Business · Companies · 1 day ago
Swiss public transport fares to rise by 3.6%, with the GA reaching 4,195 francs
Alliance Swisspass, which represents Switzerland’s public transport sector, plans to raise fares by an average of 3.6% by the end of the year.
The annual General Abonnement, or GA, which allows travel on public transport, will cost 4,195 francs.
The price watchdog, led by Stefan Meierhans, challenged the planned increases and asked transport operators to show how their costs had risen.
He said the information provided did not fully justify the increases, and that inflation was lower than the cost rises the operators had claimed.
The industry cited higher energy, staffing and maintenance costs, as well as spending on vehicles and service improvements.
The final increase is higher than the 2.04% cost rise agreed in the negotiations, but the deal includes concessions on GA prices.
The new fares are due to take effect at the end of the year.
Alliance Swisspass initially planned to raise public transport prices from the end of the year, including increases of CHF 200 for the second-class GA and CHF 330 for the first-class GA.
The industry cited inflation and rising energy, materials, staffing, vehicle and service-development costs, as well as reduced federal funding and the end of a mineral-oil tax refund.
Price Supervisor Stefan Meierhans questioned whether the cost increases justified the proposed fares and said the information supplied did not establish a need for tariff changes.
After negotiations, the parties agreed to an average price increase of 3.6%, against an agreed cost increase of 2.04%.
The final deal limited the second-class GA increase to CHF 100 and the first-class increase to CHF 250, and required SBB to provide CHF 90 million worth of saver tickets.
- Who
- Alliance Swisspass, transport companies including SBB, and Price Supervisor Stefan Meierhans
- What
- Negotiations over public transport fare increases and the resulting agreement
- When
- The negotiations took place from late March to 13 July; the fare changes are planned for the end of the year.
- Where
- Switzerland
- Why
- The transport industry cited rising costs and reduced funding; the Price Supervisor examined whether the proposed increases were supported by cost data.
Alliance Swisspass and transport companies
Price Supervisor Stefan Meierhans
Whether fare increases were justified by costs
Alliance Swisspass and transport companies
The transport industry said higher fares were needed because of inflation and rising energy, materials, staffing, vehicle and service-development costs, alongside reduced federal funding and the end of a mineral-oil tax refund.
Price Supervisor Stefan Meierhans
Meierhans said the supplied data did not adequately demonstrate the cost increases and that the figures did not show a need for tariff changes in SBB's long-distance or regional services.
Scale of the increases
Alliance Swisspass and transport companies
Alliance Swisspass initially proposed increases averaging 3.9%, including CHF 200 more for the second-class GA and CHF 330 more for the first-class GA.
Price Supervisor Stefan Meierhans
The Price Supervisor challenged the plans in negotiations; the eventual agreement reduced the GA increases and set the average rise at 3.6%.
Final concessions
Alliance Swisspass and transport companies
The industry agreed to raise the second-class GA by CHF 100 and the first-class GA by CHF 250, and SBB committed to provide CHF 90 million worth of saver tickets.
Price Supervisor Stefan Meierhans
The agreement included concessions on GA prices and saver tickets, although the agreed average fare increase remained above the agreed cost increase of 2.04%.
dass die Tariferhöhungen kostenkalkulatorisch nicht begründet wurden
weder im Fernverkehr noch im Regionalverkehr eine Notwendigkeit von Tarifmassnahmen
steigenden Kosten
Alliance Swisspass's strategy council decided to propose fare increases, including CHF 200 more for the second-class GA and CHF 330 more for the first-class GA.
Alliance Swisspass announced an average fare increase of 3.9% and submitted its plans to the Price Supervisor.
Meierhans said the fare rises had not been justified by cost calculations and questioned whether SBB needed tariff changes.
At a further meeting, Meierhans said the additional information still did not fully explain the industry's cost increases.
Alliance Swisspass and the Price Supervisor agreed to a 3.6% average increase, lower GA increases and CHF 90 million worth of SBB saver tickets.
- Initial average increase announced
- 3.9%
- Average increase in the agreement
- 3.6%
- Agreed cost increase
- 2.04%
- Final second-class GA increase
- CHF 100
- Final first-class GA increase
- CHF 250
- SBB saver tickets commitment
- CHF 90 million worth
Sources
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