Efficient public transport is essential for a business and cultural city such as Basel. With its comprehensive route network and frequent services, BVB facilitates the mobility of people in the city and nearby areas and links Basel with neighbouring countries. It helps to reduce traffic, thus contributing to a higher quality of life and environmental protection.
Public transport is very popular in Basel. BVB transports more than 106 million passengers annually. That is more than 290,000 people every day. 85 trams circulate along nine tramlines, and 139 buses operate on 14 bus routes. If one was to calculate the distance travelled by all BVB vehicles, this would be equivalent to travelling around the globe once every day.
Over 1,350 BVB employees ensure the smooth running of our services 365 days a year. BVB was first founded in 1895. Today, it operates nearly 231 kilometres of tram lines and bus routes in Basel-City and the surrounding area as the largest partner of the North-Western Switzerland Tariff Association (TNW). With the extension of tram line 8 to Weil am Rhein, trams have been running to Germany again since December 2014, and with the extension of tram line 3 to Saint-Louis, they have been running to France again since December 2017. This makes the BVB the only municipal transport company in the world to connect three countries via tram line.
BVB is modernising its fleet over the next few years: At the end of 2014, the first two of a total of 61 new Flexity trams were taken into service. With the delivery of the latest Flexity in the summer of 2018, the largest vehicle procurement in the history of BVB has been successfully completed. This means that 61 Flexity trams are now operating on the BVB network making BVB’s fleet one of the most modern in Europe. In addition, the conversion of the bus fleet to electric mobility has been underway since winter 2022. From 2027, the entire BVB fleet will be powered by renewable energy.
BVB has been run since 2006 as a public sector body, 100 percent owned by the Basel-City canton.
Facts at a glance |
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| Type of business entity | Public sector Body |
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| Catchment area | Basel-City, Binningen, Bottmingen, Schönenbuch, Allschwil, Birsfelden, Muttenz, Pratteln, Riehen, Bettingen, Weil am Rhein (D), Haltingen (D), Grenzach-Wyhlen (D) and Saint-Louis (F) |
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| Number of employees | 1’352 persons |
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| Number of passengers | 106,19 million |
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| Transport performance (in passenger kilometres/year) | 246,76 million |
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| Route length | Tram: 93,6 km Bus: 137,58 km |
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| Number of vehicles | Tram (excl. service vehicles): 115 motor cars, 20 trailer cars, plus 11 vintage motor cars and 9 trailers; Bus: 8 minibuses, 29 regular buses (including 16 E-buses), 95 articulated buses and 7 E-double-articulated buses (total 139), plus 1 vintage bus |
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| Kilometres travelled (Trams and buses) | 13,01 million |
Edition: 31.12.2022
