Oslo Public Transport: Price Cuts Delayed Until 2026
The prices of public transport in Oslo have been a major point of contention, with successive city councils campaigning on promises to reduce fares.
When the budget for next year was presented, a concrete step was announced: a NOK 50 reduction in the price of the monthly card.
And that’s not all: The Storting (Norwegian Parliament) also approved a scheme that could cut the monthly card price by a further NOK 100 per month.
In total, a price cut of NOK 150 on the monthly pass – or NOK 1,500 for an annual pass – was anticipated for next year.
However, when the new year begins on Thursday, ticket prices will remain unchanged.
– The ordinary price change will take place from 25 January 2026. We will return with more data in week 2, says Karoline Berg of Ruter, Oslo’s public transport authority.
No Big Cut in the First Half
The price change refers to Ruter’s annual increase in ticket prices, based on annual price increases, currently set at 3.5 percent in the state budget. Ruter uses its own price index for public services (deflator).
This is complex by the fact that Ruter is owned by both Oslo and akershus, which have differing priorities. This alone will result in the monthly card becoming approximately NOK 27-34 more expensive.
In addition to this adjustment,prices can be further adjusted based on other priorities and needs within Ruter. This includes Oslo municipality’s decision to cut the monthly ticket price by NOK 50 in zone 1.
Though, this cut is not relative to today’s monthly card price of NOK 778, but…
Oslo Aims to Lower Public Transport Ticket Prices in 2026
Oslo is working towards reducing monthly public transport ticket prices following a new scheme adopted in the recent budget negotiations at the Storting (Norwegian Parliament), according to Transport Councilor Marit Vea (V).https://www.nettavisen.no/
Vea stated that public awareness of the scheme remains low. She emphasized the need to carefully review the details of the application-based system approved by the Storting to ensure a smooth implementation for Oslo.”It is indeed still unclear how the application-based scheme in the Storting’s budget resolution will be. We have to keep an eye on the fact that ther are no devils in the details, which are writen in fine print, and set the wheels in motion for Oslo,” Vea said.
The municipality aims to lower ticket prices as soon as the scheme is operational,following a comprehensive overview of the 2026 budget decision. As joint owners of Ruter, the public transport authority for Oslo and Akershus, Oslo municipality and Akershus county council are currently in discussions regarding potential rate changes.
Further details regarding the application process and specific price reductions will be announced following the completion of the review and ongoing negotiations.
Related reading