Public transport in Copenhagen ranks among the most expensive in Europe, according to a new Greenpeace report examining commuter card prices and discounts across 30 European countries. The Danish capital comes in 27th out of 30 cities, with only Paris, London and Amsterdam scoring worse. Over the past three years, the price of a Copenhagen commuter card has risen by 17.6 percent, a trend Greenpeace describes as a political failure.
Sharp price increases across European capitals
The report, which examines the availability and pricing of monthly and annual transport passes across the EU’s 27 member states, plus the UK, Switzerland and Norway, finds that public transport costs have risen markedly in 14 European capitals. Copenhagen’s poor ranking stems from a combination of high standard fares and limited social discounts, compounded by sharp price rises in recent years.
A 2-zone commuter card covering the metro in Copenhagen has risen from 510 kroner a month in 2023 to 600 kroner in 2026, a 17.6 percent increase, among the steeper rises recorded across the 30 capitals studied. A 3-zone card has climbed by 22.4 percent over the same period, and a 4-zone card by 15.3 percent.
By contrast, prices in Oslo fell by 11.5 percent over the same period, while Dublin saw prices drop by as much as 42.5 percent.
A growing financial burden instead of a green alternative
Transport accounts for an average of 11.3 percent of household spending in Denmark, making it the third largest expense category. As ticket prices continue to climb, daily life becomes harder for those most dependent on buses and trains, turning public transport into a growing financial burden rather than the cheap, green alternative it is meant to be.
Christian Fromberg, political campaign lead at Greenpeace Denmark, notes that public transport places less strain on the climate, causes less air pollution and reduces congestion in cities, calling it somewhat absurd that Copenhagen, a city that wants to be seen as a green capital, offers some of the worst conditions for commuters in Europe. He argues the priority should be making buses and trains cheaper, not more expensive.
Transport accounts for roughly 30 percent of Denmark’s total emissions. Passenger cars alone made up 16 percent of Denmark’s total emissions in 2024, while public transport accounted for only around 2 percent.
Greenpeace calls for a clear political priority
Greenpeace argues that closing the gap between private car use and public transport requires a clear political commitment to making public transport cheap and accessible for everyone, by expanding accessibility and cutting the highest ticket prices. Leaving the car at home, or taking the train on holiday, should be a genuinely affordable and realistic choice.
About the analysis
The report was produced by Greenpeace Central and Eastern Europe, covering 30 European countries: the EU-27 along with Norway, Switzerland and the UK. The analysis is based primarily on publicly available information from transport operators, public authorities, and official tax and legal sources. Data was mainly collected in June 2026 and cross checked again in August.
The comparison across the 30 countries uses a points based system. For capital cities, the score combines three elements: accessibility and coverage of season tickets (20 percent), standard ticket price (60 percent), and social discounts (20 percent). Prices are adjusted for differences in each country’s general price level, allowing a meaningful comparison between, for example, a Danish and a Romanian ticket. The comparison with 2023 uses actual nominal prices in local currency.
Greenpeace notes that the ranking should not be read as an overall assessment of public transport quality, since it does not measure factors such as frequency, punctuality, network density or operating hours.
