Passenger transport performance

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Transport performance

In 2019, a total of 138.2 billion person-kilometres were travelled on the Swiss road, rail and cable car network. Of this, around three quarters, i.e. 103.0 billion person-kilometres, were accounted for by private motorised transport (cars, motorcycles, private buses). Thus, their transport performance was almost five times greater than that of railways (21.7 billion person-kilometres). Human-powered mobility (on foot and by bicycle) accounted for 8.2 billion person-kilometres and public road transport (trams and buses) for 4.7 billion. Since 1970, the transport performance of motorised private transport and public transport has more than doubled.

Passenger transport performance

	Billion person-km (except aviation)	Year	Change from 2000, as %
Total land transport performance	138.2	2019	+35
Private motorised road transport	103.0	2019	+30
of which passenger cars	97.9	2019	+30
Public road transport (tramway, trolley bus, bus)	4.7	2019	+38
Railways	21.7	2019	+72
Cog railways and cable cars	0.5	2019	+23
Human-powered mobility (on foot, by bike)	8.2	2019	+26
Aviation (scheduled and charter flights)	16.5 million passengers1	2020	–52

1) Local and transfer passengers Sources: FSO – Passenger transport performance (PV-L), Public transport statistics (TP); FSO, FOCA – Aviation, scheduled and charter flights (AVIA_LC)

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Kilometre performance

In 2019, private motorised transport realised a kilometre performance of 62.0 billion vehicle-kilometres (+31% since 2000). For railways the corresponding value in 2019 was 201 million train-kilometres (+43% since 2000). 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, 166 758 flight movements were registered in 2020 (–69% since 2000).

Kilometre performance in passenger transport

	Billion vehicle-km or train-km (except aviation)	Year	Change from 2000, as %
Private motorised road transport	62.0	2019	+31
of which passenger cars	59.8	2019	+31
domestic vehicles	50.7	2019	+24
foreign vehicles	9.1	2019	+90
Railway	0.2	2019	+43
Aviation (scheduled and charter flights)	166 758 take-offs and landings	2020	–69

Sources: FSO – Passenger transport performance (PV-L), Public transport statistics (TP); FSO, FOCA – Aviation, scheduled and charter flights (AVIA_LC)

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Statistical concepts

Definitions