Berlin, Dresden, Hamburg and Nuremberg recorded more public transport use in 2024 than ever before, according to figures from local transport associations.

Record-breaking public transport use in Berlin, Dresden, Hamburg, Nuremberg

Figures from local transport associations operating in Berlin, Dresden, Hamburg and Nuremberg have revealed that more passengers used public transport in the four German cities in 2024 than ever before.

In each of the cities, pre-pandemic records set in 2019 were thwarted in 2024. In Berlin, 1,12 billion passengers travelled on U-Bahns, buses and trams run by the local transport association Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG), 50 million more than the previous record set in 2019.

The Dresdener Verkehrsbetriebe AG (DVB) also had a record year, serving 180 million passengers. On an average working day in Dresden, 606.000 people used DVB buses and trains.

On the average working day in Hamburg, 2,7 million people used the U-Bahn, bus or Hochbahn run by the Verkehrsbetriebe Hamburg-Holstein (VHH), a 6 percent increase on 2023 figures. The transport association cited ticket deals and the bus network’s expansion as two possible explanations.

Down in Nuremberg, over 160 million passengers used Verkehrs-Aktiengesellschaft (VAG) services over 2024, a 6 percent increase on the previous year. Travel pass subscription rates and the opening of two new tram lines were cited as the main reasons for increased usage.

Which challenges did public transport services face in 2024?

While the persistent popularity of the Deutschlandticket means more people are travelling by public transport, local associations faced several challenges.

In its press release announcing record-high passenger numbers, Dresden’s DVB also warned that the local association was missing around 25 million euros in funding, which cannot be financed by the city alone.

“If the overall social challenge of climate protection and the closely linked transport transition is to succeed, a clear commitment to adequate funding for public transport is required - at all political levels,” the DVB wrote.

Berlin faced other challenges. An increasing number of U-Bahns were cancelled over the course of the year due to the new U-Bahn fleets’ technical problems, and staff shortages worsened by high rates of sick leave taken.

In 2024, the BVG added 360 employees to its workforce of 2.600 people and hopes to hire another 800 drivers and 300 workshop staff in the coming year.

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