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How can we foster inclusive and affordable mobility?
Jan-Christoph Oetjen: “Transport is a basic need for everyone. What we need are good services at an affordable price. In Germany, the government has taken a major step toward more affordable transport by introducing a national ticket for only 49 euros. I think this is an impressive example of how to make transport accessible to all. But in the end, it all comes down to the quality of the services — and to have good services, you need good infrastructure. That requires public investment in high‑quality networks. If the infrastructure is poor, you cannot deliver good services. So I believe it is a genuine public responsibility to provide solid infrastructure, and then ensure market competition to drive service quality. We see in Italy and in other countries that where there is competition, services improve. This applies both to long‑distance travel and to local public transport: where competition exists, good services follow. I think this is an area where the European Union can encourage Member States to introduce such competition so that, ultimately, citizens benefit from better and more affordable services.”
Jan-Christoph Oetjen, former member of the European Parliament, explains how to make mobility accessible to all.
Transportation is a necessity for everyone. We really need quality services and affordable prices.
In Germany, the government has taken an important step towards more affordable mobility by offering a national ticket for just 59 euros. This is an important initiative in favor of more affordable mobility for all. But what is absolutely essential is quality service. For this, solid infrastructure is needed, and therefore public investment. If the infrastructure is not solid, we can not get good services.
It is essential to create competition in the market to promote quality services. In Italy and other countries where there is competition in the market, we are seeing a marked improvement in services. It' i the same for long-distance journeys as for local public transport: where there is competition in the market, there are quality services.
Finally, I believe that the European Union can encourage member states to embrace this competition in order to offer better services to people, while at the same time being even more affordable.
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