Study of an integrated tariff for the public transit network in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, Portugal

The transport sector largely depends on oil to meet its energy needs. This has adverse consequences such as atmospheric pollution and external energy dependence. As population in urban areas tends to rise, urban mobility is a... [ view full abstract ]

The transport sector largely depends on oil to meet its energy needs. This has adverse consequences such as atmospheric pollution and external energy dependence. As population in urban areas tends to rise, urban mobility is a cornerstone of sustainability in cities. In the absence of a functional and appealing public transport system the use of private car use tends to increase, causing traffic congestion and air pollution, with consequences both at local level (public health, quality of urban space) and global level (climate change). In the Lisbon Metropolitan Area (AML) 54% of the house-work commuter movements are made via individual transportation, whereas collective public transport satisfies only 27%. The goal of this research was to understand the reason for the disparity between demand for private car and public transport, a constant negative trend in the past 25 years. The evolution of the transport network, service quality and demography were examined. The first conclusion is that the transport network, as well as tariff schemes, are very poorly integrated: there are currently about 2000 different tariff variants in the 16 AML's public transit companies; this chaotic ensemble is nigh impossible to understand even by experts, and is quite difficult to use by anyone not familiar with it. Service quality has decreased because of inadequate distribution of the revenue from intermodal passes, low public investment in public transport, concession contracts which allow each operator to set tariffs, relatively high prices and inaccurate information to the public. The key factors to substantially improve the AML public transit system (and through it to enable more sustainable transportation in the region) seem to be: an upgrade of service performance (links, frequency, information); the definition of a financial equilibrium method with adequate public funding; and the creation of a mandatory, unified Metropolitan tariff system. These three pillars are linked: one does not seem possible or effective without the others.

Keywords: Integrated Tariffs; Sustainable Mobility; Transportation Policy; Public Transportation; Lisbon Transportation