As a result of the Covid 19 pandemic, transport performance in Switzerland in the year 2020 declined for the first time since the mid-1990s. In total, on the road, rail and cable car network 110.8 billion person-kilometres were travelled – around 20% less than in 2019. Of this overall performance, three quarters, i.e. 85.2 billion person-kilometres, were accounted for by private motorised transport (cars, motorcycles, private buses). Thus, their transport performance was more than six times greater than that of railways (13.3 billion person-kilometres). Human-powered mobility (on foot and by bicycle) accounted for 8.4 billion person-kilometres and public road transport (trams and buses) for 3.4 billion. Since 1970, the transport performance of motorised private transport and public transport has almost doubled.
Transport performance
| Billion person-km (except aviation) | Change from 2019, as % | Change from 2000, as % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total land transport performance | 110.8 |
–20 | +9 |
| Private motorised road transport | 85.2 | –17 | +8 |
| of which passenger cars | 80.1 | –18 | +7 |
| Public road transport (tramway, trolley bus, bus) |
3.4 | –27 | +0 |
| Railways | 13.3 | –39 | +6 |
| Cog railways and cable cars | 0.3 | –26 | –9 |
| Human-powered mobility (on foot, by bike) |
8.4 | +3 | +30 |
| Aviation (scheduled and charter flights) |
19.7 million passengers2 | –66 |
–43 |
2) Data 2021, local and transfer passengers Sources: FSO – Passenger transport performance (PV-L), Public transport statistics (TP); FSO, FOCA – Aviation, scheduled and charter flights (AVIA_LC)
Kilometre performance
In 2020, private motorised transport realised a kilometre performance of 51.3 billion vehicle-kilometres (–17% compared to 2019). For railways the corresponding value was 195 million train-kilometres (–3% compared to 2019). In the passenger air transport segment, the use of means of transport is usually expressed in terms of the number of flight movements (take-offs and landings). In the scheduled and charter flight segment, 191 219 flight movements were registered in 2021 (+15% compared to 2020).
| Billion vehicle-km or train-km (except aviation) | Change from 2019, as % | Change from 2000, as % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Private motorised road transport | 51.3 | –17 | +8 |
| of which passenger cars | 49.0 | –18 | +7 |
| domestic vehicles | 42.4 | –16 | +4 |
| foreign vehicles | 6.6 | –27 | +38 |
| Railway | 0.2 | –3 | +39 |
| Aviation (scheduled and charter flights) | 191 219 take-offs and landings2 |
–59 | –64 |
2) Data 2021 Sources: FSO – Passenger transport performance (PV-L), Public transport statistics (TP); FSO, FOCA – Aviation, scheduled and charter flights (AVIA_LC)
Statistical concepts
Contact
Federal Statistical Office Section MobilityEspace de l'Europe 10
CH-2010 Neuchâtel
Switzerland
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