THE BEST PUBLIC TRANSPORT IN EUROPE IS IN MUNICH

Twenty three cities in Europe were visited and evaluated by FIA inspectors, who focused on the state of their public transport systems. The cities with the best public transport are Munich, Helsinki, Vienna and Prague.

According to the analysis conducted by the Federation Internationale de l"Automobile (FIA), the best public transport in Europe is in Munich, Helsinki and Vienna. Prague came fourth. The survey was conducted in 23 European countries.

Munich was the only city that achieved the rating “very good”. According to the researchers, the only thing that is not superb in Munich public transport is the fare, which has been rated only as “acceptable”. Helsinki on the other hand has good web pages. The worst system of public transport, on the other hand is according to FIA in Zagreb (Croatia), Ljubljana (Slovenia) and in Budapest (Hungary).

Prague achieved the overall rating “good”. The Czech capital has beaten its competition mainly because of reasonable ticket prices and numerous types of tickets available. The Czech News Agency reported that Prague did not do so well when it came to traveling time and the number of changes travelers have to make. Prague was ranked only as “acceptable” in this category. The same rating was given to the accessibility of the transport when going by bicycle or on foot.

In Prague the inspectors also criticized bad connections with the Ruzyne airport, which is served only by bus. They also responded negatively to the fact that ticket machines are limited mainly to the subway. The subway also, according to FIA, does not have enough lifts and escalators. However all information on the ticket machines is available in English and the tickets can be bought also via the internet or mobile phone.

As FIA commented, EU cities realize there is a need to improve the systems of public transport. More and more people live in the cities, which makes public transport even more important than in the past. It concerns not only people who live in the cities but also the commuters. To prevent future transport collapses the issues need to be addressed in advance.

Public Transport 2010: Test of 23 European Cities (EuroTest)