Despite fine words from successive Danish governments about the importance of public transport for the environment and the need to reduce car use, recently released statistics show that the current policies in this area seem to be having the exact opposite effect.

Figures released by Danmarks Statistik reveal it has become substantially cheaper to buy a car, while the cost of travelling by bus and train has gone one way – and that is up.

READ ALSO: Most expensive public transport prices in the world are in Copenhagen

Over the period from February 2013 to February 2017, the price of buying a car has fallen 3.1 percent, fuel costs have gone down 14.1 percent, and car maintenance has become 1.8 percent cheaper.

Contrast that with public transport, in which bus ticket prices have increased by 2.6 percent and train tickets a whopping 7.8 percent.

A disproportionate amount
The overall consumer price index, which shows how prices in general have increased, has only gone up 2.1 percent in the same period.

Meanwhile, lots of commuters with journeys of more than 24 km have seen a fall in the amount they can deduct for their transport allowance.

Finally, statistics also reveal that people are commuting to work from further afield. The number of employees who don’t live and work within the same region boundary increased by more than 10 percent between 2010 and 2015.