Today, there was a piece of opinion in the main Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat asking for more information about free public transport. In my other hometown, Tallinn, there has been free public transport for residents registered in Tallinn from 2013.
Free public transport has been financially profitable for Tallinn, but not for reasons of traffic. It has increased the registration of residents of Tallinn. As a result, the state will return to Tallinn more of the tax collection than the expenses incurred for changing public transport for free.
However, the effects on traffic have been less. In the first phase, the use of public transport increased by approx. 6 – 15% (depending on the source), but walking and cycling decreased. The effects on the number of cars have been minor or very minor (depending on the source). After the pandemic, the use of public transport has not returned to what it was before.
During the last 3 years, Tallinn has invested a lot in bicycle lanes, which has increased their use, and on the other hand, the confusion caused by the new tramway in the center has reduced the use of cars (it simply wasn’t worth driving through the center anymore).
So there is no comparison with Tallinn. However, free public transport is very problematic for two reasons:
– In completely free public transport, the public transport operator becomes dependent on political trends for its funding, not on the users. Although initially public funding may be sufficient to run and develop operations, there is a great danger that funding will be cut during a recession, and the transport operator will no longer serve users, but a political game. In Tallinn, new transport investments, e.g. trams, are made with 85% EU money, so investments can be made regardless of economic cycles. This kind of money is not available in Finland (Finland is not a so-called cohesion country).
– Public transport fees direct the transport operator to develop its service. Money is always tight, so it is most important to direct improment resources in such a way that they make the most benefit. Ticket revenues tell how users choose their ways of transport compared to other forms of transport and thus guide the development work. At worst, without the informational value of the payments, the public transport operator can invest in its improvement work on the user groups that are the fewest and for which the organization of transport is the most expensive.
Public transport fees should be developed and thought about, but completely free of charge is a big risk. Tallinn’s experience does not promise a big shift away from the car traffic.
Tales of Talsinki 