How much are we being ripped off?

[Scot_in_korea]

I found this page stating comparing the prices of public transports in major cities. We are truly being ripped off in UK

http://www.priceoftravel.com/595/public-transportation-prices-in-80-worldwide-cities/

Any good budget traveler can tell you that one of the best and easiest ways to save money in almost any city is to use the public transportation system, especially on longer journeys. As we recently displayed in our world taxi prices comparison, even a short trip can be incredibly expensive in some cities. So below we’ve compiled public transportation prices in 80 of the most popular tourist cities all over the world. Since nearly every one of these systems is subsidized by the city, some of the prices are shockingly low, even on quite a few new-and-clean metro systems.

With the exception of the single most expensive one (which is really more of a novelty), the pricier part of the list more or less lines up with what you’d expect and what the locals can afford. Often in those cases the city also encourages use by severely punishing self-drivers with high road and/or parking fees. It’s also worth mentioning that most cities offer weekly or monthly transit cards that often bring the per-ride cost way down for locals.

 

[radamfi]

You do have to take into account the local cost of living, so inevitably the rich European countries are going to be at the top of the list. However, the figure for Amsterdam looks like it takes the price of the disposable single GVB ticket bought on bus/tram, when it is much more expensive than the OV-Chipkaart for most fares.

Also, Tallin now has free PT, albeit for residents only.

 

[Deerfold]

I found this page stating comparing the prices of public transports in major cities. We are truly being ripped off in UK

http://www.priceoftravel.com/595/public-transportation-prices-in-80-worldwide-cities/

Not sure how much to trust that -

Venice, Italy (water bus) $8.90

All of the above prices are walk-up fares that a tourist would pay, though many cities offer small discounts to those who buy passes in advance or in bulk.

For Venice a one week pass is 7.1 times the price of a single - and that's the tourist price - locals (or long term visitors) can get much cheaper fares.

Even a 24-hour pass is less than the cost of 3 singles.

 

[Stan Drews]

Many of the cities that have low priced public transport, heavily subsidise the network, so passengers may be paying in other ways, rather than "on bus".

A similar situation arises in the UK, where London is so frequently quoted as a shining example of a frequent, affordable, city bus network. However the massive subsidises, when compared to the rest of the UK, are conveniently ignored, making any comparisons effectively worthless.

 

[34D]

Let's also not forget in general that London has probably the cheapest public transport in the UK, too

 

[radamfi]

London bus fares are really not that cheap now compared to other European cities because you have to pay twice if you change. In most European cities, you normally get free transfers between buses and usually between buses/trams/metros.

It may seem unfair that London's buses get a lot more subsidy than the rest of the country, but how does the subsidy in London compare with cities in the rest of Europe? Probably unfavourably, given you have to pay to change. And the tube is one of the most expensive metro systems in the world. So it is not that London has too much subsidy, it is more that the rest of the country has hardly any, and what little there is, is mostly spent on free passes and less important services.