Dispute over public transport tariff system escalates: the federal government blames Zurich
The trams of the Zurich Transport Authority (VBZ) belong to the ZVV, as does the Zurich S-Bahn.Image: KEYSTONE
In the dispute, primarily about the tariffs for public transport, there is fire in the roof: the federal government criticizes the canton of Zurich for only thinking about itself. The counter. It goes without saying that he represents his interests – and his public transport is a model for success anyway.
Stefan Ehrbar / chmedia
Which ticket is the right one? This is not always clear to travelers on public transport, given the complex zone systems with connecting tickets and different validity periods. In a customer survey conducted last year, 28 percent of public transport users and 44 percent of non-users stated that the fear of making the wrong purchase and the complexity of the purchase prevented them from traveling more often by train, bus and tram.
In addition, the prices for individual tickets are purchased by many as too high. The industry will tackle the problems with the Gita project (“Rough concept for an integrated tariff system”). In a first step, they will agree on a logic according to which prices are formed.
But one canton is on the brakes. At least that’s how the Federal Office of Transport (BAV) sees it: the canton of Zurich and its Zurich Transport Association (ZVV). “With its strategic guidelines, which are shaped by regional politics, it makes it more difficult to create a nationally uniform and simple tariff system,” says a new report.
criticism of particular interests
BAV spokesman Michael Müller says that the ZVV takes on various roles as a transport association. “In these, he primarily represents the political and economic interests of the Zurich region. For years, this has had an impact on national projects designed to further develop the public transport system. In the past few years, various attempts at an ongoing tariff system have failed.” This is also due to the “particular interests” of various actors.
Michael Müller, media spokesman for the Federal Office of Transport.Image: zvg
The attitude of the ZVV is not only relevant because of its size – around every fourth public transport customer was one of the ZVV last year. It is also the only transport association that combines all tasks from the planning and financing of public transport to the design of tariffs, the zone system and the range of tickets.
In the other 17 collective bargaining associations, the companies have agreed on a common zone and tariff system, but beyond that they act more or less autonomously. Some of the tasks are also divided between transport and a tariff association, such as one in Lucerne.
The federal government’s criticism of the ZVV is not new. In 2017, an attack on its collective bargaining power failed. Under pressure from cantons such as Zurich, Aargau and St.Gallen, Parliament removed a passage from a federal proposal that would have created a system leader in regional transport.
Also applies to public transport: Who pays, commands?
BAV spokesman Müller emphasizes that the office is always looking for dialogue with the ZVV. The office expects “an open attitude from the ZVV towards national projects”.
The criticism is not well received in Zurich. “We can make the statements that the ZVV makes it difficult to create a uniform national tariff system, which is incomprehensible,” says spokesman Thomas Kellenberger.
The ZVV is an organization of the Canton of Zurich. It goes without saying that the cantons bring the passenger perspective into the ongoing discussions. It does not deal with particular interests, but with general concerns of local and regional transport. These would have to be taken into account for a national uniform tariff system.
This corresponds to the constitutional principles of subsidiarity and fiscal equivalence. This principle states that the community that bears the costs can determine the service – or, to put it more briefly: whoever pays commands.
Traffic is backing up behind a ZVV bus.Image: Keystone
Urban cantons at a disadvantage
In fact, the canton and its residents dig deeper into their pockets for public transport than others. This is for three reasons.
Firstly, public transport customers pay a larger part of the costs themselves than in other cantons via ticket prices. In 2019, the cost recovery rate in the ZVV was almost 70 percent, in regional transport throughout Switzerland only a good 50 percent.
Secondly, the federal government contributes little to the invisible uncovered costs. On average, the federal government covers half of the deficit in regional passenger transport (RPV), which includes buses, suburban trains and regional trains. However, the proportion varies depending on the population density of the canton. As a result, the federal government bears 80 percent of the uncovered costs in Graubünden, 77 percent in Uri and 74 percent in Jura. Like Basel-Stadt and Geneva, however, Zurich has to cover more than two-thirds of the deficit itself.
Third parties are also involved in urban cantons because the federal government is not involved in local transport. This includes, for example, trams and buses in cities – also quickly the entire offer of the Geneva transport company, the Basel transport company or the Zurich transport company (VBZ). In the ZVV, the offers of VBZ and Stadtbus Winterthur are responsible for about 60 percent of the effort.
The bottom line is that the federal government in the canton of Zurich contributes significantly less than ten percent of the public transport revenue for operation, while this proportion is many times that in many cantons.
Skepticism about a uniform tariff
This is not the only reason why tariff sovereignty is sacred to the ZVV. A national standard tariff would have to be negotiated between 250 transport companies, 26 cantons, countless municipalities and the federal government, says Kellenberger. It has not yet been proven whether DAMIT better covers the requirements in different markets and regions and whether the transport, environmental and financial policy goals are better achieved than with today’s “tailor-made offers”. In the Gita project, which is intended to bring clarity and solutions, ZVV employees have been “at the forefront from the start”.
Kellenberger points out that the ZVV tariff has never been justified since its inception. “In view of the well above-average success of public transport in the canton of Zurich and the increase in the public transport share of the modal split, a step at least also involved would seem little comprehensible.” (bzbasel.ch)
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