The integrated system of public transport in Prague has been developing for 28 years. In 1992 the first city bus lines crossed the city limits and almost immediately thereafter integration of railways lines began as well. The Prague Integrated Public Transport (PID) system offers inhabitants of Prague and a large part of the Central Bohemian Region the opportunity to travel on a single travel document regardless of the chosen mode of transport.

An M1 train at Muzeum station on the C line

New Tram Stop Marker on Palacký Square

* There was a small adjustment made to the buses data in the years 2017, 2018 and 2019 (the performance of a new PID carrier was added)

PID carriers
Metro, trams, Petřín funicular	Prague Public Transport Company (DPP) (38 lines)	An bus cityline nr. 184 at Jeremiášova street
Urban buses	DPP (130 lines), 5 private carriers (38 lines)
Suburban and regional buses	20 private carriers (318 lines), DPP (13 lines)
Railway	Czech Railways (72 lines), KŽC Doprava, s. r. o. (8 lines), Arriva vlaky, s. r. o. (5 lines), Die Länderbahn CZ s. r. o. (3 lines), Leo Expres Tenders (1 line)
Ferries	Pražské Benátky, s. r. o. (5 lines), PPS, a. s. (1 line), Vittus group, s. r. o. (1 line)

PID carriers
Metro, trams, Petřín funicular	Prague Public Transport Company (DPP) (38 lines)
Urban buses	DPP (130 lines), 5 private carriers (38 lines)
Suburban and regional buses	20 private carriers (318 lines), DPP (13 lines)
Railway	Czech Railways (72 lines), KŽC Doprava, s. r. o. (8 lines), Arriva vlaky, s. r. o. (5 lines), Die Länderbahn CZ s. r. o. (3 lines), Leo Expres Tenders (1 line)
Ferries	Pražské Benátky, s. r. o. (5 lines), PPS, a. s. (1 line), Vittus group, s. r. o. (1 line)
An bus cityline nr. 184 at Jeremiášova street

PID ridership and share of total passengers within the City of Prague for 2020
Mode of transport and carrier	Persons/year
Metro (DPP)	251 423  000	31.41 %
Trams (DPP)	238 78 8 000	29.83 %
Urban buses, trolleybus (DPP and privat carriers)	232 91 1 000	34.60 %
Suburban buses (private carriers and DPP)	44 056  000
Railway (ČD, KŽC, Arriva, Leo Express)	31 55 6 000	3.94 %
Funicular (DPP)	1 014  000	0.13 %
Ferries (private carriers)	694 125	0.09 %
TOTAL	800 442 125	100.00 %

PID ridership and share of total passengers within the City of Prague for 2020
Mode of transport and carrier	Persons/year
Metro (DPP)	251 423  000	31.41 %
Trams (DPP)	238 78 8 000	29.83 %
Urban buses, trolleybus (DPP and privat carriers)	232 91 1 000	34.60 %
Suburban buses (private carriers and DPP)	44 056  000
Railway (ČD, KŽC, Arriva, Leo Express)	31 55 6 000	3.94 %
Funicular (DPP)	1 014  000	0.13 %
Ferries (private carriers)	694 125	0.09 %
TOTAL	800 442 125	100.00 %

* for rail transport, data in train-kilometres   ** in Prague including trolleybus   *** including the Petřín funicular   **** in ČD trains

The Prague metro forms the foundation of the public transport network. If a transfer is counted as part of a single ride, passengers took around 680 000 trips per day in October (around 828 000 trips counting transfers separately), i.e. approximately 44 % less than in the same period a year earlier. The scope of service at the same time was cut back by about 9 %, with 1 644 train connections being dispatched daily (490 on A line, 540 on the B line and 614 on the C line). You can find a more detailed overview of the development of supply and demand in connection with the coronavirus epidemic in Chapter 4.8.

* as of 14 October 2020 with standard service reduced by about 9 %   ** data from the last network-wide survey in 2015

An 81-71 train at Smíchovské nádraží station

The new elevator up to the bus stops at Opatov

Trams are part of the arterial network of rail transport. Tram lines provide all types of connections, both radial and tangential, and hold an irreplaceable role in the PID network. Over the course of single workday passengers took approximately 784 600 trips in October 2020, which is about 36 % less than under standard conditions. The scope of operations at the same time was cut back by about 9 %, with approximately 6 790 connections dispatches a day.

* or raised track   ** as of 14 October 2020 with standard service reduced by about 9 %   *** data from last network-wide survey (2016)

Metro and tram lines in Prague (day lines as of 31 December 2020 – not including closures)

Urban and suburban bus transport is operated within the city as part of PID. Urban bus transport forms a supplementary network to the metro and trams, also providing blanket service in some areas and many important tangential connections, particularly in the outlying areas of the city. Suburban bus transport connects the city with the surrounding region.

Over a single workday in mid-October 2020, 23 209 PID bus connections were dispatched within the city, transporting approximately 739 350 passengers (about 39 % less than usual). Of this amount, 17 825 were urban lines (the 100, 200 and 900 series) and 5 384 suburban lines (series 300-404, 950-960 and the 500 line).

* as of 14 October 2020 with standard service reduced by about 9 % % % ** data from last network-wide survey (2016)

On an average workday, approximately 5 384 connections crossed the city boundaries in both directions on suburban bus lines (the 300-404 and 950-960 series), carrying approximately 66 652 passengers across the city limits. Suburban bus lines used a total of 34 locations as starting or final stops within Prague. The most suburban PID lines (18) and connections (826) used the Zličín terminal, while the highest daily passenger turnover was at the terminals Zličín, Smíchovské nádraží and Černý Most.

The network of PID bus lines is also supplemented by regional lines that do not enter the territory of Prague (the 421-747 series). At the end of 2019 a daily total of about 4 560 connections rode outside Prague's limits, carrying roughly 75 510 passengers on an average workday. They were all operated by private carriers.

Since 1 Aug the 112 bus has also used Trojský most on the way to the Zoo

Suburban line buses at Smíchovské nádraží

The network of PID bus lines is also supplemented by regional lines (series 416-499, 509-747) that do not enter the territory of Prague. At the end of 2020 a daily total of about 6 106 connections rode outside of Prague‘s limits, carrying roughly 46 459 passengers. They were all operated by private carriers.

Railway transport under PID has been expanding since 1992. In 2007 the process of labelling lines with the letters S and R was begun, with regular intervals and easy-to-remember times also starting to be implemented. A total of 1 216 train connections rode through Prague under PID on an average workday in autumn of 2020, transporting approximately 98 730 passengers. Service was significantly affected by renovations around Radotín and between Hostivař and Vršovice.

* in October 2020 with slight reduction in service ** temporarily suspended for several periods during 2020

* no survey was conducted in 2020 due to the coronavirus situation, data is from 2019   ** including individual PID tickets

* the boundaries of Prague were crossed on PID trains by approx. 79 650 passengers on an average workday in 2020 (37 660 travelling into Prague, 41 990 out of Prague); on Saturdays in 2019 (current data is not available) PID trains transported 62 % of the workday average, on Sundays just 55 %

S and R railway lines within the City of Prague (not including closures)

In the surroundings of Prague, roughly 1 500 connections were dispatched on 50 PID lines daily, travelling 1 520 km of track and stopping at 491 stations. In 2020, PID trains in the Central Bohemian Region transported a total of 43.2 million passengers (only Czech Railways connections).

Újezd – Petřín funicular

The funicular is part of PID and provides a connection between Újezd, Nebozízek and Petřín. In 2020 it carried a total of 1 014 000 passengers (a daily average of 2 778) and accounted for 0.13 % of the overall number of persons transported by PID within the city.

Since 2005, river ferries across the Vltava have already become a standard component of Prague Integrated Public Transport. Their primary importance is for recreational travel (connecting to cycle paths, serving the islands on the Vltava), but increasingly they are also used for standard transport, e.g. to work (in the winter 75 % of trips).

There were 8 ferries in operation in 2020, which transported an average of 2 559 passengers a day and a total of 694 125 for the year (0.09 % of persons transported by PID within Prague).

Due to the coronavirus epidemic, P5 ferry service only began at the end of April and was separated into the ferries P4 (Císařská louka – Kotevní) and P5 (Císařská louka – Výtoň). The temporary P8 ferry was only in operation until 24 October 2020, when the new Troja footbridge was opened.

* services ordered by the City of Prague, not all train (in particular fast train) connections in PID

Public mass transport between the capital and other areas in the region and the country as a whole is provided by a number of carriers. Prague is an important hub for regional, domestic and international rail travel, as well as a point of departure, destination and transit stop for many long-distance Czech and international bus lines.

Railway transport in Prague, including non-PID long-distance connections

A total of 1 316 train connections operated by Czech Railways started, ended or passed through Prague on an average workday in 2020, carrying an estimated 100 000 passengers across the city limits. Roughly 14 % of that number were outside of PID, the remainder were under PID.

The operation of long-distance passenger rail transport (both under and outside of PID) is provided by Czech Railways, RegioJet, LEO Express and Arriva trains. The infrastructure for transport is provided by the state organisation Správa železnic (“Railway Administration”, previously SŽDC).

Non-PID bus transport

Public bus transport between Prague and other areas is operated by a number of carriers from the Czech Republic; some international lines are also run by carriers from other countries.

A long-distance bus connection at Na Knížecí

The only bus station in Prague that dispatches exclusively non-PID buses is ÚAN Florenc.

In connection with the coronavirus epidemic in 2020, the Florenc bus station saw an average decline in the daily number of international connections of 2/3 and domestic connections of 1/3.

Other non-PID lines connecting Prague with external areas were dispatched and terminated to the greatest extent at the Černý Most bus terminal (totalling over 240 connections a day in mid-October 2020 and thus exceptionally more than at Florenc). All Prague terminals saw an annual decline in connections dispatched. Just as at Florenc, these saw a drop in the number of international connections down to nearly one third of 2019 levels, while for domestic connections only about half as many connections were dispatched.

The only non-PID lines that enter Prague as part of Central Bohemian Integrated Transport (SID) are those from the Vlašim and Benešov regions (E15, E16, E17 and E20) and the F71 line from Světlá nad Sázavou.

In terms of impact on PID service, the first wave of the epidemic can be dated to the period from 11 March to 26 May. On 11 March 2020, the number of workday passengers transported in the metro first dropped below 1 million a day, and eight days later on 19 March only around 200 000 people used underground connections (in 2019 the metro was transporting around 1 150 000 passengers a day in the same period, thus the maximum drop in demand was 83 %). In April and May, demand for public transport gradually rose and on 26 May there were already over 600 000 people taking the metro (about 50 % less than in 2019).

Development of number of persons transported on workdays in the metro in Prague in 2019 and 2020

From mid-March 2020, the coronavirus epidemic had a fundamental impact on PID service. Due to fluctuating demand and the ongoing regulations from the Czech government, around 10 000 changes to the timetables of individual lines were drawn up and enacted through to the end of the year. Providing for even the somewhat reduced service was also complicated due to the infection or quarantine of some of the service staff.

Closing the front door in older tram T and KT

The scope of PID service was set up to not only take into account demand, but also to allow for maximum observance of distancing within vehicles. Thus for the whole epidemic, care was taken so that the offer of connections was at least 20-30 % higher than the current demand.

An objective comparison of the demand over the whole year was provided by online counters placed at each entrance and exit to the metro. At the end of 2020, automatic tallying had also already been installed in some of the tram and bus fleet, but this did not allow a year-on-year comparison to individual days from 2019. What these did show, however, was that demand on surface connections was always about 5-10 % higher than in the metro.

In the months June, July, August and September, the decline in demand compared to normal levels stopped at around 30 %. Metro counters showed the highest number of persons transported, about 830 000, on Wednesday 2 September.

Subsequently, the number of passengers started to fall off slightly again. The start of the second wave of the epidemic can be dated to 30 September, when there were only 770 000 workday passengers on the metro.

The minimum, which totalled 330 000 passengers, occurred a month later this time, on 30 October (with 72 % fewer people travelling compared to normal).

After the next phase of easing began, passenger levels in the metro had returned to at least 600 000 on 3 December (50 % of normal). Up until the end of 2020 the number of persons transported did not pass 700 000 a day, however, and after mid-December began to fall off markedly again.

The overall number of passengers transported in PID within Prague fell by around 40 % due to the coronavirus. The decrease was slightly higher in the metro and slightly lower in surface transport. In terms of PID connections offered, around 12.5 million vehicle kilometres went untraveled compared to 2019 (about 6 % less than was planned).