Nowhere in Europe do people ride trains and buses more than in Switzerland. Over 50% of people in Europe have no access to public transportation. In Switzerland, high ticket prices are a particular problem.

In about 90% of European countries, half the population rarely takes trains or buses. What’s particularly alarming is that over 50% of people have no access to public transportation at all. This means there is simply no public transit in their region. These are two of the key findings of the mobility study “Access Denied: Transport Poverty in Europe” conducted by the German Öko-Institut on behalf of Greenpeace Central and Eastern Europe (chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://greenpeace.at/uploads/2026/05/transport_poverty.pdf). The Öko-Institut analyzed the four pillars of public mobility in Europe: availability, accessibility, price, and service offerings.

The differences between countries are, in some cases, enormous. Germany, France, Austria, and Bulgaria have the greatest public transit deficits—due, among other things, to poor connections and decommissioned rail lines, especially in rural areas.

Switzerland Leads the Way

Nowhere in Europe do people ride trains and buses more than in Switzerland. 19% use public transit daily. Only 15% never use it. By comparison, in Germany, nearly half of the population (48%) never uses public transit. The proportion of non-users is even higher in France (65%) and Italy (68%).

According to the study, the main reason for avoiding public transit in Switzerland is high ticket prices. Frequent riders, on the other hand, particularly appreciate the frequent service.

Public transportation should be affordable throughout Europe

Greenpeace advocates for affordable public transportation throughout Europe. Different funding models are suitable depending on the country. Take Switzerland, for example: Since April 28, 2026, signatures have been collected for the Mobility Voucher Initiative. Greenpeace supports this popular initiative. Frequent flyers and private jet travelers should pay for their travel because their travel is particularly harmful to the climate. The initiative calls for an airfare tax of at least 30 francs and 500 francs for private jets.

A portion of this revenue is to be used to expand cross-border rail lines. However, the majority goes directly to the public. This means that people who fly little or not at all will travel by train more affordably. They’ll pay less for their tickets.