How Much Freedom Does a Single Ticket Offer? Measuring Public Transport Accessibility by the Fare System

Traditionally, spatial accessibility has been assessed by modelling travel time and/or distance. By introducing fare accessibility, we present an indicator based on the single fare for public transport. Based on short journey and local journey tickets, we calculate fare accessibility for the regional transport associations of Hamburg/Germany and Helsinki/Finland, focusing on the needs of low-income populations. Based on the comparison, we discuss the practical value of the indicator for regional and transport planners. The Helsinki transport association has a higher overall fare accessibility than Hamburg. Due to the characteristics of the PT network, the ticket structure and the location of the destinations, more destinations can be reached with a regular single ticket. In both cases, areas with a high population density and a high level of public transport service are characterised by high fare accessibility. The practical value for planners at a regional level is therefore limited. At a local level, however, the indicator can help to identify gaps by highlighting facilities that are not sufficiently accessible with a single ticket, or by identifying populations that have to pay high fares to meet their daily needs.