Do you remember when, a year ago, the then prime minister Milos Vucevic announced negotiations on the introduction of free city transport and textbooks for elementary school students throughout Serbia?
It was January 27, 2025.
Government of Serbia it was greatly shaken by the student rebellion, which grew more and more into a general social rebellion, so Vučević declared that negotiations with the Minister of Finance would begin the next day Sinisha Malim yes textbooks and public transport be free everywhere.
"From tomorrow, we will start talks with the Minister of Finance in order to look at the budgetary possibilities." textbooks will be free for all children in Serbia, as well as for cities to provide free city transportation for students and citizens," said Vučević in his address to the citizens. The announcement seemed to be a way of diverting attention and pandering to the rebellious people.
The next day, Vucevic resigned in front of the cameras.
More than a month and a half has passed since the de facto resignation of the Government noted in the Serbian Parliament only on March 19. Serbia then got a new executive branch with a prime minister By Đuro Macuta. The Minister of Finance remained the same, and the talk about free textbooks and public transport went into oblivion with the outgoing Government.
Belgrade: Not that it is not free transport, but it is far overpaid
The largest and capital city of Serbia, Beograd, introduced free public public transport in January 2025. City government, headed by Aleksandar Šapić decided on such a populist measure, which is still in force.
However, although citizens can now ride around the city for free, this measure has also had numerous critics. Critics say that free transportation is not really free, because - there is no free lunch. Transportation services have to be paid for from somewhere - and it all comes from the city budget, and ultimately from the pockets of the citizens of Belgrade.
That's right Stefan Simic, councilor of the Movement of Free Citizens in interview for "Vreme" in October of last year, as an incredible example of misleading people, he mentioned exactly city transport, which he said, "not that it is not free, but it is far overpaid because that service was awarded to companies in direct connection with SNS, in a tender where there were no other bidders and at a price that many times exceeds the real one".
"And we all pay for that free transportation, through the ever more expensive Infostan, never higher taxes, never worse communal services and all the unrenovated kindergartens and schools. Therefore, that free public transportation is the gravedigger of Belgrade's finances," said Simić at the time.
Niš: Free transportation was announced by Vučić himself
Apart from Belgrade, public transport is free in the third largest city in Serbia - Nišlje, since July 1 last year.
The president of Serbia announced that they would be transported for free Aleksandar Vučić personally in the middle of February last year in a conversation with the mayor of that city at the tourism fair in Belgrade. And then at the National Assembly in Niš, which was organized by the Serbian Progressive Party on March 17.
And believe it or not - this announcement came true. Mayor Dragoslav Pavlović announced that from July 1, 2025, transportation is free. He spoke later about that "historic step", and in December he stated that Nišlje will continue to ride for free in 2026, and that the funds are provided from the city budget.
Apart from Belgrade and Niš, transportation in all other places where it is available is currently paid for.
And what about textbooks?
Although it was pompously announced, free textbooks for all pupils in Serbia did not go far either.
Textbooks are free for pupils in Belgrade, as the city provides 20.000 dinars in pupil aid per child of primary and secondary school age for their purchase.
Except in the capital, according to the decisions of some local governments, students receive free books, while at the state level they are free for students in certain categories - such as socially disadvantaged students, children with developmental disabilities, children who have more school-age brothers and sisters.
The announcement of the then prime minister, and now only the president of the Serbian Progressive Party, Miloš Vučević, from a year ago remained hanging in the air, perhaps until some new big crisis or election campaign.
