Real change in transport price by mode

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Prices are easy to measure and compare over time as long as the product or service in question stays the same, as depicted in figure 1. However, people don't buy the same cars as ten years ago and don't use the same package of transport services (price/quality) as earlier. Therefore, conclusions can only be drawn to a limited extent. Most care should be taken with interpreting the prices of car purchase and air travel. The price and quality characteristics of these products have changed the most during the last years.

Transport price indexes for the 15 old EU Member States show that real passenger transport prices have increased, making transport services more expensive in comparison with other consumer goods and services. Differences appear between countries (see Box 1) and modes.

For more information, see the attached pdf file.