Brno upgrades public transport ticketing system with EU-funded tool

Travelling by public transport in Brno, the second largest city in the Czech Republic, is now a quick and efficient process thanks to the introduction of a new system of ticket vending machines this summer. The innovative system is an outcome of the CIVITAS ELAN ('Mobilising citizens for vital cities Ljubljana, Gent, Zagreb, Brno, Porto') project, which received almost EUR 18 million under the 'Sustainable surface transport' (SST) Theme of the EU's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7).

The work was carried out as part of the CIVITAS-ELAN project in which the mayors of the cities of Brno, Ljubljana in Slovenia, Gent in Belgium, Zagreb in Croatia, and Porto in Portugal agreed a common mission statement to 'mobilise our citizens by developing with their support clean mobility solutions for vital cities, ensuring health and access for all'.

The five cities decided to put this statement into action on the basis of a clear set of common objectives, based on the principle of putting the citizen first. For each of the CIVITAS policy fields a common set of objectives and project goals has been agreed and the cities have developed a programme of 69 measures.

At the end of July 2010, two months ahead of schedule, the Brno Public Transport Company (DPMB) finished installing a new system of ticket vending machines in the city that officials claim has improved the quality of the service for all public transport users. Brno has a population of nearly 370,000 people and is an important tourist centre for those wanting to visit or use the city as a starting point to explore the natural and cultural beauties of the South-Moravian region. Because the public transport system is used heavily, an efficient service should be available.

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