Picture this: you’re finally on that long-awaited city break, the sun is shining, the architecture is stunning, and you reach into your pocket for a public transport ticket. For half of Europe’s capital cities, that moment just got a little more painful. New research from Greenpeace has revealed that getting around by bus, tram, metro and train has become significantly more expensive in 14 European capitals over the past three years. Public transport has always been one of the most practical, sustainable and often cheapest ways to explore a new city, so this news lands with a thud for anyone who likes to travel on a budget. But it’s not just tourists who feel the squeeze. For millions of residents, the rising cost of a monthly or annual pass can be the difference between taking a job, seeing family or simply enjoying a night out. The study looked at 30 countries, covering all 27 EU member states plus the UK, Switzerland and Norway, and it wasn’t just about the basic price of a ticket either. Greenpeace wanted to understand how well long-term public transport passes actually serve ordinary people, so they examined everything from regional reach and the types of transport included, to discounts for vulnerable groups and the VAT applied on top. The goal? To find out whether public transport is truly affordable, inclusive and accessible, or whether it remains an expensive luxury for too many people. And the answer, as with so many things in Europe, is a very mixed picture. Some cities are making heroic efforts to keep transport cheap and universal, while others are watching ticket prices climb at a dizzying speed. The report is a reminder that public transport isn’t just a practical matter; it’s a social, environmental and political issue. Where prices rise, inequality follows. Where tickets are affordable, everyone benefits, including the tourists who simply want to hop from one museum to the next without feeling like they need to take out a small loan.
The mechanics of the research are worth digging into, because they reveal just how complicated it is to compare public transport across Europe. Greenpeace collected data from the capitals of the 27 EU countries, as well as London, Oslo and Bern, and measured not just the sticker price of monthly and annual tickets, but also how far those tickets actually take you. A cheap pass that only covers the city centre is very different from one that gets you to the airport, the suburbs and the surrounding region. The researchers also considered what types of transport are included, whether you get the bus and tram with the same ticket or have to buy separate ones, and whether reduced fares are available for students, older people, and other groups who might struggle to pay full price. VAT is another crucial factor, and the report found that public transport tickets in Europe are taxed at an average rate of 11%, which is an odd way to encourage people to leave their cars at home. In fact, seven countries have increased VAT on public transport tickets since 2023, which seems to go against every environmental pledge governments love to make. Greenpeace argues that instead of taxing mobility, national and local governments should introduce what they call affordable “climate tickets,” universal long-term passes that are cheap enough to make sustainable travel the obvious choice. The idea is simple: if a monthly ticket costs less than a tank of petrol, people will be far more likely to use trains and buses. This would not only ease pressure on household budgets, but also cut the emissions that come from road and air travel, and reduce Europe’s dependence on fossil fuels. In other words, transport policy is climate policy, and the choices governments make about ticket pricing today will help shape the environmental future of the continent.
So, where are the most expensive places to get around? Unsurprisingly, some of Europe’s most popular tourist destinations also have the heaviest price tags. London tops the list, with a monthly pass costing around €162, followed by Amsterdam at €107 and Paris at €77. These are the kind of prices that make even a short trip feel expensive, especially if you’re a traveller who needs to use public transport every day. But the biggest shock isn’t the current price; it’s the speed at which prices are rising. The sharpest increase since 2023 was recorded in Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus, where long-term ticket rates have shot up by a staggering 67 percent. Amsterdam comes second with a 55 percent rise, while Madrid follows closely behind at 50 percent, and Bratislava isn’t far off with 32 percent. Even cities that are usually seen as progressive and forward-thinking when it comes to transport have not escaped the upward pressure. Berlin has seen prices climb by 29 percent, Vienna by 26 percent, and Copenhagen, Bucharest, Vilnius, Brussels and London have all recorded increases of at least 10 percent in the same period. That’s a serious hit for people who rely on public transport every day. And while inflation plays a role in some of these increases, the report points to another culprit: value-added tax. VAT on public transport tickets remains stubbornly high in many countries, and several governments have actually increased it recently. It’s hard not to see this as short-sighted. If we want cleaner air, less congestion and more equitable cities, then making public transport more expensive through taxation is definitely moving in the wrong direction.
But before we give up on European public transport altogether, there is some genuinely good news. Since 2023, prices for long-term passes have actually fallen in four European capitals, and in some cases quite dramatically. Dublin deserves a medal here, with a decrease of 42.5 percent, which turns a once-pricey city into a much more accessible one. Oslo, a city famously known for being expensive, has also seen its public transport prices drop by 11.5 percent, while Bern has made a more modest but welcome cut of 6.6 percent, and Budapest has reduced its prices by 5.8 percent. Twelve other capitals have kept their prices at the same level since 2023, which may not sound like a victory, but in a time of high inflation, simply holding prices steady is an achievement in itself. There are also signs of new political will when it comes to national transport strategies. Spain and Slovenia have both introduced some form of nationwide public transport ticket since 2023, joining a small but growing club of countries that see the value in state-backed mobility. Even so, the overall picture remains patchy. Only eight out of the 30 European countries currently offer free public transport or affordable universal long-term tickets, which means the vast majority of citizens are still paying full price or close to it. When it comes to the countries that score best, Luxembourg, Malta and Slovenia come out on top, offering passengers a genuinely accessible and affordable network. At the other end of the scale, Finland, Greece and Norway rank worst for the affordability and availability of national transport tickets, and they also apply above-average VAT rates to domestic public transport. That’s a disappointing result for countries that often rank highly on quality of life, because affordable transport is such an important part of daily well-being.
If you’re wondering which cities to visit next based on good public transport value, the report has some clear winners. In terms of availability, affordability and inclusivity of long-term public transport tickets, the cities that take joint first place are Tallinn, Luxembourg City and Valletta. It’s a fascinating mix, with the Estonian capital, the tiny European hub of Luxembourg, and the sunny Maltese capital all proving that you don’t need to be rich to offer residents and visitors a good deal. Right behind them, Prague takes fourth place, Rome comes fifth, and Athens is sixth, which might surprise tourists who think of those cities as somewhat chaotic or crowded. The top eight is rounded out by Sofia in seventh place and Vienna in eighth, showing that Eastern European cities are doing a great job of balancing price and coverage. What makes these cities stand out isn’t just a low sticker price, it’s the fact that a single ticket gets you into a wide network of buses, trams, metros and sometimes even trains, with discounts and social tariffs that mean no one gets left behind. On the other hand, the worst performers for national transport tickets, Finland, Greece and Norway, tend to combine high prices with limited regional reach and less generous reductions for vulnerable groups. That creates a situation where the people who most need affordable transport are exactly the ones who pay the most relative to their income. This is not a technical detail; it’s a matter of fairness. Public transport is the backbone of so many lives, and when it becomes too expensive, the consequences ripple out into education, healthcare and employment. A city that prices its buses and trains out of reach is a city that excludes its own residents, no matter how shiny its tourist attractions are.
So what does this all mean for the future, and what can we take away from this mountain of data? The simplest lesson is that public transport is too important to be left entirely to market forces or short-term tax policies. The reason Greenpeace commissioned this research wasn’t just to shame expensive cities or celebrate cheap ones, but to push governments to think differently. A climate ticket, as they call it, is not a vague dream; it’s already a reality in countries like Luxembourg, Malta and Slovenia, and it could be a reality everywhere else with enough political will. Such tickets would help ordinary people save money while reducing the carbon emissions that are heating our planet. They would also make regions more connected, because a truly useful monthly pass doesn’t stop at the city boundary, it reaches into the commuter belt and beyond. For travellers, the report is a reminder to look past the glossy brochures and check how much it actually costs to move around once you arrive. A city break in a place with a cheap, inclusive public transport system is not only easier on your wallet, it’s also a more relaxed and authentic experience, because you can wander where you like without obsessing over fares. For residents, the stakes are even higher. Public transport should be a lifeline, not a luxury, and the fact that half of Europe’s capitals have seen prices rise over the past three years is genuinely worrying. But the report also shows that change is possible, and that some cities are already proving that affordable tickets are both practical and popular. If more governments embrace the idea of affordable climate tickets, we could see a future where hopping on a tram is as natural and cheap as taking a deep breath. That future won’t happen on its own, though. It will take pressure from citizens, smarter choices from politicians, and a collective belief that mobility is a public good. In the meantime, if you’re planning a city break, check the local transport prices before you book. You might find that a cheap flight is only a bargain until you have to pay for the bus ride out of town.
