Europeans pay the most for public transport

Jun 27, 2022

With the collaboration of Statista.

Creating reliable, efficient and cheap public transportation is vital for sustainability. Image: Unsplash/M.R.

Florian Zandt

Data Journalist, Statista

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More efficient but also cheaper public transportation networks will be vital in the shift towards sustainability.
Ensuring rural areas have access to affordable public transportation is important to cut household reliance on cars, but many countries in Europe are falling behind.
Swiss public transport users pay an estimated $46 for local and regional connections via train or bus per month – far more than in many other countries.

Creating and maintaining reliable, efficient and cheap public transportation networks is one of the key pillars of the transition towards a more sustainable mobility sector. This is especially true for rural environments since bigger cities around the world usually already have a solid public transport infrastructure in place and smaller towns and villages often have to rely on households owning cars to stay connected. When it comes to affordability, even the most advanced countries in Europe still have a long way to go.

Global public transport costs

As our chart based on data from our Statista Mobility Market Outlook shows, Swiss public transport users on average pay an estimated $46 for local and regional connections via train or bus per month. Four of the remaining seven spots in the top 8 are taken up by Nordic countries, with Denmark and Sweden leading this group with average monthly user revenues of roughly $44 and $42, respectively. On the other end of the spectrum are Asian and African countries. In Pakistan, Nigeria, Kenya and India, for example, the average monthly revenue per user is approximately $1, while Chinese and Thai public transportation companies earn about $3 per month and user. Japan and South Korea ranked 17th and 21st out of 45 analyzed countries, with average monthly per-user revenues of $21 and $17.

Overall, the public transportation sector will generate an estimated $261 billion worldwide in 2022, an increase of 21 percent after the pandemic-induced slump of 2021. Compared to the automobile industry, the public transportation industry's revenues are minuscule. In 2022, car makers are estimated to earn roughly $2 trillion worldwide, selling around 73.4 million passenger cars, among them 20 million small SUVs and 14 million medium cars, around the globe.

This chart shows the countries with the highest estimated average monthly revenue per public transport user.

Swiss public transport users on average pay an estimated $46 on train or bus per month. Image: Statista

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What is the World Economic Forum doing to promote sustainable urban development?

Cities are responsible for 75% of global greenhouse gas emissions and are home to over half of the world’s population—a number that will grow to two-thirds by 2050. By going greener, cities could contribute more than half of the emissions cuts needed to keep global warming to less than 2°c, which would be in line with the Paris Agreement.

To achieve net-zero urban emissions by 2050, the World Economic Forum is partnering with other stakeholders to drive various initiatives to promote sustainable urban development. Here are just a few:

The Coalition for Urban Transitions is the first major global initiative aimed at helping countries achieve inclusive, sustainable economic growth through better urban policies. Consisting of 50 partner organizations, the coalition brings national governments into the process of decarbonizing our cities by connecting them with city leaders. Read our impact story to learn how this coalition is making a difference.
The Zero Carbon Buildings for All Initiative pledges to fully decarbonize all new buildings by 2030 and all existing buildings by 2050.
The Systemic Efficiency project arose from the Zero Carbon Buildings for All Initiative. Jointly led by the Forum’s Platform for Shaping the Future of Energy and Materials and the Platform for Shaping the Future of Cities, Infrastructure and Urban Services, the Systemic Efficiency project brings global policy-makers, financiers and the private sector together to create systemic change in the urban ecosystem by optimizing energy efficiency in buildings, transport and various industries.

To learn more about our initiatives to promote zero-carbon cities and to see how you can be part of our efforts to facilitate urban transformation, reach out to us here.

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