Austrian minister offers free railway pass in exchange for tattoos promoting climate action

Rail fares have been recently criticized for being tremendously expensive, but under this unconventional scheme, it’s a patch of skin that could save commuters more than 1000€ annually. Gewessler unveiled the initiative at a music festival over the weekend, showcasing her own temporary tattoo bearing the words “Gewessler takes the lead”, as reported by The Independent.

The initiative was launched with a pop-up tattoo parlor at the festival, offering free railcards to the first three people willing to ink the word “Klimaticket” onto their arms. The pop-up parlor’s banner proclaimed “Aktion geht unter die Haut” (Action that gets under your skin) and has made appearances at multiple events throughout the summer. German-language newspaper Salzburger Nachrichten reported that six individuals took advantage of the promotion during the weekend launch, while 30 other individuals have also taken up the offer in a similar initiative held last month at the Electric Love festival.

While the initiative has garnered plenty of attention and support, it hasn’t been without its critics, as some figures have criticized the government’s involvement in encouraging individuals to get tattoos for free rail travel, calling it “unacceptable”.

Defending her approach, Minister Gewessler stated that those who got tattoos were usually individuals who already had some other artworks inked onto their skin. Plus, she assured the public that the initiative was carried out with care, highlighting that the tattoos were only offered to individuals over the age of 18 and were administered during daylight.

As for the rail ticket, the Klimaticket was introduced in 2021 with the main goal of encouraging more people to use public transportation as an eco-friendly alternative to driving in Austria. In this case, the innovative (and ultimately controversial) tattoo initiative aimed to draw attention to this cause in a unique and unconventional way.