Do you have a favorite form of public transport, either in your home town or that you have experienced in another city?
I’m becoming very fond of the light rail & tram system as an option here in Kraków.
MPK Kraków recently published on its website that “Despite the pandemic, the inhabitants of Kraków focus on public transport: For over half a year, the inhabitants of Krakow have been coming back and systematically use public transport. This is evidenced by the revenues from ticket sales, which are growing month by month. Over the past six months, the average monthly increase in inflows amounted to approximately PLN 1.5 million and in October it amounted to PLN 27.5 million.
The data for the last six months confirm that public transport is still the basic means of transport for many Cracovians at a time when classes in schools or universities, as well as stationary work are carried out.”
The recently published post also mentions that these revenues help to maintain a practical frequency of buses & trams as well as launch of new lines & extensions of existing ones.
There is also discussion of the discount for monthly network tickets that was introduced also as a means to “encourage more Krakow residents to use public transport on a regular basis, which may also contribute to reducing car traffic in the city.”
The post references international studies reflecting that the risk of coronavirus infections in public transport, when using appropriate security measures, is very low.
On an observational note, masks are required on public transport here. I see very little to no ‘policing’ of this measure but the vast majority of riders always have face masks on.
-Annika Lundkvist, Editor & Founder Pedestrian Space
