Improvement of Tariffs for Urban Public Transportation Taking into Account their Social Significance

The necessity of developing a mechanism for calculating tariffs for urban public transportation, taking into account international practices and the social importance of passenger transportation as a mixed public good, is substantiated. A formula for calculating a social tariff and an organizational-economic mechanism for development of a regional market of transport services to the population (at the example of St. Petersburg) are proposed, and its key principles are highlighted.According to the author, it is necessary to suggest a mechanism for calculating tariffs for transport services to the population, based not only on the costs of carriers, but also on the basis of economic interests of passengers. It is proposed to calculate a social or socially oriented tariff, taking into account the average income of citizens, the average number of monthly trips, the share of transportation costs in the total monthly income and the share of trips with multiple travel tickets. At the same time, the tariff for transport services to the population should not exceed the social tariff.The suggested concept of «organizational and economic mechanism for development of a regional market for transport services to the population» includes a set of principles, goals, facilities and subjects, as well as key elements of the mechanism comprising organizational and economic ones. This approach allows us to take into account the interests of all participants in the transport services market while developing of tariffs.The basic principles of such a mechanism should be: focused objectives, parity, consistency, complexity, sociality, transparency, effectiveness.