Operating buses, trams, underground trains and regional trains costs 25 billion euros nationwide every year. The study, led by the Technical University of Munich on behalf of the DB initiative ‘Zukunft Nahverkehr’ (Future Local Transport), found that public transport generates around €75 billion in added value every year.
Jan Schilling, a member of the DB Regio Management Board, says: 'Local public transport is not only a means of transport and a climate protector, but also part of public services and an economic driver. Thanks to this study, we now know the true value of local public transport. This should provide further incentive for federal and state governments to expand services. Every euro invested in public transport pays for itself three times over – it's a real economic booster. Investing in a well-developed local transport system is an investment in Germany as a business location.'
A significant proportion of the value added is generated directly within the public transport sector and within sectors closely related to it, such as vehicle manufacturing and cleaning services. Public transport also has an even greater overall impact in other areas: part of the turnover in the retail sector depends directly on public transport users, and tourism benefits from good public transport accessibility, especially in cities and holiday regions.
Oliver May-Beckmann, Managing Director of MCube and co-author of the study, adds: "Public transport strengthens the retail sector, tourism, and the labour market, while reducing the burden on commuters. Above all, however, it saves economic costs, for example through fewer traffic accidents and less land, noise and air pollution consumption, as well as lower CO₂ emissions."
Furthermore, public transport promotes productive employment, as buses and trains enable people to get to work and help companies find suitable employees.
