Why the Viennese take public services for granted.
This is a city where people grumble when their tram is two minutes late. And that's as it should be, because Vienna's public services are famously reliable.
The Viennese enjoy excellent infrastructure, from speedy public transport options to world-class healthcare and endless recreation and leisure opportunities. The City of Vienna takes great pride in the exceptional quality of life it creates for the people living here - even the MA 48, the city department responsible for waste removal, puts on an annual fair for families.
Here are just a few examples of the services the Viennese take for granted:
- Tap water comes from nearby mountain springs and is clean, cold and delicious.
- For just €1 per day, an annual public transport ticket allows the Viennese unlimited travel within the city across multiple modes of transport, with 100% of the electricty used to fuel public transport coming from sustainable sources. The near-perfect satisfaction rate amongst the Viennese speaks for itself.
- The streets are clean and free from waste lying around. This is thanks to an efficient rubbish collection service, with waste then being incinerated and turned into heat to provide energy to ⅓ of Viennese households.
- Speaking of households, you may have heard of Vienna's social housing being lauded even internationally. Almost ¼ of housing in Vienna is social housing owned by the city, which means rent is kept affordable for low-income households, and cheaper for everyone else renting privately. In comparison to other major cities in Europe, rent here is very fair.
For more about public services in Vienna, check out the video above.