Passenger transport executive

A traffic group is a legal and organizational merger of authorities to joint and coordinated implementation of the public transport (LPT ).

• 2.1 composite limits
• 2.2 Tariff problems
• 2.3 through-pricing

• 3.1 European Union
• 3.2 Germany 3.2.1 Transport Association / community
• 3.2.2 Tariff Association / community
• 3.2.3 Basics
• 3.2.4 tariff structures and problems in Germany 3.2.4.1 rail card and City option

Basics

Basic objectives are

• A unified fare system, called the tariff,
• One of all transport companies recognized, as uniform as possible Tickets range ( for very large cities can remain exceptions, for example, by higher city rates or special subscription offers),
• Ordinated timetables,
• Uniform timetable information and

For all traffic groups that in their area (a region mostly) all means of transport all operators at the same price, so with only one ticket can be used in transport. In addition to parallel transport (ie, the same operation between stops on the same line path through different modes of transport ) are avoided. The trend is evident in recent years in the direction of creating larger composite areas, where also increased transition rates to be agreed.

About Regional collective bargaining systems

Some German and all Austrian federal states have statewide transportation networks developed in Germany there are some country tariffs.

Similar composite structures are also at the national tariff system of the Netherlands available. In some metropolitan areas of the country, the national stripe cards are also valid in all urban transport, the tariff offer is thus directly comparable to a traffic or Tarifverbund.

In the UK there is related organizations under the term Passenger Transport Executive.

Long-distance traffic

In Austria, Switzerland, Netherlands and other countries, all trains can be used with composite or national transport tickets. However, exceptions are partly international long-distance and high-speed trains. In Germany, long-distance trains are generally not integrated into transport networks.

Problems

Composite limits

So advantageous transport associations for the passengers in the network area are often so detrimental this can be when you composite across the public transport would be mobile or lives in the border area of ​​a composite. Many associations have now cooperation agreements with neighboring networks or other transport companies operating there closed and offer transition rates. Nonetheless, the issue today is often still problematic because a transfer-free approach is seldom possible. The traffic performance usually does not end at the network boundary, the mobility needs but.

Collective problems

Many associations offer a uniform and often very subtle tariff. Straight but this is often on Foreign visitors to the problem, which lack both the tariff and the local knowledge and so have enormous difficulties in acquiring the appropriate ticket. This is further complicated by apparent banalities as a composite always the depreciation of purchased tickets expected, another composite does not know the Entwerterverfahren and the third composite offers both already devalued and yet to be invalidated tickets. Furthermore, it is the transport associations to date have been unable to establish uniform tariff features or product names - times a day ticket is valid 24 hours, sometimes only until closing, there are groups or family cards, occasionally tickets "plus " that qualify for acquiring more people etc.

By pricing

With through-pricing is meant that the passenger for the entire route only buys a ticket and still may take several transport claim, especially in networks with regional rail integration. Often, however, it is so that the price per km for short distances are much higher than for long distances. This degressive tariffs leads to a loss occurs relative to the increasing length of the route. This is the so-called through-pricing loss.

National

European Union

Uniformly apply the relevant EU directive on public transport. Intention of this Directive is to open up the public transport to competition. But as a real competitor does not make sense and it is in many public transport lines also concerns relations that can not be used to cover costs, but another operation desired and within the framework of general interest is legally necessary also, the transposition of the directive made ​​by the creation of line bundles which are advertised; of course be other criteria such as the nature of the vehicles or the like. specified. The supplement is - to give the company that makes the highest bid or asking the lowest subsidy - in accordance with the usual criteria such as technical competence and reliability.

Germany

A transport system in Germany is a legal and organizational merger of local authorities in the form of a special purpose association in Germany so of counties or county boroughs, historically sometimes with the transport company a region for joint and coordinated implementation of the public transport (LPT ). He is usually in the form of a limited liability company, in which the circles or cities and often the particular state are shareholders.

The oldest German transport association was created in 1965 in Hamburg ( HVV).

Traffic group / community

In contrast to a traffic group is at a transport community to achieve cooperation of transportation companies. Due to legal requirements at European level, which generally provide for the award of public transport services can be expected after the expiry of the existing line concessions to the fact that there will be no more traffic Communities medium term.

Tarifverbund / community

A tariff association or collective bargaining unit only guarantee a uniform tariff, sometimes only the mutual recognition of tickets. The change of the legal framework is - even in the medium term lead to pure collective communities no longer exist - as in the transport communities.

Basics

A transport system as an organizational unit can be transferred from the participating PTAs and transport companies more tasks in areas such as planning, coordination and service. Since the entry into force of the Regionalisation Act, with which the public passenger was responsibility of the provinces on the rail, many transport associations, the function of the ordering of services have also perceive; sometimes directly ( by tender or direct order under existing contracts), often indirectly through the regional company responsible for rail passenger transport ( regional rail ).

For the implementation of the Eu directives all German federal states have enacted different laws on public transport, some of which have different effects on the composites.

Tariff structures and problems in Germany

Some states have developed national transport associations (Berlin / Brandenburg, Hamburg, Saarland). These are fundamentally different from country tariffs as they have been set up in Schleswig -Holstein and North Rhine -Westphalia. Currently, such cross- rates in other countries are planned (including Lower Saxony). Country tariffs have similar structures and composite effects. In the case of the NRW - tariff is however - apart from package deals - just a general tariff surcharge levied for the use of urban transport in connection to the railway network.

The network area is generally divided into tariff zones, zones or so-called honeycomb. The still distance-based fare is not measured by the length of the distance to the respective transport distance in kilometers, but is tied to the number of zones traveled through, including persons under circumstances still different price levels. A distinction must be tariff structures without overlapping, mostly based on municipal boundaries, from those with overlapping zones or honeycomb. The former are all tariff barriers between stops ( at municipal boundaries ). A ticket purchase about when passing a time card scope directly on the tariff limit is not possible here because the line cards must be purchased at the last stop in the paid area at the latest (Example: tariff zones in OWL: OWL traffic). It is also an admission or tariff avoidance of affiliations to two ( or more) tariff areas of individual bus stops or stations possible.

Some networks have different structures for season tickets and single fares. For example, distinguishes the HVV for single tickets and day tickets between areas ( Greater Hamburg Area ) and rings for season tickets is a further subdivision into tariff zones instead. Also, the GVH has different structures for " tickets " and " Cards ". Season tickets fares may be available for other adjacent, partially composite free counties here in addition to the normal composite area (zones Hanover, and surrounding region).

Larger tariff areas, including, for example, all urban areas such as Berlin, Hamburg but also Paderborn, can a smaller inner circle divides its ( tariff zones or rings A and B, both indoor and outdoor use when PaderSprinter ).

In Germany, long-distance trains (ICE, IC and some other types of trains ) are the Deutsche Bahn and other railway companies generally not integrated into transport networks, even if one or more consecutive stops are located in the network area. This has the consequence that these features can not be used or in some cases only with additional supplement ticket with composite tickets. Exceptions in individual cases with the local management, eg for delays or accidents, agreed and locally ( through loudspeaker announcements for example ) made ​​known. In addition, individual long-distance trains can be shared within the respective federation area completely for transport tariff. In general, the transport tickets must be purchased and canceled in advance for such exceptions, since only the long-distance transport fare plus board price is offered in the train.

Rail card and City option

A special variant of the tariff issue, the rail card and the associated with it " City option " dar. For long-distance traffic tickets that are purchased with rail card discount and in the use of rail card 100 is in many cities, the unique use of composite transport on the way or from the station by the " City" include option. However, there are also problems this respect, well, just because this option is only valid for one fare zone or even only parts of a fare zone, so that here knowledge of the foreign composite tariff are needed again, so what really should be unnecessary. Regardless of the " City option to" see the tariffs in some networks for holders of BahnCards generally a better deal before, some networks provide here only with restrictions a discounted price and some associations offer for rail card holders at no perks. The rail card 100 applies consistently on all operated by Deutsche Bahn routes, while the recognition is different in other operators, however, the driving scheme for own (grand ) children is frequently limited.

Austria

In Austria, a traffic group

" A cooperative institution by virtue of private contracts between local authorities (basic and financing agreement between the federal government and the relevant country / community) on the one hand and between the authorities and the individual carriers on the other hand ( transport service contract). "

Participating in the composite transport companies may be organized into a cooperative community, the transport association organizing society serves as a mediator between the composite financing authorities and transportation companies, central billing office and enterprise -wide planning authority. Regulated in detail are in the public local passenger transport authorities and regional transport Act 1999 ( ÖPNRV -G).

The composite organization companies in Austria are designed as purely national companies as transport planning is the states. The existing since the 1980 regional transport associations were all integrated into the national networks. By law, all countries have a traffic group, but for Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland two transport associations were set up in the other provinces there are some areas of overlap with or smaller connection areas to another network. Salzburg operates as the only state of a cross-border cooperation with Bavarian regions.

Austria is the completion of the system in 1997, the first country in the world, the coverage has transport associations.