Under pressure from the European Union to rein in air pollution, the German government said it is considering a plan that would make public transportation free in its most polluted cities, according to a letter seen by German media on Tuesday.

Watch video 02:03 Share EU warns Germany on air pollution Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/2rmr5 EU warns Germany on air pollution

The letter, sent to European Environment Commissioner Karmenu Vella in Brussels, was written by German Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks, Agriculture Minister Christian Schmidt and chancellery office chief Peter Altmaier.

Read more: Germany's air pollution: Clean up or pay up?

The German government proposed the free public transportation scheme to encourage people to leave their cars at home, thereby reducing nitrogen dioxide emissions and particulate matter.

They selected five cities to roll out the program: Bonn, Essen, Reutlingen, Mannheim and the town of Herrenberg which is south of Stuttgart — one of Germany's most heavily polluted cities.

The letter also reportedly proposed instating "low emission zones" for large transporter vehicles, increasing the number of electric-powered taxis and boosting incentives for electric cars in general.

Read more: Germany to double 'clean air' projects fund

Climate savior or sinner - how green is Germany's energy production? Addicted to coal The future looks bright for Germany’s biggest surface coal mine. Even as the country introduces climate protection measures and switches to renewable energy sources, its dependence on coal-fueled power plants is unabated. Continued reliance on coal means Germany is unlikely to meet its 2020 emission goals. That's not good for the environment, but the view from the Hambach mine remains impressive.

Climate savior or sinner - how green is Germany's energy production? Stripping the earth The Hambach surface mine stretches seemingly endless into the horizon. Located west of Cologne, it is Germany’s largest surface mine at 4,300 hectares - and expanding. Despite efforts to use more renewable energy sources, Germany’s industry still relies on the cheap brown coal to supply 40% of its energy needs.

Climate savior or sinner - how green is Germany's energy production? Disappearing villages It won’t be long before the village of Manheim disappears. The nearby Hambach mine is expanding and will soon engulf the houses. Already many of the residents in the 1,000 year-old village have abandoned their homes. Since 1989 four similar villages have been razed to make room for the brown surface mine.

Climate savior or sinner - how green is Germany's energy production? No alternative By 2020 the diggers will have reached the village. Until then, workers will tear down the remaining houses and the residents will relocate. Kurt Rüttgers, one about 500 remaining residents and owner of the local pub, has watched the town fade and disappear: “Since my childhood I have known Manheim would disappear one day. It’s sad, but there seems to be no alternative to coal mining right now.”

Climate savior or sinner - how green is Germany's energy production? Investing in renewable energy Elsewhere in Germany, companies have made the switch to renewable energy sources. Soaring 109 meters above the surrounding fields, these wind turbines located about an hour from Berlin’s city center, provide emissions-free energy for the capital.

Climate savior or sinner - how green is Germany's energy production? Harvesting the wind Some 27,000 wind turbines have sprouted up across the country in the last decade. Although animal rights activists argue the giant propellers cause harm to birds and some people complain the towers are an eyesore in the landscape, the turbines are Germany’s biggest source of renewable energy. Until recently, the government heavily subsidized wind parks.

Climate savior or sinner - how green is Germany's energy production? Could housing save the climate? For some Germans saving the climate starts at home. Years ago artist Priska Wollein decided to build her atelier near Berlin as a passive energy house to reduce her carbon footprint. Built mostly out of wood, it’s heated by geothermal energy and the ventilation is specifically modified to keep warmth inside.

Climate savior or sinner - how green is Germany's energy production? The home of the future What if a house didn’t just reduce its energy consumption, but rather generates more of it? That’s one of the proposals the German housing industry has come up with in response to new building regulations on energy efficiency. Referred to as the energy plus house, the new model of home is designed to produce its own energy primarily through solar power.



'Not in planning phase yet'

Tuesday's letter left Germany's municipalities, including the ones selected for the free public transportation trials, scratching their heads. When asked about the details of the free ticket plans, a spokeswoman with the city of Bonn told DW that there wasn't much to elaborate on.

"It's not in the planning phase yet," the spokeswoman said, adding that there aren't any rollout dates or further information on how much the federal government will give the city to subsidize free public transportation.

Read more: Germany tight-lipped about industrial pollutants

Bonn Mayor Ashok Sridharan said he was informed about the government's plans over the weekend, but said in a statement that he was happy that his western German city was selected as one of the "Lead Cities."

"We also have one or two ideas that we can also propose, since we've been working on this topic for some time," Sridharan said.

The tricky road to ticketless rides

When it comes to making ticketless rides a reality, there are some pretty big questions that need to be answered first.

One of the biggest issues is that cities would need to beef up their public transportation fleets with more buses and streetcars — and eco-friendly ones at that — to accommodate the anticipated rise in passengers.

"It doesn't make sense to use more diesel buses of course," the city of Bonn spokeswoman told DW, adding: "We don't know of any manufacturer that would be able to deliver so many electric buses on such short notice."

The Association of German Transport Companies (VDV) told news agency dpa that they were "critical" of the German government's plans, particularly when it comes to how much it will cost.

According to the VDV, almost half of the money that goes into Germany's municipal public transportation companies comes from ticket sales — some €12 billion ($14.8 billion) a year.

"In the end, taxpayers will have to finance that," a VDV spokeswoman said.

Dodging driving bans

The German government's idea to test free public transportation was also one of Berlin's latest attempts to conform to environmental standards and appease German carmakers.

On February 22, the Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig will consider whether driving bans for diesel cars are legal.

Read more: Opinion — Farewell to diesel cars in Germany?

Should the court back such bans, it would likely be a game changer for air quality in Germany's smoggiest cities, but also deal a hard blow to the German auto industry.

Brussels has given Germany and eight other EU member states a final chance to offer proposals to reduce vehicle emissions and conform to EU air quality standards.

If the EU's environment chief Vella is not satisfied with Berlin's proposals, he may file a case with the European Court of Justice.