Middle-sized cities across Europe struggle with the financial sustainability of public transport. In Eastern Europe public transport is losing ground in favour of the car – the city of Szeged in Southern Hungary faces a steady decline in public transport usage despite significant infrastructural developments. 

There is increasing pressure on the Municipality’s Public transport expenditure because state contributions are decreasing and ticket sales are dropping both in numbers and value. Public transport systems are slow to respond to changes in travel patterns so data-based design is key to optimising the system to handle the highly changeable usage and to satisfy the needs of citizens. The city of Szeged aims to keep and increase the sustainability of its public transport system by attracting car users to use public transport through smart fare strategies.