What North America can learn from the greatest transportation system in the world
www.theglobeandmail.com
Fifty years ago, Switzerland was poised to become as car-dependent as anywhere in North America. Now it has the best transit system in the world. What’s the secret to this alpine nation’s transport supremacy?

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This was a revelation. For just over $6,000 a year, the Swiss can travel anywhere, reliably, in comfort, and get where they’re going on time. (In neighbouring Austria, where the cost of living isn’t so high, the equivalent national rail pass costs just €1,100 – or $1,600.) In Canada and the United States, the average cost of car ownership – including payments, parking tickets, insurance, parking, and gas – is more than $12,000 a year. That’s a high price to pay for a system that delivers congestion, traffic deaths and injuries, air pollution – and, more often than not, gets us to work or school late. For half the price North Americans pay, the Swiss get reliable, anywhere-to-anywhere mobility.

  • porous_grey_matterEnglish
    2·
    2 days ago

    Uh, the GA transport pass is more like $3900, if you pay per year, not 6k. And a lot of people get discounts from their jobs or other things.

    • Skunk@jlai.luEnglish
      4·
      2 days ago

      6k (6500 chf I believe) is the first class GA.

      Besides discounts, most people don’t use a GA (that covers 100% of public transport types in 100% of the country) but a way cheaper local pass, like city to city.

      GA is awesome tho, but you really need to travel a lot across the country every weeks to really need that.