This bulletin is the second instalment in OPSTE’s series dedicated to local transport in Europe, published echoing the political debate that accompanied the renewal of municipal and intermunicipal administrations in France in march 2026. It accompanies the study conducted by TDIE on the transport, mobility, and logistics proposals put forward by electoral candidates — which will be published shortly.
Following bulletin #13, Local Transport in Europe: Institutions and Practices, which offered a description of local mobility dynamics and decision-making frameworks, this bulletin #14 presents an overview of financing issues and challenges.
Across the ten countries covered by this comparative analysis, several recurring patterns and country-specific features can be observed:
- Road infrastructure (streets and roads), which remains the backbone of most local mobility everywhere, is rarely managed by the same institutions responsible for public transport provision.
- Echoing the French debate on financing « deferred maintenance » (“dette grise”), the question of funding the maintenance and modernisation of both road and rail infrastructure is gaining prominence nearly everywhere, even if it does not occupy the same place in public debate in each country. At the same time, the new challenges of making infrastructure assets resilient to the effects of climate change are adding additional pressure on public finances.
- It should be noted that while, under the principle of subsidiarity, the European Union has limited its involvement to setting a common regulatory framework, the funding systems adopted by Member States are highly diverse.
- The share of funding for public transport services covered by users never exceeds 50%. The payroll tax (« versement mobilité« ) is a very French specificity; the Swiss system is equally distinctive.
- France is not the only country where fare policy and differentiated pricing have become matters of political debate. The highly political discourse around fare-free public transport, whether universal or targeted, is indeed part of the European landscape.
- Low Traffic Zones, Low-Emission Zones, urban tolls: these various urban transport policy tools have developed in very different ways from one country to another.
Governance and funding are closely intertwined: these two bulletins can and should be read together!
We hope you enjoy reading this bulletin!