The number of passengers using buses and trains in Germany increased by seven percent in the past year, reaching a total of 10.9 billion passengers. This growth can be attributed to factors such as the introduction of the Germany Ticket on May 1, 2023. Despite this increase, the total number of passengers remained nearly eight percent below the pre-COVID levels of 2019. This suggests that the impact of the pandemic still persists in the public transportation sector.
In the public transportation sector, which covers 99 percent of the line traffic, passenger numbers increased by seven percent in 2023 compared to the previous year. However, this was still almost eight percent lower than the pre-COVID levels of 2019. In long-distance travel, the number of passengers reached 159 million, representing a nine percent increase from the previous year. This included 148 million passengers traveling by train, which was seven percent more than in 2022 but five percent lower than in 2019. The number of passengers in long-distance buses also saw an increase of 39 percent compared to the previous year, but remained only half as high as in 2019.
The introduction of the Germany Ticket in May 2023, as well as an estimated increase in the population by 0.3 million to 84.7 million by the end of 2023, are believed to have contributed to the growth in passenger numbers in the public transportation sector. Despite these positive developments, the overall passenger numbers in buses and trains still fall short of the levels seen before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. This indicates that there may still be lingering effects of the pandemic on public transportation usage patterns.
The Statistische Bundesamt in Wiesbaden reported that the total number of passengers using buses and trains increased by seven percent in the past year to 10.9 billion. This growth can be partially attributed to the impact of the Germany Ticket, which was introduced in May 2023. However, despite these gains, the total number of passengers remains nearly eight percent below the levels seen in 2019, indicating that the public transportation sector is still recovering from the effects of the pandemic.
In the long-distance travel sector, the number of passengers increased by nine percent in 2023 compared to the previous year, with 159 million people traveling. This growth was mainly driven by an increase in the number of passengers traveling by train, which saw a seven percent increase from 2022 but remained five percent lower than in 2019. The number of passengers in long-distance buses also increased by 39 percent compared to the previous year, although it was still only half as high as in 2019. Overall, the public transportation sector in Germany is seeing positive growth, but it is still grappling with the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
