Vienna Rewards Car-Free Lifestyle With Free Museum Entry
With CO2 reduction in mind, Vienna released an app that rewards residents with Culture Tokens whenever they commute without cars.
Tokens are generated via a Smart Contract on the blockchain that can represent any good or value, what includes, for example, cryptocurrencies. The idea of the governments developing their own official cryptocurrencies isn’t that new with Venezuela having its contentious Petro and the UAE reportedly working on its own. Although the Culture Token is also supposed to work as a form of encouragement for citizens, the main goal is to reward the CO2 reduction with a cultural experience.
The app recognizes the mode of transportation used by a Viennese and then calculates the savings in comparison to taking a car. One token is rewarded when at least 20kg of CO2 has been saved, which equals an average of two weeks of a car-free lifestyle. The tokens can then be exchanged for free tickets at one of the cultural institutions such as a museum or a theatre.
A group of users has tested the app last month, and if the trial run is concluded to be successful, the Culture Token is expected to be expended over the broader public in the autumn. Nevertheless, known for its efficient public transport, Vienna is just a part of a much bigger goal as Austria aims to be climate neutral by 2040, a decade ahead of the EU’s target. And if its citizens play a crucial role in it, why not to make it a more pleasant experience for them while taking part in the city’s cultural life?
