Why are public transport providers making tickets more expensive from next year?
Transporters are also struggling with inflation: fuel and energy costs have risen, as have wages. For example, after strikes that shut down train traffic in parts of the country, the NS will increase wages by almost 10 percent in the coming year and a half. ‘The Dutch government has asked the NS to cover its own costs,’ says Wijnand Veeneman, who specializes in public transport as a public transport expert at TU Delft. “So that money has to come from somewhere.”
The prices for individual tickets are therefore going up. The NS has opted to reduce the costs of some season tickets by 2.2 percent. For example, the train must remain attractive for commuters.
Travelers organization Rover finds the price increase excessive. ‘We will pay more for less good service. We are getting more complaints about full compartments and in 2023 there will also be about 13 percent fewer trains’, says chairman Freek Bos. Moreover, there are measures for motorists, such as the reduction of excise duties on fuel. Bos: ‘I can no longer explain that we do nothing for public transport users.’
Are those increased prices driving travelers into the car, according to the ANWB there is already more traffic jams than before the pandemic?
That is not so bad, expects public administration expert Veeneman. ‘People have often made long-term choices that determine whether they take public transport or not, for example by where they live or work, and whether they have bought a car or not. If the prices rise a few percent, most public transport travelers will continue to take public transport.’
Much more important is the quality and accessibility of public transport. On a global scale, the Netherlands performs relatively well in that area, he says. Despite this, public transport is often not a good alternative to the car, especially outside the cities, because accessibility is often limited, it concluded Planning Office for the Living Environment early this week in a report. ‘That is the essence: not whether the price will go up or down, but whether people can take a bicycle to a tram stop or train station and get to their destination smoothly,’ says Veeneman.
Dutch public transport is at the top of the average price range within the EU, says Veeneman based on European figures from 2021. Groups for whom the Dutch government wants to keep public transport accessible from a social point of view, such as students and the elderly, are already receiving large discounts, he says. Commuters who choose the train and thus limit traffic jams often have subscriptions with the NS, and the prices of these do not rise. However, you could still support groups with poor mobility, he says, people who, partly due to inflation, have too little money for important trips.
The German government wants to introduce a monthly pass with which you can use regional transport throughout the country for 49 euros. Can the Netherlands not introduce such a thing?
The so-called 49-euro ticket is part of a major plan to limit the consequences of high inflation for the German population. People with a subscription can use all public transport, with the exception of intercity and ICEs. Estimated costs: about 3 billion euros. Compare this ticket with, say, a public transport subscription for unlimited use of bus, tram and metro transport: this costs about 312 euros per month.
There are no plans yet in the Netherlands to introduce a subscription based on the German example, says a spokesperson for the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management. However, a study is currently being conducted at the Knowledge Institute for Mobility Policy (KIM) into the effect of prices on public transport use. ‘We are very curious about the outcome. Such a measure costs money, so you have to know exactly what you will achieve with it.’ A reduction or abolition of VAT on public transport tickets, as repeatedly suggested in the House of Representatives, is not imminent, the Ministry of Finance said.
What will the German plan deliver?
The German example may sound tempting, but it can also have adverse effects, says Bert van Wee, professor of transport policy at TU Delft. ‘You get a lot more travelers, but that’s not a goal in itself. It can even be counterproductive for the environment. You may need to deploy more trains and therefore need more power.’
To compensate for low incomes, a 49-euro ticket is ‘a very rude means’, says Van Wee. The measure applies to everyone. It is better to limit yourself to people with low incomes.’ In addition, the professor thinks that cheaper unlimited travel will lead to crowds during rush hour. ‘A special ticket for off-peak hours is better, so that you make better use of the places that otherwise remain empty.’
Veeneman thinks that a very cheap subscription such as Germany has introduced can work as a temporary promotion. People who make little use of it and are not yet convinced by small price incentives, could thus become acquainted with public transport.