Subway traffic in Bucharest goes up as restrictions lifted and fuel prices surge
On average, the people of Bucharest take over 10 million rides on the subway every month, and that number has been increasing in the first part of 2022 as pandemic restrictions were lifted and gas prices rose, leading to increased sales of standard tickets and monthly passes.
Bucharest is one of the most congested cities in the world, and the city with the worst car traffic in the EU, according to last year’s TomTom Traffic Index. It is no surprise, then, that many try to escape traffic jams and rising gas prices by turning to underground transportation.
In January, commuters took roughly 9,3 million subway trips. After the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions were lifted back in March, the number of rides rose to 12 million. The busiest month was May, with 13,3 million rides, according to data from the subway management company Metrorex, obtained by Libertatea.
All in all, the Bucharest metro was used for 54 million rides in the first five months of 2022. At the standard price of RON 3 (EUR 0,6) per ride, that would mean that approximately EUR 33 million entered the Metrorex coffers in the same period.
Monthly passes have also risen in popularity. For RON 80 (EUR 16), these offer infinite trips, with a 15-minute wait time between validations. Over 224,000 such passes were sold between January and May, totaling EUR 3,65 million.
There is also a 6-month (EUR 81) and a yearly (EUR 141,5) pass. Other types of passes are available for students and blood donors at a discounted price. Institutionalized and orphaned students receive a free monthly pass. Although available, weekly passes remain less popular, with only around 9,000 being sold in five months.
The busiest out of the metro’s 63 stations was the most central one, Piața Unirii 1, where riders can switch from one line to another. Roughly 2,1 million riders passed through the station in the period taken into consideration. Gara de Nord 2 station, Eroilor 2, and Bazilescu are among the stations with the least traffic.
radu@romania-insider.com
(Photo source: Dreamstime.com)
