Public transport in some of the UK’s biggest cities is the most expensive in Europe, new research has revealed.
The report, published by Clean Cities Campaign for the Campaign for Better Transport, shows Birmingham, London and Manchester are ranked the worst in Europe for public transport affordability.
Residents in these three cities spend around 8-10% of their household budget on monthly travel costs, compared to passengers in Oslo who only spend 2% on public transport fares.
The report - Clean Cities: Benchmarking European cities on creating the right conditions for zero-emission mobility - also ranked cities on how well they are making progress towards achieving zero emission mobility by 2030.
London was ranked 12th in the report out of 36 European cities, with a score of 55.8%. Birmingham was 16th, while Manchester was ranked 30th.
’This report makes clear the link between the cost of public transport and efforts to decarbonise transport and must therefore act as a wake-up call for the UK Government,’ said Paul Tuohy, chief executive of Campaign for Better Transport.
’We currently have a situation where it is often cheaper to drive or fly short distances than take the train or the bus, whereas the greenest option should always be the cheapest. We need more affordable public transport to help us achieve the government’s vision where public transport, cycling and walking are the first choice when it comes to transport.’
Campaign for Better Transport is calling on the Government to introduce Pay-As-You-Go (PAYG) ticketing with daily price capping within towns and cities, improve the flexible rail season ticket offer, expedite the promised reform of rail fares, and improve incentives for bus operators to implement contactless payment options and cross-operator ticketing.
