Cyprus records highest rate of public transport non-use in the European Union

Data published by Eurostat in 2024 reveals that Cyprus has the highest proportion of citizens in the European Union who do not use public transport, reaching 85% among individuals aged 16 and over. Following Cyprus, other nations with high non-use rates include Italy at 68%, Portugal at 67.8%, France at 65.1%, Slovenia at 61.6%, and Greece at 61.3%. Conversely, countries with the lowest non-use rates were Luxembourg at 15.7%, Estonia at 26.6%, and Sweden at 26.7%. Across the EU, 50.6% of residents reported not using public transport throughout the year. For daily usage across the EU, 10.7% of citizens aged 16 and older reported utilizing public transport, while 11.6% used it weekly. In Cyprus specifically, only 4.5% of the population uses public transport daily, while 4.3% use it on a weekly basis. Some local commentary attributes these statistics to long-term inefficiencies and poor frequency in the public transit network, leading citizens to rely on private vehicles.