Portrait

Basel has a very dense public transport network. The number of commuters who use public transport instead of the car is distinctly higher than in other Swiss cities. This contributes to the high standard of living in the city.

Today, BVB, which was founded in 1895, is the biggest partner in the TNW Transport Network, servicing more than 160 kilometres of tram and bus lines in the greater Basel area. BVB connects numerous places in the nearby region such as Binningen, Bottmingen, Allschwil, Birsfelden, Muttenz, Pratteln, Riehen, and Bettingen with the city center, with links across the border to Weil am Rhein and Haltingen in Germany.

BVB transports 126 million passengers per year, an average of roughly 337,000 a day. It operates 122 tram motor coaches and 74 carriages on 8 tram lines as well as 91 buses on a total of 12 bus lines.

BVB became a public corporation on 1 January 2006 and is owned fully by Canton Basel-Stadt.

Facts at one glance:
Form of company:	public corporation
Founding year:	1895
Start of operations:	1895
Start of operations:	1,015
Number of passengers (per year):	126,700,000
Catchment area:	Basel-Stadt, Binningen, Bottmingen, Allschwil, Birsfelden, Muttenz, Pratteln, Riehen, Bettingen, Weil am Rhein (D) and Haltingen (D)
Length of lines:	Tram: 65.7 km Bus: 101,4 km
Number of vehicles:	Tram: 196 Bus: 91
Total mileage:	16,580,000 km

*Source: BVB Annual Report 2009