As pressure grows to simplify public transport fares and make them feel fairer to users, operators across Europe are rethinking the fundamentals of their pricing structures. The latest FAIRTIQ webinar series on distance-based pricing brought together a panel of European experts to share what happens when the theoretical becomes practical. From beeline pricing in Germany and Norway to flexible, locally tailored systems in Czechia, one thing became clear: distance-based pricing with one swipe on your smartphone is no longer just an idea, it is a reality and used daily in many European regions.
Zone-based pricing, once a standard in public transport, is increasingly seen as outdated. It often penalises shorter trips crossing arbitrary boundaries, leads to confusion among users and creates hurdles when adapting to new political or geographical realities. As more cities digitalise their mobility systems, they are looking for fare models that encourage more ridership, attract new customers, and reflect actual travel patterns, not legacy structures.
Distance-based pricing, where fares are calculated based on the direct (‘as-the-crow-flies’) distance between start and end points, offers a compelling alternative. The fare model gives passengers what they have long asked for: transparent, fair and simple fares. Aligned with digital pay-as-you-go (DPAYG) systems, it creates a seamless user experience while giving operators more flexibility to fine-tune pricing strategies.
But transforming fare structures is never frictionless. What does it take to make the shift and what can we learn from those who already have?
| 👉 Read more on how distance-based pricing works in this blog post. |
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💡 Mobilité Unternehmensberatung GmbH & Co. KG is a Germany-based consultancy specialising in strategic tariff development and digitalisation for public transport networks. Mobilité played a pioneering role in introducing and scaling beeline pricing in several German regions.
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Bianka Bönig, senior consultant at mobilité, shared insights from more than a decade of supporting public transport networks with digital fare strategies. Drawing on multiple regional projects, she outlined how beeline pricing has consistently delivered high levels of customer satisfaction and public acceptance. A key factor in this success: clarity. When passengers intuitively understand what they are paying for, trust increases. Bianka emphasised the importance of running targeted pilots, clearly distinguishing new fare models from legacy systems, and planning migration scenarios from day one. In her view, the real power of digital pricing lies in combining a simple, user-facing experience with a flexible, sophisticated backend, enabling operators to meet diverse needs without overwhelming passengers.
Bianka Bönig, senior consultant at mobilité consulting
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💡 KVV is the public transport authority for the Karlsruhe region in southwest Germany. It coordinates services across 31 transport companies and with 139 million passenger journeys per year.
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Stefanie Herrmann, Head of Tariff Management at KVV, shared how they were one of the first to pilot and fully implement a regional beeline fare (‘KVV.luftlinie’) using the FAIRTIQ app. Since its launch in December 2021, the model has facilitated over 1.4 million journeys, reaching up to 50’000 trips per month at its peak. As of February 2025, KVV.luftlinie is integrated into the state-wide CiCoBW system and will be fully embedded into KVV’s regional mobility platform by the end of the year, enabling seamless access to multimodal services. What began as a pilot is now a fully established core tariff in Baden-Württemberg: scaled, integrated and ready for the future.
Stefanie Herrmann, Head of Tariff Management at KVV
| 💡 VGN is one of Germany’s largest transport associations, coordinating 140 operators across the greater Nuremberg region. Its ‘egon’ eTarif, launched in 2022, is a kilometre-based digital fare model designed for occasional travellers. egon has since become a benchmark for user-friendly, incentive-based pricing in a multimodal environment. |
Klaus Dechamps, Head of Markets and Sales at VGN, presented the performance of the ‘egon’ model: a simple base fare, per-kilometre pricing and progressive discounts (50% off after EUR 16, 75% after EUR 50, and flat-rate after EUR 70). Since its launch in 2022, egon has seen over 3.5 million journeys and 7% of egon users indicated they would not have travelled without this offer.
Klaus Dechamps, Head of Markets and Sales at VGN
Despite nationwide competition from the flat-fare Deutschlandticket, egon continues to grow by 26%, while traditional single ticket sales dropped by 23%. VGN sees this as proof that digital, distance-based models are not only viable but increasingly preferred.
Klaus Dechamps, Head of Markets and Sales at VGN
| 💡 Brakar AS is the public transport authority for Norway’s Buskerud region, west of Oslo, serving 285’000 residents. Following a municipal merger, Brakar launched a pilot to test distance-based fares in areas where fare fairness was a growing concern. |
Murtaza Mukhtar, Controller at Brakar, presented the organisation’s strategy to replace rigid zone pricing with a beeline model. The team built detailed models to test scenarios, balance revenue protection with passenger affordability, and simulate behavioural shifts. Crucially, early feedback from real passengers has validated the assumptions behind the project: customers appreciate transparent pricing and value being treated fairly. Brakar sees this pilot not as a one-off, but as a stepping stone towards a smarter and more equitable fare system. Their focus now is on refining the offer through continuous feedback and preparing for potential region-wide expansion. Murtaza emphasised that distance-based pricing must be seen not only as a system change but as a cultural shift.
Murtaza Mukhtar, Controller at Brakar
| 💡 The Zlín Region is one of 14 administrative regions in Czechia, serving around 600’000 residents with a mix of urban and regional transport. In 2024, the Zlín Region unified nine operators and six transport authorities into one regional system using a cluster-based distance pricing model. |
Jan Kolařík, public transport consultant for the region, introduced Zlín’s unique approach: instead of large zones, stops are grouped into much smaller flexible clusters of stations and stops with fixed prices between origin-destination pairs that roughly correspond to the direct distance between the centres of the origin and the destination clusters. Each pair can be tweaked if needed.
Same, fair price for each route and model
This significant fare reform introduced an integrated tariff for all modes in the region. The Zlín region found in FAIRTIQ a partner that could quickly implement the new tariff in just a few months. For regions with complex geography or political constraints, the clustered origin-destination approach provides a pragmatic path forward that adds flexibility to a pure point-to-point distance-based fare.
Jan Kolařík, Public Transport Consultant and Planner for the Zlín region
Throughout the webinar, one theme was consistent: distance-based pricing is not just a technical upgrade, but a strategic choice. Operators must navigate political sensitivities, revenue concerns and public perception. Yet the rewards are substantial. A simpler, clearer fare model lowers barriers to entry, increases confidence, and enables user-centred pricing strategies.
Yes, there are challenges: potential initial revenue impacts, resistance to change, or the need for user education. But these can be mitigated through proven strategies, such as progressive discounts, well-designed pilots and transparent communication. As the speakers made clear, with the right tools and mindset, distance-based pricing is not only perceived as fairer, but can also support revenue growth.
In Nuremberg, for example, the success of the ‘egon’ model shows that simple, transparent fares and built-in incentives can attract new passengers, including those who might not have considered public transport before.
Distance-based pricing is no longer theoretical. It is happening and delivering results. As user expectations shift and policy goals evolve, fare models must evolve too. Whether through beeline pricing or other innovative approaches, the future of fare design is flexible, digital and fair.
Want to explore what this could look like in your region? Watch the webinar recording or schedule a meeting with FAIRTIQ’s Business Development team to explore your options. No obligations, just ideas.