Half of Italians are in favor ofimplementation of differentiated tariffs based on the day and time in Local Public Transport. Furthermore, the majority of people in the sample (83%) showed interest in “Smart fares”, intelligent credit card payment systems that apply rates based on the customer's lifestyle and consumption.
This is what emerges from one Research opinion poll entitled "Taliriffs in LPT and new mobility styles", conducted by Asstra (Transport Association) together with GPF Inspiring Research on Local Public Transport (TPL).
The presentation of the results took place during the second day of the International Conference "Tariffs and demand in Local Public Transport", organized by ASSTRA-Asstra Campania, with the support of UITP, the patronage of the Campania Region and the City of Caserta, and the contribution of AIR Campania and EAV, at the Royal Palace of Caserta where she intervened Josephine Gualtieri, Member of the Policy Board of UITP and President and CEO of TPER.
Gualtieri, Asstra: “the sector needs resources. The most important thing is the quantity and quality of services”
“Today's initiative on fares and demand is very important – states Giuseppina Gualtieri – not only in our country where there is a lot of discussion about this in public transport, but also at an international level, especially in Europe. The comparison we have today with France, Spain and Germany helps us face change and the challenge of a better public service. The tariff issue is central and inflation makes it even more delicate. Concessionary or even free tariffs is an issue linked to social policies aimed at supporting specific segments of the population, which does not impact the modal shift in our cities. The most important thing remains the quantity and quality of services linked to sustainability and territorial development objectives. "
Tariffs in the TPL
The understanding of the fare system in Local Public Transport (LPT) is strongly influenced by the current situation, which has shaped user experience for many years. In particular, those who do not use LPT demand clear and simple ticket prices, while regular users are willing to consider new proposals, provided they significantly improve their transport experience.
In Italy, local public transport still exists perceived as expensive by approximately 60% of users. Most expectations, influenced by the status quo, still lead one to believe that it is the public sector, like the State, the regions and the municipalities, to have find the necessary funds to improve the service without increasing the ticket price. This implies a major burden on the community as a whole and is a point of view shared by both regular and occasional users, as well as those who do not use LPT.
Improve the service even at the cost of increasing the price
Approximately one Italian in 3 (31,9%, considering both users and non-users of the TPL) believes that it should be guaranteed better quality of public transport, even at the cost of increasing the price of tickets. Furthermore, around a quarter of Italians believe that season tickets could cost more, but with less impact on the community. Despite this, the majority of the population still agrees with the current logic of division between individual cost and impact on the community.
Differentiated pricing based on time
TPL users show an openness to the logic of differentiated pricing according to time, seen as useful for combating overcrowding. Great success has been achieved by the automated systems of “best do”, appreciated by over 8 out of 10 Italians, although still known by less than half the population. It's about intelligent systems with digital payment by credit card, which (in the best practices already in use, such as in Milan, Bologna, London) automatically record the number of trips made within a certain period of time and apply the tariff system that is most advantageous for the user , between single journey, daily ticket (if the sum of the single journeys reaches a higher value), weekly pass, etc.
Improve the experience to attract new users
To encourage the use of Local Public Transport among potential users, in particular those who use it occasionally or not at all but have a socio-cultural profile more oriented towards innovation, it is necessary to improve the perceived experience. This requires a similar change in perceptionand to what has been achieved in the high-speed railway. Users are only willing to pay more to use LPT if they perceive an improvement in service conditions, and are open to more realistic and flexible pricing models.
