Mobility

Getting Around in Vienna

Public Transport in Vienna: Affordable, Clean, Safe

Vienna is known for its well-developed network of public transport. Every day, the subway, trams, and buses carry more than 2 million passengers to their destinations. In European terms, Vienna ranks among the cities with the most used and popular public transport systems. But why do residents and visitors use public transport in Vienna so frequently?

Affordable: For 365 euros, an annual pass allows unlimited use of all public transport in Vienna for an entire year. This is exceptionally cost-effective compared to international standards. The pricing for individual tickets is also deliberately kept low. For financially disadvantaged individuals, tickets are further discounted, as mobility is considered a fundamental right by the city of Vienna. The majority of journeys in Vienna are already made in an environmentally friendly way by subway, tram, bus, bicycle, or on foot. In addition to walking, using the subway, tram, and bus is the most popular way to get around Vienna. A few decades ago, driving was much more common, but today cars account for only about a quarter of all trips.

Barrier-Free: All subway stations and almost all tram and bus stops in Vienna are barrier-free. More than 300 elevators, nearly 350 escalators, and a deliberately low boarding height on Vienna's modern trams ensure accessibility for wheelchair users, passengers with limited mobility, and parents with strollers. A continuous tactile guidance system, elevators with voice announcements for blind individuals, and displays for deaf people, along with accessible emergency call facilities in Vienna’s subways, ensure safe use for visually and hearing-impaired passengers.

Climate-Friendly: Subways, trams, and electric buses in Vienna are powered 100% by renewable energy sources. Every user thus contributes daily to Vienna's goal of becoming climate-neutral by 2040. By choosing the subway, tram, or bus over driving, individuals save about 1.5 tons of CO2 per year. Switching to public transport uses only one-tenth of the energy required for driving. Due to the high energy efficiency of public transport in Vienna, its share of the city's ecological footprint is only about 1%, despite nearly one-third of all trips in Vienna being made by subway, tram, or bus. Additionally, Vienna's densely developed and affordable public transport network positively impacts residents' quality of life, as subways, trams, and buses occupy far less space in the cityscape compared to cars. Investments in expanding public transport in Vienna thus lead not only to reduced greenhouse gas emissions but also to less sealed surfaces and more green spaces in the city. Switching from cars to public transport also improves Vienna's air quality: To transport the same number of people that fit into a subway train, about 800 cars are needed, which would create a 3-kilometer-long traffic jam with harmful emissions and increased particulate matter.

Good Connectivity: Public transport in Vienna is entirely under public responsibility, ensuring that every district is adequately served. The public transport network is designed to ensure that buses and trams reach even the more remote corners of Vienna and remain affordable for everyone, regardless of income or place of residence. This makes public transport in Vienna also suitable for those living in the city’s peripheral areas. A dense network, frequent intervals, and long operating hours provide significant benefits to customers and lead to high passenger numbers. However, it's not just the dense public transport network and frequent intervals that make public transport so widely used in Vienna: The focus on the cleanliness of subway trains, trams, and buses—where vehicles are cleaned daily—and the reliability of public transport services, which run on schedule and provide a feeling of safety, are crucial factors. Mobile security and service teams, which are visible and accessible throughout the network, ensure that passengers always feel safe and well-cared-for. Well-developed video surveillance, emergency call stations in vehicles, and SOS cubes on every subway platform are additional measures to ensure passenger safety.

Affordable Mobility as Part of a Well-Functioning Public Service

Affordability is a central element of public services. As one of the key components of public service, Vienna also prioritizes the principle that public transport must be affordable while maintaining the quality of service. Affordable mobility keeps a city running by not only ensuring flexibility in professional life but also enabling fulfilling leisure activities. The affordability of public transport in Vienna is a result of the city's deliberate decision. Without municipal investments in enhancing public transport attractiveness, prices for individual passengers would be significantly higher. The resulting consequences would be multifaceted: not only would fewer people likely use public transport, but the number of car drivers would increase, leading to both space shortages in public areas and higher emissions of pollutants and greenhouse gases.

More Regular Public Transport Users than Registered Cars

Over one million people hold an annual pass or a comparable ticket for public transport in Vienna. In contrast, the number of registered cars in Vienna is decreasing year by year and currently stands at around 700,000, making Vienna far and away the city with the lowest car density in Austria.

Vienna’s Public Transport Covers Five Times Around the Earth Every Day

All buses, trams, and subways in Vienna together travel more than 210,000 kilometers daily—equivalent to five times around the Earth. With about 500 tram trains, more than 400 buses, and around 160 subway trains, and a network stretching over 1.1 million kilometers, Vienna not only boasts the largest public transport network in Austria but also one of the largest tram networks in the world. This is also reflected in passenger numbers, with around 792 million passengers using buses, trams, or subways in Vienna each year.

Increasing Number of Cyclists

Currently, about 10% of all journeys in Vienna are made by bicycle—a figure that continues to rise. In addition to the gradual expansion of the public transport network, the cycling infrastructure is also steadily growing, now covering more than 1,700 kilometers. Moreover, the number of public bike parking spaces—around 60,000—is increased each year by the city to further boost the appeal of cycling in Vienna. WienMobil Rad, the bike-sharing service from Wiener Linien, enables those without their own bicycle to reliably, flexibly, sustainably, and around the clock travel by bike anywhere in Vienna. More than 3,000 bikes, including family-friendly bikes with integrated child seats, are available across all districts of Vienna. The rental and return stations also have bike service stations depending on their location. Additionally, around 100 WienMobil locations offer a variety of vehicles, from city scooters to electric transporters. The rental and return stations are strategically placed to enhance the appeal of cycling in the city and to convince even more people of the benefits of switching from a car to a bicycle.

For more information on mobility in Vienna, please visit:

City of Vienna - Transportation and Urban Planning https://www.wien.gv.at/english/transportation-urbanplanning/

City of Vienna - Vienna Public Transport https://www.wien.gv.at/english/transportation-urbanplanning/public-transport/

City of Vienna - STEP 2025 - Urban Development Plan https://smartcity.wien.gv.at/en/urban-development-plan-2025/

City of Vienna - Cycling in Vienna https://www.wien.gv.at/english/transportation-urbanplanning/cycling/

Wiener Linien https://www.wienerlinien.at/web/wl-en

VOR - Verkehrsverbund Ost-Region - the transport association for Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland https://www.vor.at/en/