Prague Won’t Raise Public Transport Fares, Even as Costs Grow

The Prague City Council has approved a new transport strategy that will shape the city’s public transport system from 2026 to 2030.

The plan focuses on improving capacity, reliability and service quality across the Prague Integrated Transport (PID) network, which also connects to the Central Bohemian Region.

Despite rising operational costs, the city has again ruled out any increase in public transport fares.

This position remains unchanged even as the financial gap in the system continues to grow.

Prague remains among the cheapest Czech cities

According to the plan, Prague still has one of the lowest public transport costs among major Czech cities. With an annual pass, the daily cost of travel is roughly 10 CZK.

Annual ticket prices in selected cities:

Prague – 3,650 CZK
Brno – 4,750 CZK
Ostrava – 4,400 CZK
Plzeň – 4,656 CZK
Liberec – 3,990 CZK

Growing gap between costs and revenues

Behind the political decision to keep fares unchanged is a widening financial gap. In 2019, Prague set a goal for fare revenue to cover roughly a quarter of the operating costs of the PID system. That target is no longer being met.

Last year, fare income reached a record 5.41 billion CZK, but the system would require around 8.75 billion CZK to match the original financial assumptions.

The difference reflects long-term pressure from inflation, rising wages and increasing energy costs, which continue to push operational expenses higher.

Indexation discussed but not introduced

The ROPID document warns that fare increases, including for long-term tickets, are becoming increasingly likely in the future. It points to inflation and structural cost growth as key drivers, along with investment needs linked to environmental and infrastructure goals.

One possible solution is automatic indexation of fares, already introduced in the Central Bohemian Region. Prague, however, has rejected any similar mechanism.

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