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VIENNA – Austria’s nationwide Climate Ticket and motorway vignette will become more expensive in 2027, although the increase will be smaller than originally planned after the government opted to limit price rises below the current inflation rate.
Transport Minister Peter Hanke announced on Thursday that the price of the annual Climate Ticket will rise by two percent rather than the previously envisaged 3.6 percent inflation-linked adjustment. The decision means holders of the ticket, which allows unlimited travel on public transport across Austria, will pay an additional €28 per year.
The annual nationwide Climate Ticket will therefore increase from €1,400 to €1,428 in 2027.
According to the Transport Ministry, a full inflation adjustment of 3.6 percent would have resulted in a substantially larger increase. By limiting the rise to two percent, the government aims to ease the financial burden on commuters and regular public transport users.
The measure follows a broader government policy adopted in autumn 2025 to exercise restraint when setting fees and charges that are directly controlled by the federal government. The coalition’s stated goal is to help bring inflation below two percent and avoid adding further price pressures through state-imposed increases.
The price cap will also apply to Austria’s motorway vignette. Motorists will see the cost of the annual vignette rise by two percent in 2027, again below the inflation rate of 3.6 percent.
While drivers and public transport users will still face higher costs next year, the increases will be lower than initially expected.
Neos transport spokesperson Dominik Oberhofer welcomed the decision, arguing that raising the prices of both the Climate Ticket and the vignette by the full inflation rate would have been the wrong approach at a time when the government is seeking to curb inflation.
“Placing an even greater burden on these people now and increasing the vignette and the Climate Ticket by 3.6 percent would have been completely wrong,” Oberhofer said, referring to commuters and regular users of public transport.
The announcement marks the first application of the government’s policy of moderating federally controlled fee increases for the 2027 pricing cycle.
For Austrians who rely on public transport or regularly use the country’s motorways, travelling will become slightly more expensive next year, but less so than many had anticipated.#
- source: vienna.at/picture: klimaticket.at
