Court of Audit recommendation

Ländle public transport should be managed more centrally

Symbolic image.

(Bild: Stefan Kothenr Photography, Krone KREATIV)

The Court of Audit sees a need for improvement in the organization of public transport in Vorarlberg. The "Vorarlberg Transport Association" should be strengthened as a central hub. 

The Court of Audit (ACA) sees a fragmentation of tasks in public transport in Vorarlberg and thus a higher than necessary expenditure of resources. The recommendation in the audit report "Verkehrsverbund Vorarlberg" published on Friday was to strengthen the role of Verkehrsverbund Vorarlberg GmbH (VVV) as a central hub. In order to achieve the carbon dioxide reduction targets, the state could also implement push measures, which the Court of Audit acknowledged.

According to the Court of Audit, Vorarlberg has the second best public transport provision after Vienna, with 97 percent of Vorarlberg citizens living in areas with at least basic access. 44 percent even have the best access. In 2022 - the period from 2018 to 2022 was examined - public transport in Vorarlberg recorded around 63 million passengers. 146.82 million euros were required to finance public transport in 2022. Of this, EUR 56.43 million came from revenue and EUR 37.20 million from the federal government. The state contributed 29.58 million euros and 23.61 million euros came from the municipalities.

Overlaps and duplications
The number of donors and stakeholders reflects the complexity of the system: the transport structure in Vorarlberg requires connections between bus services from the valleys, urban bus services and rail. The public transport services offered by the municipal associations and municipalities cannot be planned independently of each other; there are overlaps and duplications. A great deal of coordination and numerous interfaces are necessary, particularly between VVV GmbH and the municipalities. The Court of Audit also found that there was a lack of an overall view of the ordering and invoicing of transport services. Accordingly, the Court of Audit recommended that tasks be performed centrally by VVV Gmb

In 2023, the proportion of journeys made by motorized private transport (drivers and passengers) in Vorarlberg was 50 percent; this share is expected to fall to 45 percent by 2030. Cycling accounted for 22 percent and public transport for 14 percent. The state sees measures to reduce motorized private transport in the creation of new mobility offers or in the prioritization of public transport, for example through the expansion of bus lanes. If this is not enough, the state can also consider expanding parking space management or levying a mobility contribution. This approach was approved by the Court of Audit.