image
1

OBB Austrian Railways

Austria gets ready for the introduction of new public transport “climate ticket”

Austria gets ready for the introduction of new public transport “climate ticket”

Also called the “1-2-3 ticket” it will allow for travel across the country with all kinds of public transport

As TheMayor.EU reported last week, the Austrian government reached an agreement with the country’s national carrier Austrian Airlines for its bailout following the enormous difficulties it faced during the coronavirus pandemic. As part of the negotiations for the provision of state aid to the company, it was forced to agree to a number of environmental provisions for its future development.

During these negotiations, however, the government also finalized work on one of the pledges of the Green party made in the prelude to the last parliamentary elections – namely the introduction of the so-called “climate ticket” for public transport.

A pledge for a greener and environmentally friendly future

The idea for a “climate ticket”, also called the “1-2-3 ticket” is not new, rather it is an idea that has been floated around for years by different parties and politicians (the numbered name was even coined by members of the Austrian Social Democratic Party, who are not even in government) with the goal of integrating the country’s public transport network and making it easier and cheaper to access.

The landmark initiative will be financed through an initial investment of 240 million euros, while the ÖBB simultaneously works on expanding its range by purchasing new trains for 500 million euros. Furthermore, night trains will also be subsidized by the government starting in 2024 with ten million euros per year.

As to why the ticket is called “1-2-3” the answer is simple – it costs 1 euro per day if it is purchased for a single state, 2 euros if for two and 3 euros if you’ve purchased the country-wide version. And while negotiations on the 2nd and 3rd stages are currently being carried out, the goal of Austrian authorities is for the ticket to become mostly operational in just a couple of years.

Such a move would lead to a substantial price reduction, given the fact that ÖBB’s current seasonal ticket for all of Austria costs 1944 euros, while the 3 euro per day solution would drive the price down to 1095.

Newsletter

Back

Growing City

All

Smart City

All

Green City

All

Social City

All

New European Bauhaus

All

Interviews

All

ECP 2021 Winner TheMayorEU

Latest