking the rider and their bike all the way to the top. The first of its kind, the bike lift has been upgraded to carry up to five people at once. 

Adelaide, Australia 

The city of Adelaide boasts the first entirely solar-powered bus in the world, the Tindo Bus. These buses can travel up to 124 miles between charges, produce no emissions, and cost nothing to travelers. They are also cheaper for the city, costing half as much as diesel buses. 

Amsterdam, Netherlands 

Being a city of canals, a great deal of boat traffic runs through Amsterdam, but did you know some ran themselves? Two of the completely autonomous boats, called Roboats, currently run in the 60 miles of Amsterdam’s canals. They are wirelessly charged, they can transport up to five people, and they also collect trash as they move.

Medellin, Colombia 

This city climbs up onto the Andes Mountains and has some neighborhoods which are isolated from other urban centers. To facilitate interurban travel, the city Medellin runs two gondolas which are more efficient than buses in some cases and have greatly improved access to education, work, and health care for many of its citizens.