Prices of tickets for the buses that commute between the two largest cities in Serbia are twice the average price in European Union (EU) countries, according to the analysis conducted by the Commission for the Protection of Competition (KZK).
Although per capita income in Serbia in 2019 was 41% of the average in EU countries, ticket prices per kilometre are about twice the average price in EU countries. Prices were also higher on bus lines between medium-sized and small towns.
Commuters would save close to $20 million a year on bus tickets and station services if there was more competition in the bus transport market. A 10% reduction in ticket prices would be enough to save money, according to World Bank estimates. However, only one carrier operates 2/3 of all bus lines in Serbia.
Market concentration is lower at the national level, where the ten largest groups of companies cover more than half of the country’s routes. Bus companies usually own most of the bus stations and each city usually has only one bus station, which further reinforces the local dominance of certain bus companies.
“Data collected by KZK and the World Bank Group indicate that bus stations in Serbia often charge additional fees on top of the tickets sold at their premises and offer connected carriers more favourable treatment than their competitors,” the analysis states.
(Nova, 13.04.2022)
https://nova.rs/vesti/biznis/duplo-skuplje-placamo-autobuske-karte-od-evropljana/
This post is also available in: Italiano