Well, it’s not exactly the good news we’d hoped for. According to a study conducted by Greenpeace, Amsterdam has the third worst public transport of thirty European capitals, just above London which came in second last. Dublin, Ireland, took the last spot.
The study looked at the price of tickets relative to other European capitals and the ease by which public transport users can travel in these different cities. Greenpeace has long since called for cheaper public transport and improvements in the way these forms of transport operate.
This is because the organisation believes that although public transport is better for the environment, people are being priced out of using it by high costs. The study states: ‘
‘In the context of the climate, energy and cost-of-living crises, the least polluting, healthiest and most efficient modes of transport should be affordable for everyone.’
The organisation would like the European Commission to facilitate ‘climate tickets’, ‘a Europe-wide single climate ticket’. These tickets would be affordable to all.
So why is Amsterdam so far down the list?
Well, Amsterdam scored a measly 46 out of 100 points on the rankings, compared to places like Tallinn in Estonia, which scored a full 100 points. The study argues that:
‘The Netherlands has a simple ticket system that allows buying a monthly or annual ticket… The price is, however, much higher than in most other countries with such network tickets.’
Although the study does recognise that a lot of people in the Netherlands used bikes as their primary mode of transport, a yearly ticket in Amsterdam costs a whopping €1,001. There are discounts for students. elderly people and carers of those with disabilities can travel for free but not the people with disabilities themselves.
There are places in Europe where domestic public transport is free, including Luxembourg and Malta. Plus, in some countries like Austria and Germany, low-priced, nationwide tickets that cost less than €3 per day exist.
You can read the full report here. In the top spots were Tallinn (Estonia), Luxembourg (Luxembourg), and Valletta (Malta). The bottom three are Amsterdam, London (United Kingdom), and Dublin (Ireland).