Expectations were clearly exceeded, says Climate Protection Minister Leonore Gewessler (Greens). “When the climate ticket was introduced two years ago, the transport companies’ sales statistics assumed around 110,000 customers. The current figures of 272,000 customers show that people in Austria want to travel in a climate-friendly way. They are switching to public transport, if they are simple, convenient and cheap,” said Gewessler.
The most climate tickets were available in Vienna with 86,000, followed by Lower Austria (66,000) and Upper Austria (47,000). 18,000 were exhibited in Styria, 15,000 in Tyrol, 16,000 in Salzburg, 9,000 in Vorarlberg, 8,000 in Carinthia, 6,000 in Burgenland and 1,000 abroad.
A further increase in users is expected: in 2024, young adults will receive a one-time, free Austria-wide ticket for one year on the occasion of their 18th birthday.
In Upper Austria only 2.3 percent
As an additional offer to the nationwide Austrian climate ticket, there is also the option to buy regional climate tickets. The implementation and design of these lies with the respective federal state. The data from the respective providers evaluated by the APA shows a very different picture: In Vorarlberg, for example, the offer is well received. Here, 19 percent of residents have a regional climate ticket, in Tyrol it is twelve percent. In Upper Austria, however, only 2.3 percent use the tickets.
Only half have access to a well-developed public transport network
The fact that only 2.3 percent of people in the state above the Enns use the ticket might be due to the lagging public transport offerings. This is what happens to around half of the people in Austria – they have no access to well-developed public transport, as data from Statistics Austria shows.
Anyone who lives in the countryside often has to be content with “basic development”. The large cities and their surrounding areas are particularly well developed. When comparing federal states, Vorarlberg stands out alongside Vienna.
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In Vorarlberg, only 17 percent of the population has access to well-developed means of transport. Together with Tyrol, Vorarlberg is in third place in Austria – following Vienna (87 percent) and Salzburg (22 percent). In addition, just over half of Vorarlberg residents live in regions that are considered “well” or “very well” developed. This means, for example, that on weekdays there is an S-Bahn with more than one train per hour or a bus that runs every 20 minutes.
Vorarlberg as a model
The Austrian Transport Club (VCÖ) also calls Vorarlberg a role model for the expansion of public transport in the country. “Even in sparsely populated regions there can be a good public service,” says spokesman Christian Gratzer, referring to the Bregenzerwald. The “country bus” runs there every hour or half hour and offers two night bus routes. According to VCÖ, the availability of off-peak times in particular means that public transport is used more frequently during peak hours.
Overall, a good half of Vorarlberg residents live in a region with very good or well-developed public transport – more than in any other federal state. The use of the climate ticket is correspondingly high: 21 percent of Vorarlberg residents have a climate ticket that is valid throughout Austria or nationwide.
The proportion of annual ticket holders is only higher in Vienna (1.17 million annual tickets, youth and climate tickets). Almost 87 percent of the population in Vienna has access to high-quality or highly developed public transport. This means that a subway, tram or bus can be reached on foot every ten minutes or less. In the other large cities, six out of ten residents have access to high-quality public transport.
Significantly more people live in the countryside
However, in Austria significantly more people live in the countryside (3.4 million) than in the big cities (2.8 million). And there, only one in eight residents (twelve percent) lives in the catchment area of high-quality or well-developed public transport. More than half (59 percent) have to come to terms with basic development. This means, for example, an S-Bahn every two hours or a bus that runs four times a day. Almost a third of people in rural areas have to survive largely without public transport (29 percent).
Finally, one in eight Austrians (13 percent) lives in a region that is not covered by the public transport quality classes. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that there is no public transport there. Because the officially collected “public transport quality classes” only cover regular scheduled services. There are often community buses or shared taxis in the country that only run on request, says VCÖ expert Gratzer. In his opinion, it would be particularly important here to include these offers in the climate ticket system.
