Oslo city council gets criticism for lack of commitment because they postpone the planned cut in the price of single tickets in public transport from New Year’s Eve until April next year. Now they are slashing the price of monthly passes – for one month before Christmas.
From Wednesday of this week until 15 December, the 30-day ticket in Oslo zone 1 will be reduced. For adults, the Ruter ticket is reduced from NOK 814 to NOK 499, while for children, youth and seniors the price is reduced from NOK 407 to NOK 249. For students, the price is reduced from NOK 488 to NOK 299.
– We’re doing this because everything is getting more expensive now and we know that those with less to travel with often depend more on good public transport. That’s why we’re now slashing the price of monthly tickets for all groups, in hopes of seating people on platforms and buses rather than in cars, says Oslo city councilor for environment and transport, Sirin Stav ( MDG), in Nettavisen.
He says the goal is fewer queues, lower emissions and better air.
On Twitter, Stav describes it as a pre-Christmas gift to the people of Oslo:
Pre-Christmas gift from the Municipality! For the next month, you can get almost 40% off monthly passes in Oslo, in the Ruter app. Should pay to travel by public transport.
However, the discount can only be used once per customer during the campaign period. The ticket is valid for 30 days from the time you start it, and if you buy a monthly pass on, say, December 15th, you can postpone the start until January 5th.
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– A kind of mini-campaign
However, the liberals are not satisfied with the pre-Christmas gift from the city council.
– If the liberals take power in the city, the first thing we will do is cut the price of monthly passes to 600 NOK. So, of course, we think the city council’s monthly ticket discount is a nice pre-Christmas treat for Oslo residents. I absolutely believe it will help to make more people choose to travel by public transport, environmental policy spokesperson for Venstre in Oslo, Marit Kristine Vea, tells Nettavisen before emphasizing:
– The only problem is that the agreement is not permanent. In January, people will again have to shell out more than NOK 800 for a monthly card, and that’s way too expensive. I therefore do not understand exactly what the city council has in mind when presenting it as a kind of mini-campaign.
Vea points out that in the last seven years the Liberal Party has repeatedly proposed price reductions on public transport tickets.
– The city council hasn’t come to meet us once, and has consistently blamed it on the fact that you can’t get any kind of price cuts without Viken’s politicians agreeing, he says, and adds:
– When it comes to this Christmas present, the problems with Viken have suddenly disappeared like the dew before the sun, and so I think there should be nothing to stop the city council from introducing more permanent price cuts on monthly paper next year.
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– A little pre-Christmas relief
Stav, for his part, expresses concern that more people have been using the car during the pandemic.
– During the pandemic, more people have sat in cars and fewer are now traveling by public transport. We are entering the first “coronavirus-free” winter. We hope that a little pre-Christmas boost in a busy daily economic life will lead to more people choosing to travel by public transport, even after the campaign period, she says.
He also refers to the new flexible ticket system that the city council will introduce next year, albeit a few months late.
– From next year we will also introduce a new and flexible ticket called Reis, where you can get up to 40% discount on single rides. This means that the single ticket gets cheaper the more often you travel. This is good environmental and social policy. But we will continue to work to make one of the best public transport services in the world even better and cheaper, says Stav.
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– The best offers of the black week
One of those celebrating the price cut is MDG’s chief executive officer in the Oslo city council, Eivind Trædal.
A nice pre-Christmas treat for Oslo’s locals: there will now be monthly passes on sale! Guaranteed the best offer in “Black Week”, writes Trædal on Twitter.
Here are some other reactions from Twitter:
Very joyful. The price should also be lower on a more permanent basis, no matter how often you travel to get the rest we need from the car.
Everything is alright. But @router must get rid of the old concept of “monthly pass” and introduce more flexible ticketing systems suitable for “occasional” travellers. That’s where they can pick up more passengers.
