According to the Institute of Transport Economics, free public transport limits car traffic to a small extent. Let us remind you that the municipality of Stavanger plans to introduce free travel on public transport from July 1. Research shows that free public transport does not necessarily result in greater number of people giving up cars.
The main purpose of free public transport is to promote a better environment, more efficient urban transport and social equality.
TØI senior researcher Nils Fearnley conducted research into the effects of the drug. An important conclusion is that free public transport has little effect on reducing car traffic. Moreover, this measure does not effectively contribute to achieving social equality. Also, increasing the number of routes as a result of a large increase in passenger numbers can have negative environmental effects in the worst case.
In the catalog of actions for transport and the environment you can find a summary of knowledge about free public transport.
Nils Fearnley, a senior research fellow at the Institute of Transport Economics, expressed doubts about the effectiveness of free public transport in an interview with Dagsavisen.
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There are not enough good solutions
As we read on the NAF website, a study by the Institute of Transport Economics (TØI) shows that in large cities such as Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim, Stavanger, Tromsø and Kristiansand, 45% of trips to the center take 2 to 2,5 times longer by public transport than by car. Large areas of Bergen have what TØI calls a "minimum offer".
This may help explain the strong opposition to road tolls. Stavanger and Bergen stand out among the big cities with tolls because they have high fares and particularly poor public transport options.
The study looks at the disadvantages of switching between different buses, waiting times, walking times, queues, etc., and calculates how these factors affect travel times and travel choices.
What the study shows:
- For 46 percent inhabitants of the 13 surveyed cities, the travel time by public transport is longer than by car.
- Every fifth inhabitant has no real alternative to the car when going to the city centre.
- Apart from Oslo, every third inhabitant of the 12 cities and beyond has no real alternative to the car.
- Oslo and Trondheim are the only cities with very good public transport services for 64% and 49% respectively. and XNUMX percent residents. No other cities come close.
- Bergen and Stavanger are the worst cities in terms of communication. About half of the inhabitants do not have good enough public transport services. Every fourth person has no real alternative to the car when going to the city centre.
- Public transport services are especially bad in areas outside the city center with many jobs. Public transport to Haukeland Hospital ranks at the bottom of the list in the country, with only 1 percent of travelers in Bergen getting good public transport services here.
- For Stavanger, the survey shows that around half - 51 per cent - of travelers heading to Forus have no competitive alternative to a car.
- Even in Oslo, which is so well connected to the city centre, the percentage of people who have a good deal drops sharply if the workplace is in Nydalen or Alnabru. Less than 30 percent here have good public transport services.
TØI study
The travel time analysis covers areas with 3,1 million inhabitants in and around Norway's 13 largest cities, spread over 103 municipalities. The study was conducted on our behalf by the Transport Economics Institute (TØI).
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Source: NAF, Institute of Transport Economics
