Ticket inspections resume on Stockholm’s public transport
The controls must now take into account Covid-19 safety measures

Stockholm tram

After a two-and-a-half-month break during the coronavirus outbreak, Stockholm’s public transport operator SL is resuming ticket controls. As of mid-June, ticket inspectors are running regular controls on the subway. Since June 29, they are also checking tickets on buses and trams. For controls on buses, inspectors are checking tickets when travellers disembark. The inspectors...

Fare inspections to resume on Toronto’s public transport
After a two-month pause during the pandemic, fare inspectors will gradually resume their normal duties this summer

Toronto tram in operation

TTC – short for Toronto Transit Authority, announced that fare inspectors will gradually resume activity on its premises and vehicles. During June, they will board vehicles once again to ‘remind customers to pay their fare’. They will be placed at key surface transfer points to ‘observe and educate customers and to make sure they...

Public transport use changes during Covid-19 in Barcelona
Ridership is down by an average 90% in Barcelona and surroundings in the past month

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Travelling by public transport in Barcelona is restricted to essential journeys only as the city maintains Covid-19 restrictions. Local transit agencies now use their communication budgets urging people to stay at home. Ridership declined as much as 95% on some days. During the two-week period of total lockdown between March 30 – April 12,...

Helsinki’s HSL to cut long-distance ticket prices and increase penalty fares
Residents living in peripheral areas will benefit mostly from the price cuts which will come into effect starting 2020

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As stated by HSL’s Executive Director Suvi Rihtniemi in a recent press release, the price cuts come as a measure aimed at helping to cut carbon emissions, : “This is the first time in our 10-year history we make such significant fare cuts. We will lower the fares for the longest journeys, as switching...

SNCF upgrades to full-height access gates to reduce fare evasion
Under the new plan, 140 new gates at 34 stations will be installed at a total cost of 55 million euros

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In July 2019 the Parisian station of Saint-Lazare has been the first one to receive the upgrades. According to the press release issued by SNCF, the cost raised to 14 million euros for this station, out of 55 million euros invested in total to replace 1.800 old access gates at 34 stations on its...

Study concludes free public transport in Lyon, France unsustainable
Lyon's transit network is significantly larger than that of cities like Dunkirk where public transport is free

Subway station in Lyon

A recent study commissioned by France’s second largest public transport operator SYTRAL has concluded that switching to a ticket-free scheme on Lyon’s TCL network would be financially unsustainable and would jeopardise the development of the network on the long-term.  According to the press release issued by SYTRAL, free service would reduce certain operating expenses such...

Buying tickets onboard costs 150,000 hours yearly in Paris
The city will launch a new bus network on April 20th to improve bus regularity and increase speed

Buying tickets onboard costs time

Buying tickets onboard implies a serious waste of time. Paris bus journeys lose 150,000 hours every year to drivers selling transport tickets. Consequently, Ile-de-France Mobilités has launched a three-week campaign to encourage travellers to buy their ticket before taking the bus.  The aim is to save time and money, as well as facilitating bus...

Metro de Madrid open fare gates project keeps growing
33 stations keep the fare gates open and only close when a person does not validate the ticket

Open fare gates at Metro del Madrid Metro de Madrid

Last year, Metro de Madrid launched an open fare gates pilot test, keeping the fare gates permanently open for customers, and closing only when someone tries to pass through without validating their ticket. The trial started in February 2018 at Alsacia station and continued at four other stations in late March. Currently, 33 stations...

Unlimited electronic tickets at Beijing subway
The Chinese metro system rolls out passes that allow passengers to travel as many times as they want within fixed time periods

Unlimited electronic tickets at Beijing subway

Beijing subway has made available five additional unlimited electronic tickets on its subway network, which will be usable on all lines except for the airport shuttle. With these tickets, passengers can now change lines as often as they want within a fixed time period. Tickets will be available for one, two, three, five or...

Wristbands, a new way to pay for public transport
Vancouver’s transport agency TransLink trials alternatives to Compass Cards

TransLink tests wristbands as an alternative to Compass cards TransLink https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUQ7a-u0YJ8

Vancouver’s transport agency TransLink keeps innovating in ticketing options. After deploying the Compass Card fare system two years ago and introducing a Tap-to-Pay system earlier this year, TransLink is testing wristbands an alternative form of paying. “We are always looking for new ways to improve customer experience” they state. Wristbands would work as the...