The Development of Integrated Public Passenger Transport in Slovenia with Special Emphasis on Pricing

Abstract

Within the EU, there exist deliberate attempts at the introduction of passenger-friendly integrated public passenger transport (PPT), which should solve many inconveniences that now hamper passengers in using the existing transportation system and should increase the PPT demand. The centerpiece of the integrated PPT system is the integrated ticket, which ideally also implies the integrated pricing (tariff) system. Due to the decline in PPT services in Slovenia the responsible Ministry launched a project aimed at the development of integrated PPT. A study was conducted as part of the project, focusing on the ticket pricing (tariff) model in relation to the existing customer structure. The model is largely based on the transport policy principle, rather than the cost principle, with the Austrian state of Styria as the selected comparable region. The paper also presents the introduction of very reasonably priced integrated monthly student ticket in Slovenia, which demonstrated the importance of substantial government subsidies leading to an increase in student ridership.