Discounted fares for students and pensioners in Czechia won't increase in 2026

Discounted public transport fares for students and pensioners in Czechia will not increase next year and will remain at 50%, even though Andrej Babiš's government had promised to restore them to the previous 75%. This was announced by the Czech transport minister, who said the 2026 budget has been drawn up on the basis of the fifty-percent discount remaining in place.

"My task is to set up control mechanisms so that money isn't wasted and we don't end up paying for 'ghost passengers,'" the minister said. He had previously pointed out that the state compensates carriers for the discounts based on the number of discounted tickets sold, without anyone verifying whether those tickets were actually used as intended. That's why the minister wants carriers to provide documented proof in the future that the discounted fares are genuinely being used.

How the discounts have changed over time

The 75% discount for students and pensioners was introduced by the previous Babiš (ANO) government in September 2018. The cabinet of Petr Fiala (ODS) that succeeded it cut the discount to 50% in April 2022, calling the earlier level an irrational drain on the budget. Last year the state paid carriers more than 5 billion crowns in compensation for these discounts.

The current Babiš government had promised in its policy statement to restore the discount to 75%. However, the transport minister said that when setting priorities for transport spending, there wasn't enough money to introduce the measure as early as January 2027. As for whether the discount will be raised in 2028, the minister declined to speculate, noting that the decision will be made during preparations for the following state budget.

Back in mid-June, the minister had already said that the government wasn't introducing higher discounts this year specifically due to a lack of budget funds, and that it would be irresponsible to name a specific year — whether 2027 or 2028 — since everything will depend on budget negotiations.

Opposition reaction

The opposition ODS party welcomed keeping the discount at its current level, calling it a responsible decision. At the same time, the party criticized the government for creating the impression among the public that the discount would increase. "Either the government knew from the very beginning that there was no money for its promise but made it to the people anyway. Or it simply had no idea how much its own promise would cost. Neither option says anything good about responsible governance," said ODS shadow transport minister Jakub Starek.

The minister also confirmed that the budget of the State Fund for Transport Infrastructure (SFDI) will amount to 183.1 billion crowns next year — roughly 13 billion crowns more than this year. The additional funds are meant to go toward motorway construction, railway modernization, and investment in waterways. The government will approve the SFDI budget together with the draft state budget next week.

Source: novinky.cz