After outrage in Vienna

Ludwig: Blind people can still travel for free on public transport!

Vienna's Mayor Michael Ludwig puts his foot down on the subject of the annual public transport pass.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Mario Urbantschitsch, Johannes Zinner)

No more free annual public transport passes for visually impaired and deaf people - this news caused outrage in Vienna. Now the order from Mayor Michael Ludwig (SPÖ): Those affected may continue to travel for free!

It was a two-page, soulless letter, from an institution with the word "social" in its name, to the blind, who of course had to have the letter read to them: the Vienna Social Fund informed them "with kind regards" that those affected would no longer be allowed to travel free of charge on Wiener Linien - but would instead receive a "special annual ticket", which is cheaper but no longer includes 100% funding.

2,700 blind, severely visually impaired and deaf people were completely flabbergasted. The city wants to save money on them of all people!

Peter M. was not blind from birth. He suffers from a hereditary disease.(Bild: Martin A. Jöchl)

We have also reported on this. In the past few days, the "Krone" has also spoken behind the scenes with the mayor's office and the responsible city councillors: Is there really nothing that can be done for these people?

"Holding on to the free annual pass"
The answer: Yes, there is! The word of power comes from the mayor himself: "Mobility is a central prerequisite for social participation," says Michael Ludwig (SPÖ). "We are sticking to the free annual pass for severely visually impaired, blind and deaf people. At the same time, we are expanding the offer with the special annual pass so that more people with disabilities can benefit from affordable mobility in the future."

Mayor of Vienna Michael Ludwig(Bild: Mario Urbantschitsch)

The mayor explains what this means in detail: "From November 3, 2025, people with disabilities with an Austrian disability pass and a degree of disability of 70% or more will be able to purchase the new special annual pass from Wiener Linien. This annual pass will be valid from 1 January 2026 and expands the target group."

We are sticking to the free annual pass for severely visually impaired, blind and deaf people

Michael Ludwig (SPÖ)

In summary: 2,700 blind and deaf people will continue to travel free of charge, 26,600 Viennese with a disability of 70% or more will travel at a reduced rate - namely 300 euros per year.

It is probably also stories like that of Peter M. that have moved the head of the city: The man from Favoriten worked in a print shop and went completely blind a few years ago due to a hereditary disease. Since 2017, he has had to take early retirement as a result - he cannot survive without the help of others in everyday life.

Ludwig allowed himself to be guided through the darkness for the "Krone" newspaper.(Bild: krone.TV)

And the city leader also spoke a lot with blind people during the election campaign. All the top candidates faced their greatest fears for the "Krone". "I'm a person who likes to read, and that would be a stroke of fate for me," reported Michael Ludwig in April. "The risk of bumping into something or falling into a pit is great."

"That makes me happy"
Back then, Michael Ludwig let blind Ayse guide him through a dark room in Ottakring, absolute darkness everywhere, no contours, outlines, nothing - recorded with a night vision camera. His conclusion at the time: "On the one hand, I think I was right to be afraid of going blind. Because you lose a lot of things. So not just reading, but not recognizing people, rooms, colors."

So now the good news for all those affected. Wiener Linien will remain free of charge for them. The total financial volume involved is 1.4 million euros. One of the first people to hear about this from the "Krone" was Peter M.: "I'm delighted about this news. It makes me happy."