Filenews 23 September 2023 - by Theano Thiopoulou
People in today's Europe are constantly on the move in cars, trains, ships and planes, and this mobility can be seen from many angles, as there are several reasons for moving: education, work, tourism, social obligations, health.
In 2022, car transport accounted for 72.2% of total passenger kilometres across the EU, while in Cyprus the share was lower than the European average, at 64.8%. According to data published by Eurostat, air transport accounted for 13.1% of total passenger kilometers, recording an increase of 6% compared to 2021, and in Cyprus the figure accounted for 23.2% of passenger kilometers.
Car transport dominates across the EU and its highest share was recorded in Lithuania (87.9%), followed by Finland (78.6%) and the Netherlands (77.9%).
In terms of air transport, Croatia recorded the highest share of air passenger kilometres in total efficiency across all modes of transport (40.4%), followed by Bulgaria (25.9%) and Cyprus (23.2%).
Malta had the highest share of coach, bus transport (15.4%), followed by Ireland (14.1%) and Hungary (13.0%).
Austria ranked highest in rail transport, with 11.0% of rail passenger kilometres in total efficiency of all-mode transport, followed by the Netherlands (10.6%) and Sweden (9.5%).
In maritime transport, Croatia recorded the largest share of passenger kilometres by sea ships (2.5%), followed by Estonia (2.3%) and Finland (2.2%). In France, car transport accounts for 7.16% of passenger kilometres, planes 14.9%, trains 9.1% and buses 4.2%. In Greece, car transport accounts for 64.3% of passenger kilometers, buses 11% and airplanes 22.3%. In Estonia, car transport accounts for 75.3% of passenger kilometres, buses for 10.6% and by plane 9.8%.
The figures from Eurostat were announced on the occasion of European Mobility Week, which is celebrated every year from 16 to 22 September and aims to raise awareness about sustainable urban mobility. It promotes behavioural change in favour of public transport and other clean, smart transport solutions.
European Mobility Week invites citizens to collectively decide how to share public space and ensure that everyone can move safely and comfortably in a pleasant environment, especially pedestrians and cyclists. According to Eurostat, from 16 to 22 September, local authorities had the opportunity to test innovative planning measures, promote new infrastructure and technologies, measure air quality and receive feedback from the public.
