Public Transportation:

Price levels in Europe

Public Transportation: Study of price levels in 12 European cities

September 2015

Revised 18. September 2015

Contents

1. Summary .................................................................. 4

2. Background, objective and methodology .................. 5

3. Cities included in the study…………………………………. 9

4. Recalculation of prices……………………………………… 36

5. Comparison of fare prices in EURO and adjusted for

buying power.......................................................... 38

6. Sources……………………………………………………………. 55

7. Authors…………………………………………………………… 56

8. About The Passenger Pulse………………………….……. 56

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Contributors

Amsterdam:

Freek Bos, Reizigersvereniging Rover

Berlin:

Marion Jungbluth, Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband e.V. (vzbv)

Brussel:

Jan Vanseveren , TreinTramBus

Copenhagen:

Jonas Eriksen, The Passenger Pulse at The Danish Consumer Council

London:

Tim Bellenger, London Travel Watch

Oslo:

Gro Mette Moen, Forbrukerrådet

Paris:

Jean Macheras, FNAUT

edition, September 2015

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1. Summary

This paper is a study of the price levels in 12 European cities. In the study we

have compared fare prices in the public transportation. The fare prices are all

recalculated into EURO and adjusted according to local buying power. The

study also gives an overview of the entire public transportation network of

each of the 12 cities, and monitors how the prices are structured between the

types of tickets, travel cards and travel passes in the cities.

We have consequently decided to make the comparisons based on 5 different

passenger profiles to keep the study simple but still relevant.

1. Infrequent traveller making a short trip (5 km) in the centre of the city.

2. Infrequent traveller making a long trip in the entire network.

3. Commuter travelling a short distance (5 km) in the centre of the city.

4. Commuter travelling a long distance in the entire network.

5. Tourist wanting to get around in the centre of the city (one day).

Many other profiles exist, and had we chosen them instead it may have lead

to other prices and rankings.

In general, we only find little consistency between prices on single tickets

and monthly passes, and the size of the city and the covered network.

Prague is in general an inexpensive city when it comes to public

transportation if you only look at the charged prices in EURO, but when we

recalculate for buying power it turns out that Brussels is the cheapest of the

12 cities monitored, and Prague only number 5.

Other relatively cheap cities adjusted for buying power are Berlin,

Amsterdam and Hamburg.

London is relatively the most expensive city of the 12. Only when it comes to

Tourist daypasses London is not among the most expensive but at the

average. London has the largest network, and especially the monthly travel

passes are relatively very expensive. Oslo seems to be the second-most

expensive of the 12 cities.

The other cities take changing positions when we rank the relative prices of

our 5 cases. This is likely to reflect historical reasons or is because of political

decisions or decisions made by the local transport authority regarding the

price structure.

Although you can see a general pattern in the 5 indexes adjusted for buying

power, e.g.:

 Oslo and London is among the 4 most expensive cities in 5 out of 5

indexes. Stockholm is among the 3 most expensive cities in 3 out of 5

indexes.

 On the other hand Brussels, Berlin and Amsterdam is among the 3

cheapest cities in 3 out of 5 indexes.

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 Copenhagen is total on the average of all indexes of the cities (100). 7

cities are below the average and 4 cities are above the average.

 Vienna is among the 3 cheapest cities in 2 out of 5 indexes, but at the

same time the most expensive city in 1 of the 5 indexes. That fact

makes Vienna among the 3 most expensive cities on average.

If we compare the index for prices on a 24 hour day pass in the 12 cities with

the UBS Price of a city break (index of the 12 cities compared to the average

price of the 12 cities) we find in general that the cities which has low tourist

prices in general (City break prices) in general also have low prices on the 24

hour pass (see table 9).

2. Background, objective and methodology

The aim of the present study is to monitor and compare fare prices in public

transportation in a number of cities around Europe together with a short

description of the entire public transportation network of the city. We want

to monitor the differences in price levels and the way the prices are

structured between the types of tickets, travel cards and travel passes in the

cities.

The study thus enables politicians and other decision makers to have an easy

accessible overview of public transportation networks and fares in

comparable cities which can be useful when deciding the future development

in their respective city.

The report is not intended to be used as a guidebook to the public

transportation networks and prices of the cities covered. For that purpose it

is to general.

The idea for this study originated from a report produced by Cowi

(consultancy company) for DSB (The Danish Railways) in 2009. The initial

starting point was Copenhagen and as a consequence most of the cities in the

study are located in the northern part of Europe.

We acknowledge the fact that every city and its public transportation

network are uniqe and the variety of tickets/passes and prices are developed

on the needs of that particular city and its inhabitants. For comparison

reasons we have decided to try to streamline and harmonise the description

of the public transportation network in each city and have chosen to only

monitor a limited number of comparable prices.

We have had the following passengers in mind when describing the different

public transport network.

a) The inhabitant who is an infrequent traveller (single ticket)

b) The inhabitant who is a commuter (seasonal/annual ticket)

c) The young and/or senior citizens (special discounts)

d) Tourists (special tickets)

Based on our experience we believe that the above passenger profiles cover

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the majority of passengers in the various cities. We do however not have

access to statistics to support this viewpoint further in depth.

When visiting the cities you may find other price offerings and tickets than

the mentioned.

The aim is to update the study annually and increase the number of cities

and information included from year to year. Especially we would like to

include information on the ‘size’ of the public transport network in the cities

(number of lines, annual driving hours etc.), and the area that it covers. We

would also like to include information about the marketshare of public

transport. Please feel free to email the authors with input and ideas for

improvements.

Methodology

The information appearing in this report is gathered by the authors from

websites published by the Public Transport Authorities in the cities with

additional contributions from colleagues in some of the countries/cities in

focus (Colleagues from the EPF (European Passengers Federation) and

Consumers organizations).

We would like to thank all contributors to the study. We hope that you will

all benefit from this project.

The information was collected and revised in May and June 2015.

Basis for the comparison of prices

When comparing the price levels of public transport in the cities we have

recalculated all prices into EURO and made them comparable by adjusting

them according to the local buying power based on ‘UBS – Prices and

Earnings, 2012 edition’

. This we find is a fair and often used way of

comparing the price levels in cities where buying power differs a lot.

That applies also to the price on tourist/24 hour tickets even though we

know that foreign tourists may have a completely different buying power

than the citizens of the city/country monitored. The reason behind this is

that we have no information about the buying power of the tourists visiting

each city, and every city has native tourists. Furthermore local buying power

is likely to influence on tourist prices in general in the city (hotels,

restaurants etc.), and therefore also will influence a tourist price index, that

we otherwise would be likely to use as a means to recalculate the prices of

public transportation.

We have however, when looking at prices of 24 hour daypasses (aimed at

tourists) also made a comparison with the UBS Price of a city break Index

https://www.ubs.com/global/en/wealth_management/wealth_management_research/

prices_earnings.html

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(appears also in the above mentioned UBS report). This is to see if the price

of a tourist ticket for public transportation is relatively more or less

expensive than the tourist prices in general.

Inclusions and exclusions

Size of the area/region where the ticket/travel pass is valid

The regions around the cities where the ticket/travel pass is valid vary a lot

in size. As a consequence the comparison may not always seem fair. We have

however chosen not to include ticket prices on journeys outside the city-

region as decided by the local Public Transport Authority. We are looking at

prices from door to door using many different modes of public

transportation (multimodal), as that will indicate the reality and the need for

many passengers when they use bus, metro, tram and trains.

The different size of the regions will mostly influence on the picture when we

look at prices for longer journeys within the region whereas prices for

shorter trips within the centre of the city (including tourist tickets) will be

more comparable.

We will comment on this when comparing the prices.

Number of zones

Some cities have only one zone or very few and others have more than a

hundred, when prices are being calculated. We find that this fact is

influencing on the price comparison between the cities. This is a general

condition and a result of historical development and political (and other)

decisions. It is influencing heavily on the prices and our comparisons.

Validity of tickets

The validity of the tickets differs from city to city. From flat rates valid for

one short trip only to a validity of 30 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours etc. All tickets

allow you to (to some extend) change between metro, bus, tram etc. Some

allows you to change direction, some do not.

Some may argue that a ticket valid for 1 hour with the possibility of making

multiple short journeys is not the same product as flat rate short trip ticket

only valid for 1 journey. They are of course right, but we have focus on the

cheapest possible ticket taking you from A to B. No return. For a short trip

and for a longer journey. We believe that it covers the needs of most

passengers.

We will comment on this when comparing the prices.

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Tickets for single journeys

We have chosen to show the available possibilities for each city but when

comparing prices for single tickets we compare only the cheapest

alternatives. In some cases that will be the price of a single journey when

using an electronic travel card, in others the price of a journey when you

have bought a pack ‘carnet’ of tickets (for 10 trips), and in a few cities the

price of a single ticket.

Peak/off peak

Some cities offer special off-peak prices, but when comparing ticket prices

we have chosen to show prices valid throughout the day and all weekdays.

This is due to the fact that most journeys take place in the morning and

afternoon peak hours, and as a consequence the off-peak prices are not likely

to be relevant to all passenger segments.

Electronic Travel Cards

In the cases where the use of an electronic travel card is the cheapest

solution we have chosen not to include any eventually costs of purchasing the

physical (plastic) travel card in our calculation. Some cities charge an

amount for this service others do not, and some give you a refund if and

when you return the card. Since we do not know how often the card is being

used by the traveller we cannot split the cost of the purchase on an exact

number of journeys. And the traveller can keep the card in the drawer and

use it in many years. Thus we have only used the actual fare in the price

comparisons.

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3. Cities included in the study

As previously stated the starting point was Copenhagen. Consequently we

have chosen a number of cities comparable to Copenhagen when it comes to

population and public transportation network. We have also chosen to

include some major European cities often visited by tourists.

The cities are:

1. Amsterdam

2. Berlin

3. Brussels

4. Copenhagen

5. Hamburg

6. Helsinki

7. London

8. Oslo

9. Paris

10. Praque

11. Stockholm

12. Vienna

In the following chapter we will make a short presentation of the public

transport network in the 12 cities, the services offered and the prices in local

currency.

After the individual presentation we will recalculate the prices (chapter 4)

and make a comparison between the public transport price setting in the

cities in chapter 5.

We have chosen not to make a comparison on price reductions for senior

citizens, students etc. as we have not been able to find adequate information

from all cities to make this comparison.

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3.1 Amsterdam

Description of public transportation network

The City Region of Amsterdam is responsible for the regional public

transport. The most important operating contract is awarded to the city of

Amsterdam owned GVB. The contract contains all bus, tram and metro

services in Amsterdam. Furthermore there are different bus operating

contracts to commuter regions around Amsterdam. The contracts are

operated by EBS and Connexion (Transdec). Railway service around

Amsterdam are part of the national railway franchise hold by state owned

Netherlands Railways (NS).

Figure 2

Source: iamsterdam.com

Tickets & Pricing

The Dutch public transport law allows public transport authorities to develop

a regional ticket and pricing policy. Most operating contracts allow the public

transport companies to create their own travel passes and pricing.

Interoperability of tickets is therefore not self-evident. Even within contracts

awarded by the same authority.

Figure 1, The Amsterdam

Area concessions (source

reference: CROW)

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In this study only tickets issued by Amsterdam City transport company GVB

will be used. Within the city the GVB is the main transportation company.

Tourist cards

(Entire network in Amsterdam)

Price

24hours ticket

7.5 €

48hours tickets

12 €

72hours tickets

16.5 €

Single tickets

Most passengers use the ‘pay as you go’ smartcard (OV Chipkaart). Princing

is based on travel distances added with an entry fee. A 5 km journey will cost

about €1.64 (0.88 entry fee, price per kilometer €0.151. Some transport

companies offer travel passes which offers discount (in off peak hours) per

kilometer.

Next to the smartcard it is possible to buy single tickets. These tickets allow

1 hour travel on GVB busses, trams and metros.

Season tickets or travel passes, which are paid in advance and which allow

(unlimited) use of a certain route or network, are also sold. Once again, the

mentioned tickets only gives access to the GVB routes.

Standard tickets/zones

1 hour

Day

Card

One zone

Total GVB

network

Single ticket

2.90 €

7.50 €

Monthly travel pas

45 €

90 €

Year Travel Pass

900 €

Students (4-18 years) and senior citizens (+65) are offered reduced price on

monthly and annual travel passes.

Travel passes/zones

One zone

Total GVB

network

Monthly travel pass

29.50 €

59.50 €

Annual Travel Pass

595 €

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3.2 Berlin

Description of public transportation network

Berlin is divided into A-, B- and C-zones where A is the central Berlin

encircled by the S-Bahn (urban rail) ring. The B-zone outside the S-Bahn

ring up to the city boundary where Airport Berlin Tegel TXL is located- The

C-zone is the greater Berlin area (approx. 15 km around the city of Berlin),

including the City of Potsdam and Airport Berlin Schönefeld SFX.

Berlin city transportation is managed by VBB (Verkehrsverbund Berlin

Brandenburg), and a ticket give access and the option to change between S-

Bahn, metro and bus.

Source: BVG.de 1

The biggest enterprise of transportation in Berlin is BVG (Berliner

Verkehrsbetriebe). It is not possible to buy a ticket for one zone only,

meaning that a ticket has to be bought in a combination (AB, BC e.g.). A

single fare ticket is valid for one person and a two hour journey through the

city.

Type of ticket/zones

ABC

Short-trip ticket

1.6 €

Single ticket

2.7 €

3 €

3,3 €

Monthly travel pass

79.5 €

81 €

98.5

Annual travel pass

(year/monthly)

740/61.6 €

782/65.1 €

947/78.9 €

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VBB offer a short-trip ticket that is valid for 3 stops with either the metro

and S-Bahn with changes or 6 stops with the busses or tramps without

changes between lines. The short-trip ticket has a reduced price with the

restriction that the validity only count for one trip meaning that the ticket

can’t be used as a return ticket.

Besides short-trip, single and monthly travel pass tickets, VBB offers reduced

tickets for children at the age of 6 – 14 years and reduced price for senior

citizens and students. Children under 6 years old travel for free. Senior

citizens can buy an annual travel pass that gives unlimited access to public

transport however, the ticket can only be bought for one year.

Reduced prices/zones

ABC

Senior citizen

Children (6-14)

1.7 €

2.1 €

2.4 €

Monthly travel pass (6-14)

55 €

59.8 €

72.5 €

Annual travel pass senior (+65)

581.8 €

VBB also offers daytickets and other special tickets for tourists that include

7-day-tickets, tickets with entrance to various amusement park and zoo’s,

48hour- and 72hour tickets, CityTourCards and various group tickets.

With the tourist card and the monthly travel pass, the ticketholder is allowed

to travel with three children for free (6-14 years) between Monday to Friday

8:00 pm until 3:00 am and Saturday to Sunday. For tourists and visitors

BVG offers 48hour- and 72hour tickets and CityTourCards where the ticket

price includes entrance to attractions, zoo and various amusement park and

zoo’s.

Berlin Dayticket/zones

ABC

One day

6.90 €

7.40 €

Berlin CityTourCard/zones

ABC

48 hours

17.40 €

19.40 €

72 hours

24.50 €

26.50 €

Source: https://shop.bvg.de/index.php/tickets

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3.3 Brussels

Description of public transportation network

The public transportation in Brussels is measured as one zone, where a ticket

gives access to, and option to change between buses, train and metro

however. The route from Brussels to the airport is separated from the city

zone.

The public transportation of the city is managed by STIB but 3 other

operators can be used for public transport within Brussels (Tariefzone MTB)

as well:

- SNCB (rail operator), with many access points within Brussels city

borders.

- De Lijn (bus operator for the Flanders Region) with many bus routes

entering the capital area and responding to many local transports

needs within Brussels.

Source: stib.be

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- TEC (bus operator for the Wallonia region), same principle as for De

Lijn.

The passenger can choose to buy a ticket at the entrance to the public

transportation device (door ticket) or buy a ticket from a machine or shop.

The ticket is called JUMP and is available as single tickets and in packs of 5

or 10 tickets. The ticket is valid for 1 hour and allows the traveller to change

between buses, train and metro. STIB also offer a Travel Card – MOBIB –

which eventually will out phase the paper ticket. With MOBIB the passenger

will get a reduced price compared to the paper tickets. But the tickets are not

valid for other transport operators.

Type of ticket/zones

STIB only

MTB area – bought

in ticket machines

etc

MTB area – on

board price

Single ticket

2.00 €

2.10 €

2.5 €

Multitrip ticket (10)

price per trip

1.25 €

1.40 €

One day ticket

7.00 €

MOBIB (travelcard)

2 €

For the region around the capital itself, there is no integration of fares at all:

the four public transport operators all keep their own tariffs, which

complicates trips from the suburban area into Brussels.

For the frequent traveller STIB offer both monthly and annual travel passes.

Buying an annual travel card saves the passenger € 7 per month. Since the

city transportation is divided between STIB and De Lijn the passenger can

choose between two types of travel pass. Consider the comparability between

the EU-cities the indicated price for travel pass is MTB-ticket where train,

bus and metro can be used. Additional the passenger can choose to buy

travel pass to STIB only – in this case the monthly travel pass cost € 49.

Travel pass/zones

STIB only

MTB area

Monthly travel pass

49 €

55.5 €

Annual travel pass (year/monthly)

499/41.5€

583/48.5 €

Senior citizens who live in the Brussels region and Wallonia region can buy

an annual travel pass worth € 50. Public transportation has been free for

senior citizens (+65) living in Flemish region and with subsistence level of

income, but as of September 1

they will also have to pay € 50 for an annual

travel pass. Children under age of 6 travels for free when accompanied with

an adult. Children with the age of 6-14 can travel for free in the STIB region

with a special travel pass.

Tourist and visitors can buy a day pass which gives unlimited travel on that.

Furthermore STIB offer return-tickets, 5 and 10 trips, 24hour- 48hour- and

72hour tickets valid on all vehicles within the MTB area.

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Day pass

MTB area

Day pass

7.50 €

24hours *)

7.50 €

48 hours *)

14.00 €

72hours *)

18.00 €

*) Requires a MOBIB card

A one day ticket for STIB only, is valid 24 hours, whereas a one day ticket for

all operators is valid for the day of stamping – a slight difference. For the

region around the capital itself, there is no integration of fares at all: the 4

public transport operators all keep their own tariffs, which complicates trips

from the suburban area into Brussels.

Source: https://www.stib-mivb.be/abon_tickets.html?l=en

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3.4 Copenhagen

Description of public transportation

network

The public city transportation of

Copenhagen and the surrounding area

is divided into 97 zones that are

managed by a corporation between

DSB (trains), Movia (busses) and

Metro. A ticket gives access to the bus,

train and metro system and option to

changes between the lines. A 2 zone-

ticket (Centrum) is valid for one hour

however, the validity increase with the

number of bought zones, meaning that

a 6 zone-ticket is valid for 2 hours e.g.

From 8

of February 2015 ticket

coupon has been phased out and

replaced by the Travel Card

(Rejsekortet). The Travel Card allows

for the length, age and frequency of the

traveller and uses the information to

calculate the ticket price, meaning that

the price will rely on which conditions

the card owner fulfils. A potential

reduction in price will automatically be

done while using the card.

The listed prices for Travel Card are

indicative price and can vary according

to the specific owner of the card.

Type of ticket/zones

All zones

Single ticket

24 kr

36 kr

48 kr

60 kr

72 kr

84 kr

96 kr

108 kr

Travel Card

15 kr

20 kr

25 kr

30.5 kr

36.5 kr

41.5 kr

47 kr

49 kr

Monthly travel pass

365 kr

510 kr

655 kr

795 kr

940 kr

1075 kr

1195 kr

1335 kr

Children under 16 get a price reduction of 50 % on the above prices. Senior

citizens can buy a monthly travel pass covering either 3 or all zones in

Copenhagen at a price reduction of 70-85 %. Furthermore young travelers

(16-19) and students can buy a monthly travel pass valid in all zones at

reduced price.

Reduced prices/zones

All zones

Senior citizen (3 months)

445 kr

575 kr

Youth travelpass (16-19)

606.60 kr

Source: DSB.dk

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Beside paper tickets and Travel Card, Copenhagen city-transportation offer

City pass, 24- and 72hour-tickets, flex card, mobile tickets and reduced

tickets to students and senior citizen.

A city pass is valid either for all zones or for central Copenhagen (zones 1-4)

including Copenhagen Airport.

With a city pass an adult can bring two children under the age of 12 along for

free. Children under the age of 16 can buy a city pass at half price.

City pass/zone

Zone 1-4

All zones

24 hours

80 kr

130 kr

48 hours

72 hours

200 kr

Source: http://www.dsb.dk/om-dsb/in-english/city-passes/copenhagen/

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3.5 Hamburg

Description of public transportation network

Hamburg and the surrounding area is defined as HHV-area, counting

Lauenburg, Pinneberg, Segeberg, Stormam, Harburg, Lüneburg and Stade.

HHV is managed by Hamburger Verkehrsverbund and a ticket gives access

to, and option to change between train, bus, metro and ferry.

HHV is divided into both zones and a ring-system, which benefit for the

frequent and rare user of public transportation.

The ring-system is for the rare or ‘casual’ users who need occasionally access

to public transportation. Opposite, the zone system is for the commuter or

frequent user, where the zone system allows the passenger to customise the

ticket by choosing specific zones.

Likewise BVG (Berlin), Hamburger Verkehrsverbund offers a short trip

inside the area for greater Hamburg, which only counts for ring 1 and 2. The

ticket price is € 1.5. It’s possible to buy a local journey ticket that is valid

inside a certain area. The price of this ticket is € 2.1.

Type of ticket/rings

1 and 2

All rings

Single ticket

3.1 €

5 €

6.9 €

8.4 €

Short trip

1.5 €

Source: HHV.de

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The frequent passenger can buy either a monthly or annual travel card. The

indicated price for an annual travel pass is listed per month. The monthly

travel pass goes for senior citizens as well.

Travel pass/zones

1-2

All

Monthly travel pass

35.4 €

40.4

€

59.1 €

81.3 €

98 €

Annual travel pass

(monthly)

29 €

33.4

€

48.5 €

66.7 €

80.4 €

HHV also offer arrangement as flex card for one day or for a week, and

reduced prices children.

Reduced prices

1 and 2

All rings

Children age 6-14

1.1 €

2.2 €

For tourists and visitors Hamburger Verkehrsverbund offers day tickets and

a Hamburg-card that reduces ticket prices and allows entrance to attractions.

With the day ticket, the pass holder can take three children (6-14) along for

free. The card is only valid inside ring 1-2.

Day tickets/zones

1-2

24 hours

48 hours

72 hours

9.5 €

18.5 €

24.5 €

Source: http://www.hvv.de/en/tickets/

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3.6 Helsinki

Description of public transportation network

The city and the surrounding area is managed by Helsinki Region Public

Transportation and a ticket gives access to, and option to change between

bus, train, metro and ferry. It’s also possible to buy a ticket only valid for

train.

However, it’s assumed that the ticket with option to change between bus,

train and metro is more attractive for the passengers why the price of this

ticket is shown in the box. The time validity of the ticket starts at one hour

and increases according to the length of the travel.

The area is divided into three zones:

- Zone 1 Helsinki.

- Zone 1 Espoo–Kauniainen, Vantaa, Kerava–Sipoo or Kirkkonummi.

- Regional zone counts Helsinki, Espoo, Kauniainen and Vantaa

and count 2 extended regional tickets to Espoo, Kauniainen,

Vantaa, Kerava, Sipoo or Kirkkonummi.

- Zone 3 counts Helsinki, Espoo, Kauniainen, Vantaa, Kerava, Sipoo

and Kirkkonummi.

Besides the paper tickets HSL offer a Value Ticket which functions as a

Travel Card. With the use of a Value ticket the ticket price will be reduced.

HSL plan to change the zone system like Copenhagen, where Helsinki will be

the zone center. This change is estimated to 2016. Tourists can buy day

tickets where children under 14 years get a price reduction at 50%.

Source: hsl.fi

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Type of ticket/zones

Helsinki

Zone 1

Regional

Zone 3

Single ticket (pre-bought)

2.5 €

3 €

5 €

7.5 €

Single ticket (door ticket)

3 €

Value ticket

2 €

3.88 €

5.96 €

Monthly travel pass

37.1 €

74 €

110 €

Day ticket

8 €

12 €

18 €

Additionally, HSL offer reduced price to students, children, senior citizens,

disabled people with a subsistence level of income, and companion pass for

disabled and children.

Reduced tickets/zones

Helsinki

Zone 1

Regional

Zone 3

Single ticket, child (7-16)

1.5 €

2.5 €

3.8 €

Single ticket (door ticket)

1.3 €

Value ticket

1 €

1.94 €

2.98 €

Monthly travel pass

24.8 €

49.3 €

73.3 €

Day tickets/zones

Helsinki

Zone 1

Regional

Zone 3

24 hour

48 hour

72 hour

Source:

https://www.hsl.fi/sites/default/files/uploads/hsl_ticket_fares_2015.pdf

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3.7 London

Description of public transportation network

The London railway network is divided into nine different zones and is

managed by Transport for London. In comparison to other cities in this

study a single ticket does not necessary allow a passenger to change between

different modes of transportation without incurring an additional charge.

Single tickets can be bought at machines and at ticket offices whilst Oyster /

Contactless cards (pay as you go) function as a Travel Card, by means of a

guaranteed cap on the total cost of travel for each day or over a seven day

period. The Oyster/Contactless card allows for peak and off peak periods and

reduces the price according to the time at the day the travel is being made.

Peak is scheduled between 6.30-9:30 in the morning (all journeys) and

16:00-19:00 in the afternoon on Mondays to Fridays for journeys starting or

travelling through zone 1. The prices in the box show the peak-prices.

With Oyster card, Transport for London offer reduced prices for seven day

and monthly travel pass for students and children, and reduced prices for

holders of National Railcards (such as young persons 16-25, seniors 60+,

Source: Transport for London

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disabled persons, and holders of annual season tickets (Goldcards)) in

offpeak periods. There are also arrangements to offer group discounts.

Type of

ticket/zone

Single (Cash) ticket

for TfL rail services

4.8 £

5.8 £

7.2 £

8.4 £

Pay as you go (peak)

2.3 £

2.9 £

3.3 £

3.9 £

4.7 £

5.1 £

5.6 £

6.9 £

Pay as you go (off-

peak)

2.3 £

2.8 £

3.1 £

4 £

For the frequent passenger Transport for London offers a monthly and

annual Travel pass. The table lists the saved price for an annual travel pass

per month.

Tourists and visitors are recommended to buy either a Travelcard or Oyster

Card. Travelcard is valid for either a single day or seven days, and is available

for certain combinations of travel zones and valid on all public transport on

the TfL network.

Travel pass/zones

Monthly Travel card

123.3

144.8

177.1 £

210.1 £

225.1 £

244.2 £

288.8 £

320.3 £

Annual travel pass

(year/month)

1284/

107 £

1284/

107 £

1508/

125.6£

1844/

153.6 £

2188/

182.3 £

2344/

195.3 £

2544/

212 £

3008/

250.6 £

3336/

278 £

Which card the passenger should choose depends on the length of the stay in

London and how frequently the public transport is planned to be used.

Source: https://www.tfl.gov.uk/cdn/static/cms/documents/tube-dlr-lo-

adult-fares.pdf

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3.8 Oslo

Description of public transportation network

Oslo is outlined as one zone, where two separate zones encircle the city. The

transportation system is managed by Ruter and a ticket gives access to, and

option to change between bus, train, metro, ferry and light rail. The validity

of the ticket is one hour and the price of the ticket varies according to where

the paper ticket is bought. The passenger can choose to buy a ticket at the

entrance to the bus or train however; this is more expensive compared to a

ticket bought at a machine or shop.

Type of ticket/zones

All zones

Single ticket (door)

50 NOK

70 NOK

90 NOK

110 NOK

130 NOK

Paper ticket (machine)

30 NOK

50 NOK

70 NOK

90 NOK

110 NOK

Source: ruter.no

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For the frequent traveller Ruter offers travel passes as well. The table lists

the price per month when buying an annual travel pass.

Travel pass/zones

All zones

Monthly travel pass

680 NOK

1210 NOK

1740 NOK

Annual travel pass (year/month)

6800/

566.6NOK

12100/

1008.3NOK

17400/

1450 NOK

17400/

1450 NOK

17400/

1450 NOK

Senior citizens (+67), children (4-15) and students can buy reduced tickets to

the public transportation however, students only got this option for month

and annual travel passes.

Through Ruter is it possible to buy monthly and annual travel passes for

children, students and senior citizens as well. The annual price does not vary

according to age.

Reduced tickets/zones

All zones

Children (door/pre bought).

15/25 NOK

25/35 NOK

35/45 NOK

45/55 NOK

55/65 NOK

Senior citizens (door/pre bought)

15/25 NOK

25/35 NOK

35/45 NOK

45/55 NOK

55/65 NOK

Children, monthly travel pass

340 NOK

440 NOK

540 NOK

Student, monthly travel pass

410

730

1050

1050 NOK

Senior citizens, monthly travel

pass

340 NOK

605 NOK

870 NOK

Concessionary, annual travel pass

3400 NOK

6050 NOK

8700 NOK

Tourists can buy a 24 hour ticket that gives access to unlimited travelling in

either zone 1 with a ticket price at 90 NOK for adults or 2 zones to 140 NOK.

Children are half price.

Source: https://ruter.no/en/tickets/

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3.9 Paris

Description of public transportation network

Paris is divided into 5 zones, where zone 1-3 outline the center of the city.

The Syndicat des transports d'Île-de-France (STIF) is the transport

organization authority that controls the Paris public transport network and

coordinates the different transport companies operating in Île-de-France,

mainly the RATP, the SNCF and Optile.

The commuter trains, run by the national rail system, connect the suburbs to

central Paris and also provide a fast way to get around the city and get to and

from the airports.

The traveler can use Métro T+ ticket to ride both the RER (regional trains)

and Métro within Paris. Most basic tickets cover zones 1 and 2. The T + ticket

is also valid for busses however, the traveler cannot transfer from a Métro to

a bus or vice versa. This means that it is not possible to make metro/bus,

metro/tram, RER/bus and RER/tram connections using the same t+ ticket.

Bus-to-bus transfers can be made with one ticket for 90 minutes after the

ticket is stamped (validated) with the time on the first bus. When traveling

farther outside the main city limits and past zones 1 and 2 into the other 6

zones, the cost depends on the distance of the travel. These 8 zones are

spread out in concentric rings around Paris, which is Zone 1.

Source: ratp.fr

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The t+ ticket is designed for occasional travelers and visitors within Paris

only, who do not wish to use the Paris Visite travel card. The t+ ticket gives

access to all Metro lines, RER-lines (zone 1), Ile-de-France busses (except

Orlybuss and Roissybuss) and tram. However, t+ tickets allow changes

between different lines of Metro and trams but not busses.

Type of ticket/zones

T+ ticket (single ticket)

T+ticket (door)

1.8 €

2 €

Ticket coupon (10)

14.4 €

A single metro ticket cost €1.80, and can be used for one journey, including

all connections. White-coloured tickets can be purchased singly or in a book

of 10 (“carnet”) for €14.40, at the ticket offices or machines in metro

stations, and also in some tobacconists. This ticket, valid for zones 1 and 2,

allows you to travel anywhere in Paris, and even beyond, since it will take the

traveler to the end of each metro line, even if it is located in zone 3 (as for

example La Défense on line 1).

On the buses, the travelers use the same tickets as in the metro, with no limit

of distance (including suburbs), except on the Balabus, Noctilien and routes

221, 297, 299, 350 and 351. It is possible to buy ticket at the door, where the

bus driver can sell single tickets. On the bus, the ticket is only valid for a

single journey, with no connections. There will be need of another ticket to

change to a different bus route or connect with another form of public

transport.

Travel pass/zones

1-2

1-3

1-4

1-5

Monthly travel pass

70 €

89.2 €

107.8 €

116.5 €

Annual travel pass

(year/month)

731.5/

60.95 €

927.3/

77.27 €

1125.3/

93.77 €

1204.5/

100.3 €

As well as the book of 10 tickets (“carnet”), giving you 10 trips at a reduced

rate, several travel cards allow you unlimited travel for 1 or more days, a

week, a month or even a year, over the whole public transport network

(metro, RER, bus, tram, suburban train, Montmartre funicular),

corresponding to the different fare zones. Transport is free for children

under 4 and half price for children between 4 and 11 years old.

Tourists can buy a ‘Paris A La Carte’ (International Visitors Card) that gives

free access to the transportation system for one, two or three days.

Day tickets/zones

1-3

1-5

24 hour

11.15 €

23.5 €

48 hour

18.15 €

35.7 €

72 hour

24.5 €

50.05 €

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3.10 Prague

Description of public transportation network

The center of Prague is divided into a P-zone and a 0-zone, where two

surrounding zones give a total of four zones. The two surrounding zones are

furthermore divided into 7 sub-zones. The city transportation is managed by

Prague public transportation, where a ticket to zone P gives access to train,

metro and bus and two sub-zones. The P-zone ticket is only valid for

travelling inside Prague Centrum, where the 0-zone ticket gives access to

trains heading to the surrounding zones.

Prague public transportation offer tickets valid for 30 or 90 minutes, where

the ticket valid for 90 minutes is listed in the box (32 CZK). A ticket valid for

30 min cost 24 CZK.

Type of ticket/zone

Single ticket

32 CZK

Monthly travel pass

550 CZK

5 months

2450 CZK

Annual travel pass (year/month)

4750/

395.8 CZK

Source: dpp.cz

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Reduced tickets (only zone

P)/validity

90 min

30 min

Monthly

5 months

Senior citizen (+65)

250

1100

Student

260

1200

Children (Between 6-15)

260

1200

Passengers with travel luggage have to buy a ticket worth 16 CZK. Prague

public transportation offer reduced prices to children and senior citizens and

reduced prices on monthly and annual travel pass for juniors and student.

The following tables list the price travelling outside of Prauge.

Type of ticket/zones

Single ticket

Monthly travel pass

300

460

700

920

1130

1350

1560

1780

Reduced tickets/zones

Student

Child

Student/monthly

225

345

525

690

845

1010

1170

1335

Child/monthly

110

170

260

345

420

500

585

665

Student 5months

1020

1590

2395

3180

3945

4725

5490

6270

Child 5 months

510

795

1195

1590

1970

2360

2745

3135

Tourists can buy either a 24hours or 72hours travel pass for the centre of

Prague.

Day ticket/zone

24hours

110

72hours

310

Source: http://czech-transport.com/index.php?id=39

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3.11 Stockholm

Description of public transportation network

Stockholm is divided in A-, B- and C-zones which can be combined according

to the need of the passenger. Central Stockholm and the entire subway

system is in zone A.

The city transportation is managed by SL, and a ticket gives access to, and

the option to change between

bus, train and metro inside

the chosen zone. The validity

of the ticket is one hour that

increases with the number of

chosen zones. Instead of

ticket coupon SL offers a SL-

Access-card, which reduces

ticket prices compared to

paper tickets.

The passenger can chose

between two tickets: Zone

tickets and SL- Access-card.

Zone tickets are for the

occasional journey where a

ticket can be bought at a

machine or at the barrier.

The SL- Access-card system

is for the commuter. First

time using the card there is

an administration fee at 20

SEK which can be refunded

by returning the Card. There

are no difference between a

pre-bought ticket and the

Access-card according to

price however; the SL-

Access-card has incorporated

a price reduction for the

frequent user.

If the passenger choose to

make the SL-card personal

with credit this will give an

automatic price reduction

that relies on how many

zones you will travel in.

Source: Sl.se

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Type of ticket/zones

ABC

Single ticket

44 SEK

66 SEK

88 SEK

Automat/mobile ticket

36 SEK

54 SEK

72 SEK

SL-acces-card

25 SEK

37.5SEK

37.5 SEK

50 SEK

The monthly travel pass gives access to both A, B and C zones. The table lists

the price for an annual travel pass per month.

Travel pass/zone

ABC

Monthly

790 SEK

Annual (year/month)

8300/691.6 SEK

Beside paper tickets and Travel Card, Stockholm city transportation offer

reduced prices to children, students and senior citizen. The reduced price is

for students under the age of 20 and senior citizens +65.

Reduced tickets/zones

ABC

Automatbillet

20 SEK

30 SEK

40 SEK

Door ticket

28 SEK

42 SEK

56 SEK

Monthly travel pass

490 SEK

Annual travel pass

4990 SEK

Tourists can buy special travelcards for 24 hours or 72 hours which gives free

access to the public transportation system in zone A.

Day tickets / zone

24 hours

115 SEK

72 hours

230 SEK

Source: http://sl.se/en/fares--tickets/

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3.12 Vienna

Description of public transportation network

The city Centrum of Vienna is outlined as one zone, where the surrounding

area is divided into different zones. Each zone cost € 2.2 and can be bought

single or in combination with other zone. The maximum price is 8 zones (€

17.60)The public transportation is managed by Verkehrsverbund Ost-Region

(VOR) that is a corporation between the traffic organizations in- and outside

of Wien. Therefore a ticket is valid for train, bus and metro with the option

for change between lines. That validity of a ticket is one hour.

Source: vor.at

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Type of

ticket/

zones

Centre

All

surr.

zones

All

zones

Single ticket

2,2 €

Monthly

travel pass

48.2 €

39.9 €

64.1 €

84.6 €

101.8 €

118.2 €

122.5€

127 €

130.4 €

175.2 €

Annual travel

pass

365 €

405 €

651 €

85 €

1028 €

1175 €

1216 €

1237 €

1266 €

1592 €

Besides single tickets and monthly travel pass, Verkehrsverbund Ost-Region

offer half price tickets for children, 2-journey tickets for senior citizens,

24hour, 48hour and 72hour tickets, Vienna Card, 8 days ticket, weekly travel

pass and annual travel pass.

Reduced prices/zone

Centrum

Children

1.1 €

Senior citizens

2.8 €

The reduced ticket price for children give the same access opportunities as

an adult ticket. A senior ticket gives access to two trips with the same ticket –

within the same zone. Tourists can buy various kinds of cards that give

unlimited travel pass in the city Centrum. Furthermore the Vienna card give

the holder discount to several attractions in the city.

Day ticket/zone

Centre

24 hour

7.6 €

48 hour

13.3 €

72 hour

16.5 €

Vienna card

21.9 €

Source:

http://homepage.univie.ac.at/horst.prillinger/ubahn/english/fares.html

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4. Recalculation of prices

The recalculation of the local prices into EURO has been done based on

exchange rates from the Danish National Bank on July 28

. On that day the

exchange rates was as follows:

Country/currency

Exchange rate (100 EURO)

Austria/EURO

100

Belgium/EURO

100

Czeck Republic/CZK

2702.46

Denmark/DKK

746.15

England/GBP

70.74

Finland/EURO

100

France/EURO

100

Germany/EURO

100

Netherlands/EURO

100

Norway/NOK

902.13

Sweden/SEK

945.33

In order to get a fair comparison of the previous shown prices we have

recalculated the prices into EURO and adjusted the prices according to local

buying power.

The adjustment for local buying power is based on ‘UBS – Prices and

Earnings, 2012 edition’. This report is issued every three years since 1970

and is based on interviews with citizens in 72 cities around the world. It gives

a comprehensive comparison of prices, salaries, taxes, social security

deductions, working hours and vacation days. A ranking of the relative

buying power is deducted from these data.

The buying power is based on net hourly pay after taxes and social security

deductions. The buying power expresses the amount of goods and services

that can be bought from an average income in the relevant city.

City

Buying Power Index

(Net hourly pay divided with cost of

basket of goods excluding rent)

New York = 100

Amsterdam

90.1

Berlin

97.0

Brussels

78.6

Copenhagen

92.5

Hamburg *)

92.4

Helsinki

85.8

London

86.2

Oslo

84.0

Paris

87.7

Prague

46.2

Stockholm

84.9

Vienna

87.1

*) Hamburg does not appear in the UBS report. We have used an average based on

the index from Berlin, Frankfurt and Munich.

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When looking at prices of 24 hour daypasses (aimed at tourists) we have also

made a comparison with the UBS Price of a city break Index (appears also in

the above mentioned UBS report from 2012). This is to see if the price of a

tourist ticket for public transportation is relatively more or less expensive

than the tourist prices in general.

The UBS Price of a city break Index is based on the cost of a city break for

two people, including two evening meals with wine, an overnight hotel stay

for two people, the cost of a hire car (100 kilometers), public transport and

taxi and miscellaneous minor expenses (telephone call, paperback book,

etc.).

UBS AG is a global service company within the financial sector with

headquarters in Basel and in Zurich. It is the world largest manager of

private funds and the second largest bank in Europe.

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5. Comparison of fare prices in EURO and adjusted for buying power

Comparing prices across the 12 European cities is influenced by the fact that

each city has its own different ticketing systems. In other words, we cannot

just compare a ticket/price from one city with that of another, since that

ticket may not exist. We have consequently decided to make the comparison

based on 5 different passenger profiles to keep the study simple but still

relevant.

1. Infrequent traveller making a short trip (5 km) in the centre of the city.

2. Infrequent traveller making a long trip in the entire network.

3. Commuter travelling a short distance (5 km) in the centre of the city.

4. Commuter travelling a long distance in the entire network.

5. Tourist wanting to get around in the centre of the city (one day).

Many other profiles exist, and had we chosen them instead it may have lead

to other prices and rankings.

Inclusions and exclusions

As mentioned before, we have made some inclusions and exclusions in our

methodology. Please notice the considerations in Chapter 2 regarding:

 Size of the area/region where the ticket/travel pass is valid

 Number of zones

 Tickets for single journeys

 Peak/off peak

 Electronic Travel Cards

General findings

We find only little consistency between prices on single tickets and monthly

passes, and the size of the city and the covered network. Prague is in general

an inexpensive city when it comes to public transportation if you only look at

the charged prices in Euro. However, when we recalculate for buying power

it turns out that Brussels is the cheapest of the 12 cities monitored, and

Prague only number 5. This is partly due to the fact that the public transport

network area around the city of Brussels is relatively small and partly

because the whole area is one zone so the price remains the same no matter

if you need to take a short or a longer trip.

Other relatively cheap cities are Berlin, Amsterdam and Hamburg. Berlin

and Hamburg offer flat rates on short single trips and Amsterdam is only one

zone with a fixed price. The 4 relatively cheapest cities all offer monthly

travel passes covering the whole network at a very reasonable price, and with

a discount if you have an annual subscription.

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London is relatively the most expensive city of the 12. Only when it comes to

Tourist daypasses London is not among the most expensive but at the

average of the 12 cities. London has the largest network, and especially the

monthly travel passes are relatively very expensive. Oslo seems to be the

second-most expensive of the 12 cities.

The other cities take changing positions when we rank the relative prices of

our 5 cases. This is likely to reflect historical reasons or due to political

decisions or decisions made by the local PTA regarding the price structure.

Nevertheless you can see a general pattern in the 5 indexes adjusted for

buying power compared to the ranking of the cities, e.g.:

 Oslo and London is among the most 4 expensive cities in 5 out of 5

indexes. Stockholm is among the 3 most expensive cities in 3 out of 5

indexes.

 On the other hand Brussels, Berlin and Amsterdam is among the 3

cheapest cities in 3 out of 5 indexes.

 Copenhagen is total on the average of all indexes of the cities (100). 7

cities are below the average and 4 cities are above the average.

 Vienna is among the 3 cheapest cities in 2 out of 5 indexes, but at the

same time the most expensive city in 1 of the 5 indexes. That fact is

makingVienna among the 3 most expensive cities on average.

If we compare the index for prices of a 24 hour day pass in the 12 cities with

the UBS Price of a city break (index of the 12 cities compared to the average

price of the 12 cities) we find in the general that the cities which has low

tourist prices in general (City break prices) in general also have low prices on

the 24 hour pass (see table 9).

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5.1 Prices/ranking based on an infrequent traveller making a short

trip in the centre of the city

Recalculating single fare tickets into Euro we find that a short trip is by far

cheapest in Prague (see table 1). It is only €0.89. The ticket is however only

valid for 30 minutes. London is the most expensive city when buying a single

ticket for a short trip (€6.79) but most Londoners use the electronic Oyster

travel card, and then the price comes down to €3.25. It is however still 3.7

times the price in Praque.

Taking the local buying power into consideration we find, that Hamburg’s

‘short-trip’ ticket offers the relatively cheapest ticket for a short trip using

public transportation. Closely followed by Paris (Carnet) and Berlin (‘short-

trip’ ticket). The relative price index in these 3 cities is 30% below the

average of the 12 cities monitored.

It interesting to see that one of the reasons for the top-4 cities to be relatively

cheap is that they offer either short-trip tickets or ‘carnets’ of 10 single

tickets. The price in Amsterdam is based on the use of the OV Chip Cart,

which requires that you have purchased a card. These 5 cities also only have

one or a few large zones/rings, so you can actually travel 5 km without

crossing a border to the next zone, which in some cases would have made the

journey more expensive.

Oslo and London are the relatively most expensive cities when it comes to

making a single short trip using public transportation. These cities are

relatively 60% to 68% more expensive than the average of the 12 cities. And

this requires the use of the Oyster travel card in London. Without the

Oystercard the journey in London would have been more than double the

price. Stockholm is the 3

most expensive city with app. 30% above average

when the prices are adjusted for buying power.

In Copenhagen the electronic travelcard has been introduced recently a.o.

replacing a 10 trip punchcard. The distribution of the travelcard has still not

reached its full potential, and as a consequence a rather high proportion of

the journeys are still based on the regular single ticket price, which is

relatively high compared to that of the other cities. The regular single trip

ticket is 60% more expensive then the reduced price offered when you use

the travelcard.

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Table 1

Cities

Single ticket Multi single Travel card

Cheapest

alternative

Index Comment

Hamburg 1.50*)/3.10 1.50 1.62 69

*) Short-trip ticket

Paris 1.80 1.44*) 1.44 1.64 70 *) 10 single tickets

Berlin 1.60*)/2.70 1.60 1.65 70

*) Short-trip ticket

Brussels 2.10 1.40 *) 2.00 1.40 1.78 75

*) 10 single tickets

Amsterdam 2.90 1.64*) 1.64 1.82 77

*) For a single trip of 5

Prague 0.89 0.89 1.93 82 *) valid for 30 min

Copenhagen 3.21 2.01*) 2.01 2.17 92

*) Peak prices

Helsinki 2.50 2.00 2.00 2.33 99

Vienna 2.20 2.20 2.53 107

Stockholm 3.81 2.64 2.64 3.11 132

London 6.78 3.25*) 3.25 3.78 160

*) Peak prices

Oslo 3.33 3.33 3.96 168

Average 2.36 100

EUREUR

Adjusted for

buying Power

City centre - short (5 km) trip

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5.2 Prices/ranking based on an infrequent traveller making a long trip across

the entire network of the city

Recalculating single fare tickets into Euro we find that a long trip is cheapest

in Brussels (See table 2). This is caused by the fact that Brussels has one

fixed fare for a single ticket no matter the length of the journey. This makes

Brussels relatively expensive if we look at a short trip but at the same time

cheap when we look at the price of at long trip. The fare is €2.10 but if you

hold an electronic travel card the price goes down to € 2.00, and € 1.40 if

you buy a 10-trip Jump ticket. One should remember that the region around

Brussels is the smallest of the 12 city-regions monitored so a long journey is

relatively shorter than that of the other cities.

Adjusting the prices for buying power we find that Brussels, Amsterdam and

Berlin are the least expensive cities when it comes to a long single trip.

Approximately 60% to 80% below the average. This is caused by the fact that

the cities have only few zones and a flat rate ticket. In Berlin the ticket is

valid for 2 hours, in Amsterdam and Brussels only 1 hour.

Vienna is by far the most expensive city-region when it comes to a single long

trip. Approximately 140% above the average. This is caused by the fact that

Vienna has a number of zones surrounding the centre zone, and that the

price is calculated based on a cost of € 2.20 per zone with a maximum of €

17.60.

London and Oslo are also more expensive when looking at the relative

adjusted price of a single long journey. The remaining 6 cities are close to the

average with Stockholm being the relatively cheapest with an index of 77.

This caused by the fact that Stockholm has only 3 zones despite the size of

the region, and that the passengers using the SL-Access Card is granted a

discount compared to the regular single tickets.

In Copenhagen the electronic travelcard has been introduced recently a.o.

replacing a 10 trip punchcard. The distribution of the travelcard has still not

reached its full potential, and as a consequence a rather high proportion of

the journeys are still based on the regular single ticket price, which is

relatively high compared to that of the other cities. The regular single trip

ticket is 120% more expensive then the reduced price offered when you use

the travelcard. In fact the regular single trip price is only exceeded by that of

Vienna.

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Table 2

City

Single ticket Multi single Travel card

Cheapest

alternative

Brussels 2.10 1.40 *) 2.00 1.40 1.78 21 *) 10 single tickets

Amsterdam 2.90 2.90 3.22 39

Berlin 3.30 3.30 3.40 41

Stockholm 7.62 5.29 5.29 6.23 75

Prague 3.11 3.11 6.73 81

Helsinki 7.50 5.96 5.96 6.95 83

Copenhagen 14.47 6.57*) 6.57 7.10 85 *) Peak prices

Hamburg 8.15*) 8.15 8.82 106 *) Online purchase

Paris 8.40 8.40 9.58 115

London 11.87 9.75*) 9.75 11.31 136 *) Peak prices

Oslo 12.19 12.19 14.51 174

Vienna 17.60 17.60 20.20 243

Average 8.32 100

Entire network (longest trip)

Adjusted for

buying Power

Index

Comment

EUR

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5.3 Prices/ranking based on a commuter travelling a short daily distance in the

city centre

Prague offers the cheapest price for a travel pass of €14.65 per month if you

have an annually subscription to a travel pass in the P-zone. When we take

the local buying power into consideration the travel pass in Hamburg is

slightly more affordable, despite the fact that the monthly price in Hamburg

is € 29.00. Both cities are index 47 when adjusted for buying power

compared to the average.

Vienna is also relatively inexpensive if you have an annual subscription to a

travel pass in the centre zone. The monthly cost is only € 30.42 (index 52

when adjusted for buying power), because Vienna offers the highest discount

of 37% on the annual subscription. Otherwise the price would have been €

48.20.

Helsinki (index 64) and Copenhagen (index 78 when adjusted for buying

power) seems more competitive when it comes to a monthly short distance

travel pass than on single trip tickets despite the fact that neither of the cities

offers the possibility of an annual subscription with an attached discount.

This on the other hand means that the relatively competitive prise is

available to all commuters even if they do not need the travel pass all year.

London (€ 151.26 after discount/index 260 when adjusted for buying power)

is by far the most expensive city if you want to have a seasonal travel pass.

Stockholm as the second-most expensive is less than half the price. The

reason for Stockholm being so relatively expensive is that Stockholm only

offer a travel pass covering all 3 zones in the Stockholm-region, and not just

the centre zone.

Amsterdam (index 124) and Brussels (index 92), which are among the

cheapest cities when it comes to single tickets, is relatively more expensive

when it comes to monthly/annual travel passes. Amsterdam moves from 5

position to number 10, and Brussels from 4

position to number 6. Vienna

on the other hand moves from 9

position to number 3, and Prague from

number 6 to being 2

cheapest.

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Table 3

We notice the 10 of the 12 cities offers the possibility of an annual

subscription with an attached discount. Only Helsinki and Copenhagen does

not offer this. The discounts vary from 12% in Brussels and Stockholm to

37% in Vienna with the majority around 17% - 18%. The average discount in

the 10 cities is 19%.

City

Monthly pass Annual pass

Annual

subscription

per month

Cost reduction

vs. Monthly

pass

Hamburg 35.40 348.00 29.00 6.40 18% 31.40 47

Prague 20.35 175.77 14.65 5.70 28% 31.70 47

Vienna 48.20 365.00 30.42 17.78 37% 34.92 52

Helsinki 37.10 445.2.0 37.10 0.00 0% 43.24 64

Copenhagen 48.92 587.01 48.92 0.00 0% 52.88 78

Brussels 55.50 583.00 48.58 6.91 12% 61.81 92

Berlin 79.50 740.00 61.67 17.83 22% 63.57 94

Paris 70.00 731.50 60.95 9.04 13% 69.50 103

Oslo 75.37 753.77 62.81 12.56 17% 74.80 111

Amsterdam 90.00 900.00 75.00 15.00 17% 83.24 124

Stockholm 83.57 878.00 73.16 10.40 12% 86.17 128

London 174.30 1815.10 151.25 23.04 13% 175.47 260

Average 16% 67.39 100

19%

EUR

Saving

percent

Adjusted for

buying power

(Annual per

month)

Index

(Annual

per Month)

Travel passes (city centre)

Average excl. Helsinki and Copenhagen

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Single ticket or travel pass?

Many commuters do not the need to travel every day. They may have part

time jobs or a working space at home. For them it is often a question if it is

worth vile buying a travel pass, or if they should buy single tickets or get an

electronic travel card (Oyster, SL-Access, Rejsekortet a.o.) that entitles them

to some sort of discount.

Table 4 shows that in Helsinki – if you make more than 19 short single trips

per month – you are better off with a monthly travel pass. In Vienna, Oslo,

Prague, Hamburg and Copenhagen the break even lies from 22 to 24 trips

per month. In the other end of the scale we find Paris, Berlin, London and

Amsterdam where you have to make 49-55 short trips per month before the

monthly travel pass is a better deal. In Amsterdam, Paris and Berlin it is

partly due to the fact that the single ticket is relatively cheap but that is not

the case for London.

Table 4

City

Monthly pass Single ticket

Cheapest single

ticket

Helsinki 37.10 2.50 2.00 19

Vienna 48.20 2.20 2.20 22

Oslo 75.38 3.32 3.33 23

Prague 20.35 0.88 0.89 23

Hamburg 35.40 1.50*)/3.10 1.50 24

Copenhagen 48.92 3.22 2.01 24

Stockholm 83.56 3.81 2.64 32

Brussels 55.50 2.10 1.40 40

Paris 70.00 1.80 1.44 49

Berlin 79.50 1.60*)/2.70 1.60 50

London 174.30 6.79 3.25 54

Amsterdam 90.00 2.90 1.64 55

City centre - short (5 km) trip

EUR

How many single

tickets on a

monthly pass

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5.4 Prices/ranking based on a commuter travelling a long daily distance in the

entire network.

The price of monthly travel passes that cover the entire network also differs a

lot (see table 5). Brussels has a relatively small network and everything is in

one zone. The price is therefore the same as for the short trip monthly travel

pass (€ 48.60/index 42 when adjusted for buying power). Stockholm as

previously mentioned is only offering one option regarding monthly passes,

and that is a pass that covers the entire network. This means that Stockholm

is among the cheapest cities (€ 73.20/index 58 when adjusted for buying

power) when it comes to monthly travel passes for the entire network.

Prague is also offering an inexpensive travel pass but when we adjust for

buying power Prague is only mid-field close to the average (€ 65.9/index 96

adjusted for buying power).

Again London is very expensive. The monthly cost is € 393.00/index 308

adjusted for buying power despite the fact that London offer a 13% discount

if you subscribe to the travel pass on an annual basis. Of course it should be

taken into consideration that the network and area in which you are allowed

to travel around London is much bigger than that of Brussels, Berlin and

Amsterdam. Paris is index 77 adjusted for buying power, just to compare.

The discounts offered if you subscribe to a travel pass covering the whole

network of the city differs from 12% to 24%, while Helsinki, Copenhagen and

Prague are offering 0% in discount. The average discount excluding these 3

cities is 16 %, which is interesting because the average discount when

subscribing to a travel pass just for the centre of the cities was 19%.

(Amsterdam, Stockholm and Brussels being unchanged.) You would expect

that the longer the journey and the larger the area/network, the bigger would

the discount be. But it seems not to be the case.

Vienna, offering expenseive single tickets for a long trip in the region is close

to the average price of the travel passes. Among others because Vienna is

offering a 24% discount on the annual pass.

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Table 5

Single ticket or travel pass?

As seen previously there is a big difference between the cities when it comes

to when it is attractive to use single tickets and carnet or electronic travel

card, and when it is preferable to subscribe to a travel pass.

Table 6 shows that in Vienna region you only have to make long 10 trips per

month (8 zones or more) before you are better off with a monthly travel pass.

That is less than 3 trips per week. In Hamburg and Paris you only have to

make 12 and 14 journeys respectively before the travel pass is a good bargain.

Again London and Brussels are the cities where you have to travel the most

before you reach the tipping point. In London you have to make 23

roundtrips (46 single trips) per month before the travel pass is the cheapest

solution.

In Copenhagen (27), Berlin (30) and Amsterdam (31) you have to make 14-15

roundtrips per month before a travel pass is attractive.

City

Monthly Annual

Annual/

month

Cost reduction

Brussels 55.50 583.00 48.58 6.91 12% 61.81 42

Berlin 98.50 947.00 78.91 19.58 20% 81.35 55

Amsterdam 90.00 900.00 75.00 15.00 17% 83.24 56

Stockholm 83.56 878.00 73.16 10.40 12% 86.17 58

Hamburg 98.00 964.80 80.40 17.60 18% 87.01 59

Paris 116.50 1204.50 100.37 16.12 14% 114.45 77

Helsinki 110.00 1320.00 110.00 0 0% 128.20 87

Prague 65.86 790.40 65.86 0 0% 142.56 96

Vienna 175.20 1592.00 132.66 42.53 24% 152.31 103

Oslo 192.87 1928.8 160.73 32.14 17% 191.34 129

Copenhagen 178.91 2147.02 178.91 0 0% 193.42 131

London 452.78 4715.86 392.98 59.79 13% 455.90 308

Average 12% 148.15 100

16%

Travel passes (entire network)

EUR

Saving

percent

Adjusted for

buying power

(Annual per

month)

Index

(Annual

per Month)

Average excl. Helsinki, Prague and Copenhagen

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Table 6

City

Monthly pass Single ticket

Cheapest single

ticket

Vienna 175.2 17.60 17.60 10

Hamburg 98.00 8.15 8.15 12

Paris 116.50 8.40 8.40 14

Stockholm 83.56 7.61 5.28 16

Oslo 192.87 12.19 12.19 16

Helsinki 110.00 7.50 5.96 18

Prague 65.86 3.10 3.10 21

Copenhagen 178.91 14.47 6.57 27

Berlin 98.50 3.30 3.30 30

Amsterdam 90.00 2.90 2.90 31

Brussels 55.50 2.10 1.40 40

London 452.78 11.87 9.75 46

EUR

How many single

tickets on a

monthly pass

Longest journey - entire network

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5.5 Prices/ranking based on a tourist wanting to get around in the centre of the

city.

It is obvious from table 7 that the prices for tourist passes are not calculated

the same way as the regular fares. Prague is still offering the cheapest 24

hour pass (€ 4.07) but London is in the middle of the field this time with a

price of € 9.05. Copenhagen, Oslo, Paris and Stockholm a.o. are more

expensive when we are recalculating into Euro.

In general the prices seem less spread out. 9 of 12 cities lie within index 84 to

114 adjusted for buying power. It is easy to come to the conclusion that the

price of public transportation for tourists is a parameter when a city is trying

to sell itself to the tourists, so for the sake of competition the prices are kept

low. The people living in the city or its suburbs don´t have the same privilege

of being able to choose where to go and which public transportation to use,

so they have to accept the prices offered to them.

If we adjust for local buying power Brussels seems to be offering the cheapest

day pass for tourists. All day passes cover the central part of the cities and

their public transport networks. As such the service offerings and prices are

fairly comparable, still taking into consideration, that London and Paris and

perhaps Berlin are the bigger networks.

Table 7

*) 24 h pass does not exist in Berlin. The price is based on the 48 h price

divided by 2.

City 24 hours 48 hours 72 hours

Amsterdam 7.50 12.00 16.50 8.32 80

Vienna 7.60 13.30 16.50 8.72 84

Prague 4.07 11.31 8.81 85

Berlin 8.70 *) 17.40 24.50 8.97 86

Helsinki 8.00 12.00 16.00 9.32 90

Brussels 7.50 14.00 18.00 9.54 92

Hamburg 9.50 18.50 24.50 10.28 99

London 9.05 12.80 19.20 10.49 101

Copenhagen 10.72 26.82 11.59 111

Oslo 9.97 11.87 114

Paris 11.15 18.15 24.50 12.71 122

Stockholm 12.16 25.03 14.32 138

Average 10.42 100

Daypasses (for tourists)

EUR

Central Prague zone P

Berlin zones A-B

Central Vienna zone

Helsinki area

Oslo area zone 1

Central Paris zones 1-3

Central Stockholm zone A

Adjusted for

buying Power

(24 h pass)

Index

(24 h pass)

Central London zones 1-2

Central Copenhagen zones 1-4

Comment

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5.6 Comparison of price indexes across tickets and travel passes

If we take a look across the 5 passenger profiles/cases that we have set up we

get an impression of the general price levels of public transportation in the

12 cities.

Table 8 shows the price indexes previously shown and an average of the 5

indexes adjusted for buying power. Please note that the single ticket prices

(collum 1 and 2) is based on the cheapest alternative price for a single

journey, usually a travel card price, and the price for travel passes (collum 3

and 4) is based on a price including discounts for annual subscription where

applicable.

Brussels turns out to be on average the cheapest of the 12 cities, mainly

because the whole network of the city is one zone/tariff and that the

area/network is among the smallest of the 12.

London on the other hand is in general the most expensive city but also

covers the biggest network/area and offers the most services. Oslo is second-

most expensive despite the size of the city and network.

Stockholm is noticeable because it seems that fares only covering central

Stockholm are relatively expensive whereas commuters get relatively lover

prices (entire network ticket and travel pass). The same goes for Brussels and

Amsterdam, but that is because the areas are being treated as one zone.

Some other inconsistencies appears which demonstrates the fact that price

setting is a local decision and often involve political approval and a close look

at what is possible. The Vienna region is one example (expensive single

ticket-long distance and cheap travel pass in the centre of the city with a high

discount).

Although you can see a general pattern in the 5 indexes adjusted for buying

power:

 Oslo and London are among the 3 most expensive cities in 4 out of 5

indexes. Stockholm is among the 3 most expensive cities in 3 out of 5

indexes.

 Copenhagen and Paris are both among the 3 most expensive cities in

1 out of 5 indexes.

 On the other hand Berlin and Amsterdam are among the 3 cheapest

cities in 3 out of 5 indexes.

 Hamburg, Brussels and Prague are among the 3 cheapest cities in 2

out of 5 indexes.

 Paris is among the 3 cheapest cities in 1 out of 5 indexes.

 Copenhagen is total on the average of all indexes of the cities (99). 7

cities are below the average and 4 cities are above the average.

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 Vienna is among the 3 cheapest cities in 2 out of 5 indexes, but at the

same time the most expensive city in 1 of the 5 indexes. That fact is

making Vienna among the 3 most expensive cities on average.

Table 8

Red: Among the 3 most expensive cities in the indexes

Green: Among the 3 cheapest cities in the indexes

City

Single ticket

City centre -

short (5 km)

trip

Single ticket

Entire

network

(longest trip)

Travel passes (city

centre)

Travel passes

(entire network)

Daypasses

(for tourists)

Average

Brussels 75 21 92 42

Berlin 70 41 94 55

Amsterdam 77 39 124 56

Hamburg 69 106 47 59

Prague 82 81 47 96

Helsinki 99 83 64 87

Paris 70 115 103 77

122

Copenhagen 92 85 78 131

111

Stockholm 132 75 128 58

138

106

Vienna 107 243 52 103

118

Oslo 168 174 111 129

114

139

London 160 136 260 308

101

193

Indexes

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If we compare (Table 9) the index for prices of a 24 hour day pass in the 12

cities with the UBS Price of a city break (index of the 12 cities compared to

the average price of the 12 cities) we find that the cities which has low tourist

prices in general (City break prices) in general also have low prices on the 24

hour pass (Table 9).

The most obvious outlier is Berlin which is among the 3 cheapest cities for a

city break but at the same time relatively expensive for a 24 hour pass. The

same can be said about Stockholm which is relatively cheap for a city break

but at the same time the most expensive city for a 24 hour pass.

Table 9

*) 24 h pass does not exist in Berlin. The price is based on the 48 h price

divided by 2.

**) Hamburg does not appear in the UBS report. We have used an average

based on the index from Berlin, Frankfurt and Munich.

City EUR

Index

(Avg = 100)

US$

Index

(Avg = 100)

Prague 4.07 46 740 85

Brussels 7.50 85 730 84

Amsterdam 7.50 85 720 82

Vienna 7.60 86 830 95

Helsinki 8.00 91 960 110

Berlin 8.70 *) 99 720 82

London 9.04 102 930 107

Hamburg 9.50 108 823 **) 94

Oslo 9.97 113 1000 115

Copenhagen 10.72 121 1060 122

Paris 11.15 126 1100 126

Stockholm 12.16 138 810 93

Average 8.83 100 869 100

24 hour daypass

UBS Price of a city break

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6. Sources

Amsterdam:

http://www.stadsregioamsterdam.nl/algemene-onderdelen/english-

information/

http://www.gvb.nl/

Angela Nijland, Rover, www.rover.nl

Berlin:

http://www.bvg.de/en

Marion Jungbluth, Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband e.V. (vzbv),

www.vzbv.de

Brussels:

https://www.stib-mivb.be/abon_tickets.html?l=en

Jan Vanseveren, TreinTramBus , www.treintrambus.be

Copenhagen:

http://www.dsb.dk/om-dsb/in-english/city-passes/copenhagen/

Jonas Eriksen, Passagerpulsen hos Forbrugerrådet Tænk,

www.passagerpulsen.taenk.dk

Hamburg:

http://www.hvv.de/en/tickets/

Helsinki:

https://www.hsl.fi/sites/default/files/uploads/hsl_ticket_fares_2015.pdf

London:

https://www.tfl.gov.uk/cdn/static/cms/documents/tube-dlr-lo-adult-

fares.pdf

Tim Bellenger, London Travel Watch, www.londontravelwatch.org.uk

Oslo:

https://ruter.no/en/tickets/

Gro Mette Moen, Forbrukerrådet, www.forbrukerradet.no

Paris:

Jean Macheras, FNAUT

Praque:

http://czech-transport.com/index.php?id=39

Stockholm:

http://sl.se/en/fares--tickets/

Vienna:

http://homepage.univie.ac.at/horst.prillinger/ubahn/english/fares.html

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7. Authors

The information has been processed and collected from the above sources

and with the assistance from the above mentioned colleagues by:

The Passenger Pulse at the Danish Consumer Council

Fiolstræde 17 B

1017 Copenhagen C

Denmark

Mette Boye, Editor-in-chief, m[email protected]

Lars Wiinblad, Head of Research, la[email protected]

Jonas Eriksen, Student Assistant, [email protected]

Contact:

Phone: +45 77 41 77 41

E-mail: passager[email protected]

www: passagerpulsen.taenk.dk

Photos and illustrations: Istockphoto

8. About The Passenger Pulse

The Passenger Pulse is the Passenger Watchdog at the Danish Consumer

Council. The goal of the organisation is a better public tranportation system

for the passsengers in Denmark.

Field of work

The Passenger Pulse is the new consumer watchdog in connection with the

use of bus, train and metro and runs as a part of the Danish Consumer

Council.

Our aim is to represent interest of the passengers in public transport in all

areas of Denmark.

Background

The Passenger Pulse was launched in October, 2014, and is the first of its

kind in Denmark to represent all users and interest groups within the area of

public transport.

Over the years, The Danish Consumer Council has intensified the work of

creating the best conditions for the users of public transport. With the

making of the Passenger Pulse, the potential for pressing towards better

conditions for the users of public transport has been increased.

The Passenger Pulse intends to gain access to know-how about the

passengers’ habits and preferences according to public transportation and

push forward that these will be taken into account with the authorities and

transport operators.

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The Passenger Pulse is founded by the Danish Consumer Council and

sponsored by the Danish Ministry of Transport and is independent from the

transport operators

What we do

Our aim is to represent the passengers at several levels according to the use

of public transportation. Therefore we gather as much information about the

passengers needs as possible.

The national passenger-satisfaction survey

We conduct national surveys of passenger satisfaction according to the use of

bus, metro and train as a combined trip.

The Passenger panel

The Passenger panel is a web based survey group, with the aim of examining

the users of public transport according to their habits and satisfaction with

bus, train and metro. We aim to gather a Passenger panel at the size of

10.000 respondents.

Passenger agents

The Passenger Pulse has established a team of 200 volunteer Passenger

agents who will be our eyes and ears in the field. They will conduct and

document their experiences with public transport all over the country.

Forum of interest group

The Forum of interest group consists of commuters and interest groups will

function in cooperation with the Passenger Pulse. Together, we have the

common aim of creating a higher level of satisfaction among the users of

public transport.

Our focus points

• Is in an ongoing dialog and cooperation with the passengers, traffic

operators and decision-makers.

• Safeguard the interests of all passengers including commuters, students,

the elderly, disabled etc.

• Provide evidence-based knowledge about the experience, level of

satisfaction, requests, and needs according to the users of public transport.

• Put all our knowledge at your disposal

• Will focus at the passengers’ combined trips without regards to the kind of

transport being used.

• Foster a potential for a development in the public transport system from

the passengers’ point of view.

• Benchmark (nationally and internationally) according to best practice:

Value for money.

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