March 25, 2025, 10:22 a.m. | Reading time: 4 minutes
Time Out magazine asked 18,500 people to rate public transport in their hometown. The result is a ranking of the 19 cities that have the best public transport in the world. Spoiler ahead: Asia clearly stands out here.
While in Berlin people complain about public transport every day, elsewhere people are simply enthusiastic about the functionality of local public transport. “Time Out” has now determined in a ranking which city dwellers are most satisfied with their trains, buses, etc. 18,500 road users from more than 50 countries were surveyed. Germany didn't make it into the ranking, but plenty of Asian cities did. These are the cities with the best public transport in the world.
Hong Kong is the city with the best public transport in the world
Asia tops the list of cities with the best local transport system
These European cities have particularly good public transportThe 19 cities with the best public transport in the world according to “Time Out”
The 19 cities with the best public transport in the world according to Time Out
Hong Kong is the city with the best public transport in the world
According to Time Out, 98 percent of residents surveyed in the huge skyscraper metropolis of Hong Kong are satisfied with their public transport system. In addition to the iconic double-decker trams, these also include the MTR (Mass Transit Railway). The ten-line rail network serves Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories up to the border of mainland China. Air-conditioned buses and minibuses are also part of Hong Kong's popular public transport system.
Also interesting: Tips for visiting the islands away from Hong Kong's megacity
RankingSurprising! The best city in the world according to Time Out
From the perspective of localsThe friendliest city in the world is in Europe
Asia tops the list of cities with the best local transport system
A total of eleven out of 19 cities in the ranking of the best in public transport are in Asia. In addition to a number of cities in eastern Asia, the south is also represented with Mumbai and Delhi in India, Southeast Asia with Jakarta in Indonesia and the Middle East with Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates and Doha in Qatar.
But why is it that local public transport in Asia seems to work so much better than in Europe, but especially than that in America, Australia or. Oceania and Africa? One obvious reason is that there is a broad local transport system in many metropolitan areas. In other places, this is simply missing, or it is unreliable, or the individual lines are not connected at all or are poorly connected. In contrast, the local transport system seems to work in many major Asian cities. However, “Time Out” does not provide any precise information about what excites the residents about it or how exactly the votes were raised.
These European cities have particularly good public transport
In addition to the eleven Asian cities, there are eight other major cities that were praised by their residents in the survey for their public transport system. And they are all in Europe. The Europeans are led here by London in sixth place. 86 percent of Londoners speak positively about its 402 kilometer long subway network, the Overground, the 675 bus routes and the around 30,000 Lime Bikes.
Although Germany is not represented by any city in the ranking, there are at least two cities in the DACH region. Vienna, for example, is in seventh place in the “Time Out” ranking. 84 percent of Austrian capital residents are satisfied with their city network, which consists of the subway, S-Bahn, tram and bus. According to the magazine, this is due, among other things, to the uncomplicated purchase of tickets; after all, the entire network is operated by Wiener Linien. Zurich is a little further down the ranking. Here, 81 percent of those surveyed reward their Swiss homeland with positive ratings for the local public transport system. This consists of trams and cable cars, buses and ships, all of which are covered by the Zurich Card.
Also interesting: The city with the worst public transport in Germany is...
The 19 cities with the best public transport in the world according to Time Out
Shanghai, China
Beijing, China
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Taipei, Taiwan
London,England,United Kingdom
Vienna, Austria
Seoul, South Korea
Mumbai, India
Doha, Qatar
Delhi, India
Zurich, Switzerland
Brighton, England, United Kingdom
Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
Oslo, Norway
Jakarta, Indonesia
Warsaw, Poland
Tallinn, Estonia
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