Prague metro reports sharp drop in passenger numbers for 2020

Prague metro transported a total of 251,423 passengers last year, more than 40 percent fewer than in 2019, suggests the Technical Road Administration annual report. Restrictions related to the Covid-19 pandemic were the main reason for the steep drop.

Just as in previous years, the most-used metro station in 2020 was Můstek, the intersection of lines A and B located in the city centre. The most-used section of the Prague underground system was line C between the I. P. Pavlova and Vyšehrad stations.

“Including trips with transfers, passengers made a total of 680,000 trips per day in October 2020. This is about 44 percent fewer than in the same period last year,” says the Technical Road Administration report.

The metro was used by 30 percent of the overall number of passengers travelling on public transport, according to the report.

Due to the government measures enacted to curb the spread of Covid-19, the operating hours of Prague metro lines had been limited until recently, and the intervals were lengthened.

However, a recent increase in the number of passengers requiring transport options during the evening hours has led the Prague Public Transport Company to prolong its service until midnight.

Starting this August, the Prague Public Transport Company has introduced new prices for single tickets for public transport, increasing the tariff for a 30-minute ticket to CZK 30 crowns and for a 90-minute ticket to CZK 40. SMS tickets newly cost CZK 31 for 30 minutes and CZK 42 for 90 minutes.

The Prague Public Transport Company has also introduced a discounted monthly ticket for socially disadvantaged people, which costs CZK 165.

The Prague metro comprises three lines, which serve 61 stations, and its transit network covers more than 65 kilometres. A new line ‘D’, serving the southern suburbs of the capital, is currently under construction.