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Prague - In mid-June, Czech Railways passengers can expect not only new timetables, but also higher fares for some types of tickets. Some discount fares will be abolished altogether. Spokesman Ondřej Kubala says the move is due to growing oil prices.
"We have to make these changes to cope with growing prices of energy, mainly oil. In the past years we have managed to get the company back to the black thanks to significant cost savings, but growing prices of inputs, mainly energy, make it impossible to keep the existing range of discounts in the long run," said Kubala.
Who will pay more?
Who will be affected? Prepaid kilometre booklets (KMB) will see the biggest price growth as the pass for 2,000 km will cost CZK 200 more than today, the second price increase for this type of fare in the past months.
"Fifteen years ago, KMB cost CZK 1,200 and the average monthly salary was CZK 7,004. Today the average pay is over CZK 21,000, while KMB prices have grown by half. This means passengers now effectively pay much less for KMB than 15 years ago," Kubala says. Besides the price increase, it will no longer be possible to buy five KMBs with a discount.
The price of a network-wide one-day pass and a weekend pass will increase from CZK 390 to CZK 440. Passengers using the maximum discount under the "Šťastná eLiška" programme for a trip between Prague and Brno will have to pay CZK 105 instead of today's CZK 70.
The basic fare will remain unchanged. "The changes will affect about 4% of our customers," said Kubala. The carrier will no longer offer the Léto-26 discount to young people and the SC Net discount for Pendolino users.
Adapted and republished by the Prague Daily Monitor
