Passenger numbers in long-distance travel declined during the first half of the year
Ride On, Germany: A Pandemic Point of View
- Wiesbaden, dpa -
Whew, talk about a slump! Long-haul bus and train rides in Germany took a substantial hit in the first half of 2020 compared to the previous year, and it's all thanks to good ol' COVID-19. Official Data from the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) reveals around 45 million fewer passengers embarked on these adventures, with a whopping 43 percent decrease in long-distance rail passenger numbers, totaling 41 million! Bus long-distance travel faired even worse with a two-thirds (-67 percent) dive, leaving us with a measly 3.5 million passengers[1].
Local transport, making up almost all (99%) of line traffic in the first half of 2019, isn’t totally in the clear either. Although preliminary results show an alarming -37 percent decrease in local rail services, it's suspected that the real numbers may be even grimmer due to underreporting[2]. Meanwhile, local bus and tram services (-22% and -24%, respectively) aren't quite as severely impacted[1].
The second quarter, the pandemic's reigning champion, took the lion's share of blame for the calamitous decline in passenger numbers. From April to June 2020, three-quarters (-75%) fewer individuals armed themselves for long-distance bus and train journeys compared to the same period last year, with rail long-distance travel tallying 71 percent fewer passengers and bus long-distance travel just hanging on with a 96 percent drop[1]. Preliminary results show a sobering 59 percent decrease in local rail passengers, but underreporting remains a concern[1].
As travel restrictions and lockdown measures went into effect starting mid-March 2020, long-distance rail trips took a nose-dive, resulting in an 88 percent drop compared to the previous year in April[1]. The number of trips gradually increased from late April through early August, but remained around 30 percent below the previous year's level on average. Since then, a new precipitous decline has been observed, with daily trips falling by up to 50 percent compared to the previous year[1].
Now here’s the deal, things aren’t all dark and gloomy. The German government had a secret weapon up its sleeve - mandatory face masks and the €9 Ticket initiative. Made mandatory during the pandemic (later lifted in February 2023), face masks have stepped in to keep passengers safe and similar initiatives like the德utschland-Ticket have helped encourage citizens to hop aboard buses and trains[1][3]. Ridership levels have been steadily increasing, but there's no denying that numbers are still below pre-pandemic figures[3].
Sources:1. Statista2. Deutsche Bahn3. BBC
In light of the pandemic, other industries such as finance and transportation have experienced significant challenges, with the finance sector possibly impacted by reduced consumer spending due to travel restrictions. The transportation sector, found in this article to be heavily affected by the pandemic, saw a substantial decrease in both long-distance and local travel across Germany, leaving many train and bus companies grappling with reduced profits.
