Bonn vs. Chicago vs. NYC vs. Berlin: Transit By the Numbers
- Gabrielle Benoit
- Jul 25, 2022
- 4 min read
Originally traveling to Germany as a teacher on a quest to explore the German education system, I was struck by the public transportation systems (and bikes) of Bonn and Berlin. I chose to dig deeper by comparing Bonn and Berlin to two cities that I consider home in the United States, Chicago, and New York City.
| Bonn | Chicago | NYC | Berlin |
Date founded | 1st Century BCE | 1833 CE | 1624 CE | 1237 CE |
Size of city (square miles) | 54.46 | 234.5 | 302.6 | 344.3 |
Population | 327, 258 | 2,699,000 | 8,380,000 | 3,645,000 |
Population density (per square mile) | 6,100 | 12,000 | 27,000 | 4,112 |
Registered cars: | 248,000+ (1) | 1,100,000+ (2) | ~2,000,000 (3) | 1,241,793 (4) |
Cost per ride on public transportation | Unlimited 9Euro summer train ticket, or ~2Euro per ride | $2.50 per train ride, $2.25 per bus ride | $2.75 per subway | Unlimited 9Euro summer train ticket, or 3Euro per ride |
Miles/KM of bike lanes | 186 miles/ 300 KM (5) | 303 miles (6) | 1,375 miles (7) | 390 miles/ 620 KM (8) |
Subway/train riders per day | 211,000 (10) | 708,154 (11) | 5,500,000 (13) | 900,000 (15) |
Miles of subway/train | 77.9 (10) | 224.1 (12) | 665 (13) | 211 miles (15) |
Amount of train lines | 9 (10) | 8 (12) | 25 (14) | 16 (15) |
Amount of train stations | 64 (10) | 145 (12) | 472 (14) | 168 (15) |
Amount of bus lines | 6 light rail lines, 81 stops (21) | 129 routes, 10,768 stops (19) | 235 routes, 16,350 stops (17) | 329 routes, 2,634 stops (16) |
Amount of busses active per day | unclear over 59.55 miles (21) | 1,864 busses over 1,536 miles (19) | 5,784 busses (18) | 1,300 busses over 1,033 route miles (16) |
Amount of bus riders per day | unclear | 760,577 (11) | 1,187,000 (18) | ~841,000 (20) |
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Public Transportation Similarities: Whether you take public transportation in Germany or Chicago or NYC, you need to come prepared. Have your money/ticket ready and understand how to get to your destination. Google Maps is extremely useful in the USA and abroad, it is your friend, there is no shame in utilizing this tool (it's probably easier and clearer than attempting to read a map at a station).
In both countries, public transportation ridership can fluctuate depending on the time of day, however, peak hours can be PACKED. Be prepared to cram in and find space for yourself because the other riders are not going to make it easy for you.
Pay attention to your route/line name. Like in the USA, train and bus stations in Germany might double for multiple routes. Be sure you know not only what line you're taking, but to observe the bus or train before you get on!
Public Transportation Differences: Surprising facts about public transport in Bonn; they operate on an honors system of trust. Though they do not check for your ticket upon arrival or entry to the station or vehicle, periodic spot-checks could occur, so it behooves patrons to have a ticket readily available should this occur. The fine for traveling without a ticket is 60 Euro (9). While in Germany, I had a 9Euro summer pass uploaded to an app, however, I had never witnessed or experienced my ticket being checked, to the extent of believing that rides on public transportation were free (they're not).
Another beautiful observation about the public transportation systems in Bonn and Berlin was how clean the vehicles were. Train or bus, I felt safe and comfortable sitting in any seat. Unlike New York and Chicago, which boasts public transportation that is dirty, often smells, and is flooded with graffiti, Germany's public transit seemed brand new in comparison. It was a completely different level of respect for public spaces.
The cost value in Germany is unbeatable. With the 9Euro summer pass, you're basically riding all summer for virtually no cost. I cannot think of any time in America where this promotion is offered (Sometimes Chicago provides complimentary transportation on New Years Eve, but that doesn't seem like an equal comparison). This is also a great tactic to reduce the reliance on gas for cars as passengers can opt for a public and environmentally friendlier option.
Bikes Similarities: People are riding bikes for their commute, local leisure, and exercise. Bike shops can be found in all major cities. Responsible bike safety is encouraged in all cities (helmets included).
Bikes Differences: Unlike Chicago and NYC, boasting Divvy and City bikes respectively, I did not observe a systemized bike sharing program in either Bonn or Berlin. Therefore, it is safe to say that most who ride their bikes in Berlin or Bonn own their bike. However, at the DAAD in Bonn (the ministry of education), they had their own company bike share and you could borrow a bike or a helmet as needed (pretty cool if you ask me).
Bonn has an extreme biking culture. You can find bikes chained everywhere across the city, to poles, to trees, to gates, etc,; in fact, most bike racks were consistently at full capacity. While visiting a school, I learned that students take bike safety tests in 4th grade. Many small children ride their bikes to school independently and parents are encouraged not to ride in tandem with their children in order to increase self-reliance.
In Bonn, Bikers have their own protected lanes and pedestrians do not have the right of way in these lanes! In America, there is an air of "the pedestrian is always right," but in Bonn, you better watch where you walk and stay out of the bike lanes; local or visitor, you need to know the rules of the road.
Public Transportation Overall: Public transportation in Germany felt pretty comparable to that in America (in terms of service and reliability), however, the value in Germany (for summer at least) is unbeatable. Additionally, there was an increased sense of safety and security in Germany that is not felt in America.
Bikes Overall: It was inspiring to see how Bike-positive Bonn is. The culture of biking paired with the ease and cleanliness of public transportation demonstrates the city's commitment to a positive impact on the climate. It truly makes me wonder how we can find ways to better adapt this in America. Having had a bike in the past, which was vandalized and had it's wheel stolen, I am still bitter about my own relationship with bike ownership, however, I am more open to participating in the Divvy bike share, especially for my commute to work which could either be 10 minutes by bike or 5 minutes by car. Overall, I will feel better about my gas consumption (especially now, because prices are CRAZY) and carbon footprint, and I will be providing benefits to my health with those added few minutes of exercise each day.
Disclaimer: Finding detailed reports about the transportation system in Bonn was a bit unclear. This is suspected to be caused by (1) the smaller size of the city and (2) the lack of resources produced in English. Similarly, both Berlin and Bonn had a variety of names to differentiate between trains, above grounds, subways, trams, etc. Therefore, research was still incomplete or unclear, but was done to the best of my abilities.
Sources:
(21): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonn_Stadtbahn bus riders
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