Column by Stefan Meyerhans: Rising public transport prices are getting harder

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If you buy a ticket for public transport today, you pay not only for your own seat, but also for several empty seats. Their number varies: in long-distance communication there may even be from 3 to 4 unoccupied seats. As user prices threaten to rise further in the future, my regulatory practice needs to be expanded to focus on price-rising regional traffic.

The federal constitution provides that prices for public transport must be “reasonable”. Therefore, the word “free” is as unlikely as the huge discrepancy between the price and the service used (i.e. the number of seats per person). So I define “reasonable” for regional transportation as follows: if the income from tickets and subscriptions from half-filled cars covers all operating costs, then the upper price limit for customers has been reached.

Half full means you are paying for two seats even though you are only sitting in one. Why? Such is the nature of public transport that it is impossible to accurately predict when, where, and how many people will get in or out. Even if you knew it, you can’t unhook cars at the end or start of a route because they’re only really used in the middle. Therefore, a certain excess of power is needed.

Incidentally, 50 percent utilization is a theoretical design variable. In fact, there are far fewer seats available. On the other hand, today’s prices are almost acceptable, including a tolerance margin, if extended practice is applied. In other words, this is the maximum that I consider reasonable. I will no longer accept new requests for price increases without a good reason, such as skyrocketing electricity prices.

If you are now wondering who finances the gap between theoretical and actual use, then the answer is: the public sector – as before. The legislator directly provides for subsidizing regional transport.

The expansion of public transport in the future will require even more money, that’s for sure. Therefore, it is important to consider all possibilities: like other experts, I see untapped potential for efficiency. This source has so far been used too little. However, it should now be used consistently as the customer’s money supply can no longer be included as desired.

Source: Blick