Reference metadata describe statistical concepts and methodologies used for the collection and generation of data. They provide information on data quality and, since they are strongly content-oriented, assist users in interpreting the data. Reference metadata, unlike structural metadata, can be decoupled from the data.
This dataset contains experimental data on the number of public transport stops and lines based on data retrieved from the General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) database which includes information on the public transportation network.
The data are presented for three EU countries, namely Lithuania, Luxembourg and Sweden.
For assessing the efficiency of public transport, the OpenStreetMap (OSM) data is considered to enable routing calculations for the comparison of the percentage of region area covered in a certain amount of time between public transport and passenger car. To assess the efficiency of public transport in terms of the percentage of population reached within a certain amount of time the Eurostat 2021 Census population Grid is also considered.
3.2. Classification system
NUTS classification – regions are classified according to the Nomenclature of Units for Territorial Statistics (NUTS). The NUTS serves as a reference for the collection, development and harmonisation of EU regional statistics and for socio-economic analyses of the regions (more information is available on Eurostat's website: Overview - NUTS - Nomenclature of territorial units for statistics - Eurostat).
3.3. Coverage - sector
These statistics are under the Regional Transport Statistics sector and cover regional data on public transport (bus, rail, tram, trolleybus, etc.).
3.4. Statistical concepts and definitions
The concepts used in this domain are the following:
Public Transport - The overall definition of public transportation includes any forms of transport, which are available to the public. This includes buses, trains, metros, tramways, cable cars, bike- and car-sharing, micro mobility services, taxis, car-pooling, ride hailing, ride-pooling , etc. This broad definition bases on the notion of access without ownership, acknowledging that a vast variety of transport services exist that are available to the general public to fulfil mobility needs without the prerequisite to privately own a transport asset, such as a car or a bike.
Passenger Car - Road motor vehicle, other than mopeds or motorcycles, intended for the carriage of passengers and designed to seat no more than nine persons (including the driver). Refers to category M1 of the UN Consolidated Resolution on the Construction of Vehicles (R.E.3).
Included are:
privately owned passenger cars;
company cars;
vans designed and used primarily for the transport of passengers (if duly registered in M1);
taxis;
private hire cars;
shared cars;
rented cars;
motorhomes (camper vans) below 3.5 tonnes maximum mass;
special passenger cars (ambulances, police cars, firefighter cars etc.).
Excluded are light utility vehicles (see B.II-27), buses (see B.II-18), motor coaches (see B.II-19) and mini-buses/mini-coaches (see B.II-20).
General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) - Open standard used to distribute relevant information about transit systems to riders. It allows public transit agencies to publish their transit data in a format that can be consumed by a wide variety of software applications. GTFS consists of two main parts: GTFS Schedule and GTFS Realtime.
GTFS Schedule - Feed specification that defines a common format for static public transport information. It is composed of a collection of simple files, mostly text files (.txt), that are contained in a single ZIP file. Each file describes a particular aspect of transit information such as stops, routes, trips, calendar, etc.
3.5. Statistical unit
The data is collected at public transport stop / line level.
3.6. Statistical population
The statistical population includes all public transport stops, lines, routes.
3.7. Reference area
The data are available for 3 EU countries, namely Lithuania, Luxembourg and Sweden.
3.8. Coverage - Time
Data retrieved in April 2024.
3.9. Base period
Not applicable.
The availability of the public transport is measured as the number of public transport stops and lines.
The efficiency of the public transport network is measured as the percentage of area covered and percentage of population reached at a certain travel time.
Data for all countries was retrieved on April 2024
6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements
The data collection is not supported by any legal act.
6.2. Institutional Mandate - data sharing
Not applicable
7.1. Confidentiality - policy
Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 on European statistics (recital 24 and Article 20(4)) of 11 March 2009 (OJ L 87, p. 164), stipulates the need to establish common principles and guidelines ensuring the confidentiality of data used for the production of European statistics and the access to those confidential data with due account for technical developments and the requirements of users in a democratic society.
7.2. Confidentiality - data treatment
No confidential data are provided.
8.1. Release calendar
There is not a release calendar for dissemination of data as these are experimental statistics
8.2. Release calendar access
Not applicable
8.3. Release policy - user access
In line with the Community legal framework and the European Statistics Code of Practice Eurostat disseminates European statistics on Eurostat's website (see item 10 - 'Accessibility and clarity') respecting professional independence and in an objective, professional and transparent manner in which all users are treated equitably. The detailed arrangements are governed by the Eurostat protocol on impartial access to Eurostat data for users.
Frequency of dissemination will be decided once the statistics become European statistics.
10.1. Dissemination format - News release
Not applicable
10.2. Dissemination format - Publications
Not applciable
10.3. Dissemination format - online database
Eurostat's online database Eurobase (under tran_r) is the most complete and most up-to-date source of European Union regional transport statistics.
The quality of the data is assessed by applying common rules and quality checks, such as calculation of number of missing values in the data when investigating the data source.
11.2. Quality management - assessment
The quality of the provided data is ensured by the individual countries.
12.1. Relevance - User Needs
Statistics on the availability and efficiency of public transport are necessary to promote alternative forms of transport in support to the objectives of the EU Sustainable and Mobility Strategy. Stakeholders involved in regional transport development, such as analysts, EC Services, policy makers and citizens, need these statistics to assess the performance and accessibility of transport systems, identify gaps in service provision, and design evidence-based policies that encourages a shift from private car use to more sustainable modes of travel.
12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction
Eurostat conducts regular user satisfaction surveys. User requests and comments are regularly received through Eurostat’s user support service.
The statistical indicators presented here are experimental and Eurostat intends to receive users’ comments by disseminating these data.
12.3. Completeness
The statistical indicators presented are experimental and cover only 3 EU countries, namely Lithuania, Luxembourg and Sweden. Data for Lithuania displays considerable data gaps - only data for buses and trolleybuses is available.
13.1. Accuracy - overall
Although the GTFS database is of standardized format, update schedule, accuracy and granularity of data source varies from country to country. Inconsistencies in the relational tables comprising the GTFS database can affect the reliability of the data source.
13.2. Sampling error
Not applicable
13.3. Non-sampling error
Not Applicable
14.1. Timeliness
Availability of data source is depended on MS publishing the corresponding GTFS data through the National Access Points and keep it up to date, as foreseen in the ITS Directive (ITS Directive and Action Plan - Mobility and Transport).
14.2. Punctuality
The proposed indicators rely on an open data source which however is fed by national transportation agencies, and it thus depends on the pace the countries transmit the data to the open source.
15.1. Comparability - geographical
Geographical comparability is obtained via the application of common concepts and validation rules. Currently these experimental statistics are presented for only 3 EU countries, but the geographical representation is expected to increase to include the 27 Member States, EFTA, potential candidate countries and potential candidates.
15.2. Comparability - over time
As these are experimental statistics, they are presented only for the year 2024. This is expected to expand to cover all subsequent years.
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
Not applicable
15.4. Coherence - internal
The statistical data are consistent within the specific dataset in terms of NUTS region and are considered of good internal coherence.
There are no additional costs for the countries and no additional burden on national statistical institutes.
17.1. Data revision - policy
As these data constitute experimental statistics, there is no specific revision policy for them.
17.2. Data revision - practice
The revision practices applied for these experimental statistics are described under sub-concept 17.2 (data revision - practice).
All reported errors (once validated) result in corrections of the disseminated experimental statistics data. Once experimental statistics data are disseminated for a reference period, they are revised for that reference period if new data are provided and if processing/statistical methods are modified.
18.1. Source data
The GTFS is a community-driven open standard which provides a standardised data format to describe the details of a public transportation network (i.e. schedules, stops, fares etc.). Overall, GTFS data is well documented and comes in the form of a zip file containing various .txt files that together make up the relational tables of the GTFS database.
The OSM database refers to the geospatial data collected and maintained, which is contributed by volunteers around the world. It allows identification of regions and key points in the forms of nodes, ways and relations. The OSM data was used to complement the GTFS data to identify key points like public transport stops (nodes), as well as public transport lines and routes (ways and relations).
NUTS raw data is available via direct download form Eurostat repository. The data consists of various identifiers such as the name of the NUTS region, the region ID, the region level, and the actual geometry data (polygon or multipolygon). NUTS data is required to map/assign geographical points (latitude and longitude) to their respective NUTS regions in Europe, to enable the geographical aggregation required for the calculation of the statistical indicators.
The Eurostat 2021 Census population Grid is a dataset providing residential population counts at a resolution of 1km2 grid cells. The datasets are based on data collected under the 2021 EU Census Programme. It is used to complement the rest of the datasets when calculating the percentage of population that can be reached.
18.2. Frequency of data collection
Frequency of data collection depends on the countries updating the GTFS database. As these statistics are experimental there is no set frequency for the data collection yet.
18.3. Data collection
Data retrieval for the GTFS and OSM databases was performed via API by pulling the most recent file linked on the corresponding webpage.
NUTS raw data is available via direct download form Eurostat repository in the format of a geojson or .shp file.
18.4. Data validation
The data validation and cleaning is performed through the codification of common rules and quality checks, such as calculation of number of missing values in the data when investigating the data source. The result of this data validation/data cleaning is then considered for the data transformation and processing.
18.5. Data compilation
From the GTFS database and with the help of the NUTS dataset to enable the aggregation of the data the following indicators are calculated:
Number of public transport stops by NUTS 3 region;
Number of public transport lines by NUTS 3 region;
The GTFS and NUTS datasets are also complemented by the OSM data to enable routing calculations and the Eurostat 2021 Census population Grid data to calculate the percentage of population reached. As a result, the following indicators are calculated which measure the efficiency of public transport:
Share of area covered by public transport vs private car in a given time period by NUTS 3 region;
Share of population reached by public transport vs private car in a given time period by NUTS 3 region.
This dataset contains experimental data on the number of public transport stops and lines based on data retrieved from the General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) database which includes information on the public transportation network.
The data are presented for three EU countries, namely Lithuania, Luxembourg and Sweden.
For assessing the efficiency of public transport, the OpenStreetMap (OSM) data is considered to enable routing calculations for the comparison of the percentage of region area covered in a certain amount of time between public transport and passenger car. To assess the efficiency of public transport in terms of the percentage of population reached within a certain amount of time the Eurostat 2021 Census population Grid is also considered.
18 March 2026
The concepts used in this domain are the following:
Public Transport - The overall definition of public transportation includes any forms of transport, which are available to the public. This includes buses, trains, metros, tramways, cable cars, bike- and car-sharing, micro mobility services, taxis, car-pooling, ride hailing, ride-pooling , etc. This broad definition bases on the notion of access without ownership, acknowledging that a vast variety of transport services exist that are available to the general public to fulfil mobility needs without the prerequisite to privately own a transport asset, such as a car or a bike.
Passenger Car - Road motor vehicle, other than mopeds or motorcycles, intended for the carriage of passengers and designed to seat no more than nine persons (including the driver). Refers to category M1 of the UN Consolidated Resolution on the Construction of Vehicles (R.E.3).
Included are:
privately owned passenger cars;
company cars;
vans designed and used primarily for the transport of passengers (if duly registered in M1);
taxis;
private hire cars;
shared cars;
rented cars;
motorhomes (camper vans) below 3.5 tonnes maximum mass;
special passenger cars (ambulances, police cars, firefighter cars etc.).
Excluded are light utility vehicles (see B.II-27), buses (see B.II-18), motor coaches (see B.II-19) and mini-buses/mini-coaches (see B.II-20).
General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) - Open standard used to distribute relevant information about transit systems to riders. It allows public transit agencies to publish their transit data in a format that can be consumed by a wide variety of software applications. GTFS consists of two main parts: GTFS Schedule and GTFS Realtime.
GTFS Schedule - Feed specification that defines a common format for static public transport information. It is composed of a collection of simple files, mostly text files (.txt), that are contained in a single ZIP file. Each file describes a particular aspect of transit information such as stops, routes, trips, calendar, etc.
The data is collected at public transport stop / line level.
The statistical population includes all public transport stops, lines, routes.
The data are available for 3 EU countries, namely Lithuania, Luxembourg and Sweden.
Data for all countries was retrieved on April 2024
Although the GTFS database is of standardized format, update schedule, accuracy and granularity of data source varies from country to country. Inconsistencies in the relational tables comprising the GTFS database can affect the reliability of the data source.
The availability of the public transport is measured as the number of public transport stops and lines.
The efficiency of the public transport network is measured as the percentage of area covered and percentage of population reached at a certain travel time.
From the GTFS database and with the help of the NUTS dataset to enable the aggregation of the data the following indicators are calculated:
Number of public transport stops by NUTS 3 region;
Number of public transport lines by NUTS 3 region;
The GTFS and NUTS datasets are also complemented by the OSM data to enable routing calculations and the Eurostat 2021 Census population Grid data to calculate the percentage of population reached. As a result, the following indicators are calculated which measure the efficiency of public transport:
Share of area covered by public transport vs private car in a given time period by NUTS 3 region;
Share of population reached by public transport vs private car in a given time period by NUTS 3 region.
The GTFS is a community-driven open standard which provides a standardised data format to describe the details of a public transportation network (i.e. schedules, stops, fares etc.). Overall, GTFS data is well documented and comes in the form of a zip file containing various .txt files that together make up the relational tables of the GTFS database.
The OSM database refers to the geospatial data collected and maintained, which is contributed by volunteers around the world. It allows identification of regions and key points in the forms of nodes, ways and relations. The OSM data was used to complement the GTFS data to identify key points like public transport stops (nodes), as well as public transport lines and routes (ways and relations).
NUTS raw data is available via direct download form Eurostat repository. The data consists of various identifiers such as the name of the NUTS region, the region ID, the region level, and the actual geometry data (polygon or multipolygon). NUTS data is required to map/assign geographical points (latitude and longitude) to their respective NUTS regions in Europe, to enable the geographical aggregation required for the calculation of the statistical indicators.
The Eurostat 2021 Census population Grid is a dataset providing residential population counts at a resolution of 1km2 grid cells. The datasets are based on data collected under the 2021 EU Census Programme. It is used to complement the rest of the datasets when calculating the percentage of population that can be reached.
Frequency of dissemination will be decided once the statistics become European statistics.
Availability of data source is depended on MS publishing the corresponding GTFS data through the National Access Points and keep it up to date, as foreseen in the ITS Directive (ITS Directive and Action Plan - Mobility and Transport).
Geographical comparability is obtained via the application of common concepts and validation rules. Currently these experimental statistics are presented for only 3 EU countries, but the geographical representation is expected to increase to include the 27 Member States, EFTA, potential candidate countries and potential candidates.
As these are experimental statistics, they are presented only for the year 2024. This is expected to expand to cover all subsequent years.
