A tale of two cities: The comparative chrono-urbanism of Brno and Bratislava public transport systems

Abstract Time policies in urban environments are discussed in this article, including some difficulties in comparing such policies between cities and in an international comparison of urban times in general. In response to the need to systematise methodological approaches to the comparison of urban time policies, we offer a concrete solution in terms of a comparative chrono-urbanism. The main issues under consideration are the theoretical framings, systematic procedures and an empirical illustration comparing two urban times. The comparison serves as a tool for assessment, when one urban time becomes a criterion for another urban time. This approach is applied in the case of an international comparison of two similar cities – Brno (Czech Republic) and Bratislava (Slovak Republic). Their urban times are operationalised through the timetables of their public transport systems, the lines of which are conceived as the institutional carriers of urban time. Based on the analysis of timetables from 2016, we present a detailed description of urban times of Brno and Bratislava, as well as their comparison, which makes it possible to assess the time policies in both cities, as well as their implications for planning.