Jena, March 31, 2026. The Verkehrsverbund Mittelthüringen (VMT) is launching a comprehensive passenger survey starting in April. Until the end of March 2027, travelers in public transport (ÖPNV) will be interviewed about their mobility behavior.
- Period: April 2026 to the end of March 2027
- Area of operation: Stadtgebiet Jena and Saale-Holzland-Kreis
- Means of transport: Trams, buses, and trains
- Execution: PTV Group (interviewers can identify themselves)
- Participation: Voluntary and anonymous (also for minors)
Survey procedure on buses and trains
On behalf of the VMT, employees of the company PTV Group will be traveling on regular scheduled services over the next twelve months. The interviewers will approach passengers directly during the journey. To ensure legitimacy, the employees always introduce themselves and can present a corresponding ID card.
The survey asks, among other things, about the exact travel routes, the lines used, and transfer behavior. Participation in the survey is strictly voluntary and takes place anonymously. Children and young people are also included in the statistical recording to obtain the most realistic and complete picture possible of the passenger structure.
Why are counts and surveys being conducted?
The data obtained serves several essential functions for regional local transport. They form the statistical basis for the analysis of current traffic flows. Based on these commuter movements, transport companies can better adapt their timetables and frequencies to the actual needs of citizens in the future.
In addition, the survey is an important instrument for the financing of transport companies. Since passengers with a VMT ticket often combine the means of transport of different companies (for example, a tram from Jenaer Nahverkehr and subsequently a bus from JES Verkehrsgesellschaft), the revenue from ticket sales must be distributed fairly. The representative survey data regulates this financial distribution key.
Background: Networking of urban and regional transport
With its tram network and urban bus lines, Jena forms a central hub in the Verkehrsverbund Mittelthüringen. Every day, thousands of people commute from the neighboring Saale-Holzland-Kreis to the “Lichtstadt”. Especially at the interfaces between urban and regional transport, adjustments are regularly made to increase the attractiveness of public transport. For example, starting on Easter Saturday (April 4, 2026), JES Verkehrsgesellschaft will launch new late buses on line 410 between Jena and Eisenberg to improve the service in the evening hours. Parallel to this, the urban infrastructure is being modernized: the barrier-free reconstruction of the important transfer stop at Burgaupark and a necessary track repair in the northern Dornburger Straße are currently underway.
Source:
VMT starts passenger survey
Transparency note: This article was automatically created, editorially reviewed, and expanded with AI support.