Translated material
Why in St. Petersburg they increase travel prices
Why in St. Petersburg they increase travel prices, where money will go and can the tokens rise even more?
From January 1, 2020, the prices for travel in public transport will increase in St. Petersburg: the cost of a one -time ticket will rise by 10 rubles. Will the innovations of beneficiaries and users of the “Unified Map of the Petersburger” affect, which the authorities explain the need to increase prices and can travel in the subway and bus rise even more? "Paper" answers the main questions about raising tariffs in public transport in St. Petersburg.Fare prices increase by 10 rubles. They rise in price and metro, and buses, and minibuses?
Smolny officially confirmed that from January 1, 2020, the cost of one -time travel on ground and underground public transport, which belongs to the city, will increase. Accordingly, prices will grow in the subway, buses, trolleybuses and trams. Commercial flights (route buses and flights with the letter “K” in the name) will continue to independently set fare prices. However, their number is going to reduce next year as part of transport reform. The rise in prices will affect precisely a one -time ticket when the passenger pays for the passage of cash. In buses, the ticket will cost 50 rubles, and the token in the subway - 55 rubles. Payment for travel on a bank card will also grow by about 10 rubles - taking into account the system of some benefits. For example, Smolny plans to maintain a discount for Mir card users.They said, the passage along the Plantain and for beneficiaries will not rise in price. But the prices in the end raised?
Yes. The fare in public transport for users of the Plantain and the Unified Map of the Petersburger will also increase from January 2020. The governor of St. Petersburg Alexander Beglov said that tariffs will grow by 2 rubles. For users of preferential travel tickets (pensioners, students, schoolchildren, and so on), prices will be approximately 4 %. Before the elections about raising travel prices, they did not talk. Beglov called on officials not to regret money for beneficiaries and make travel for them in the train for free. The first reports of plans to increase prices appeared in October: several media wrote about this with reference to officials. However, the publications claimed that this would not affect the "plantain". In November, Smolny officially stated that the cost of the Plantain will still increase by 4 %. At the same time, Beglov said that the most popular tariffs will grow by 2 rubles (up to 46 rubles in the metro and 41 rubles in buses) - this is about 5-6 % more. As they say in Smolny, prices were increased based on the analysis of the data of carriers about the cost of next year and taking into account inflation.Why do you even need to increase travel prices? Where will the money go?
The official position of the authorities is this: prices need to be raised, because carriers (metro, GUP “Passengravtotrans” and others) lack money - their expenses are not covered with income. According to Beglov, now the city is forced to replenish 44 % of the metro costs, 40 % of the costs of electric vehicles and 45 % of bus carriers.Smolny emphasizes that it is precisely a one -time travel (by ticket or tokeon) that the rise in prices minimally touches the inhabitants of the city. According to the authorities, only 15 % of passengers pay in cash. 10 % pay by bank cards, 33 % use the plantain, 42 % - preferential travel. Officials believe that the tokens are mainly bought by tourists or people who came to St. Petersburg on a business trip - it is at their expense that they plan to increase the revenues of carriers. In 2020, the authorities expect an increase in tourist flow due to electronic visas . At the same time, Smolny says that the money will go not only to carriers, but also to the city: for example, the authorities promise to expand the public transport park.
What other reasons for raising prices can be?
Opponents of increasing travel prices believe that in this way the authorities want to raise more money for transport reform. Immediately after the announcement of the increase in prices, Alexander Beglov reduced the established subsidies to carriers by almost 3 billion rubles. At the same time, he allocated 11.2 billion rubles for “work related to the implementation of regular transportation of passengers and baggage with terrestrial urban transport by adjustable tariffs in buses”, which are associated with transport reform. Opposition deputy Boris Vishnevsky believes that after the introduction of transport reform on 11.2 billion rubles allocated to the city, contracts with carriers, "who are now carrying on trade routes and will switch to social."In addition, after reducing subsidies, the metro will not be able to cover expenses even with increased prices, said the vice-governor of St. Petersburg Eduard Batanov.