Vienna Public Transport Dictionary: The secrets of the lingua franca revealed!

Vienna Public Transport Dictionary: The secrets of the lingua franca revealed!

Everyday life in Vienna revolves around the extensive public transport network, where passengers, drivers, pedestrians and cyclists interact in a colorful way. With a new highlight in the city's communication culture, Erich Kocina has now published a "Vienna Public Transport Dictionary" that summarizes the various nicknames and derisive names of our beloved means of transport. Loud My district Kocina has collected over 360 terms from 160 years of public transport life in Vienna, which many will certainly fondly remember from the “tramway rail scratchers” who used to be responsible for cleaning the rails.

“The ‘Angsthäuferl’ has a very special place in my heart, a clever trick used by tram drivers to prevent the wheels from slipping,” explains Kocina. The 144-page book costs 16 euros and was published by Ueberreuter Verlag. It offers fascinating access to the city's history and is likely to be of great interest to both Viennese and tourists.

The variety of connection options

Vienna has a lot more to offer than just traditional train tickets. The city can look back on a dense network of public transport: with 30 tram, five subway and 135 bus lines, the Vienna public transport lines transport around 2.4 million passengers every day. In a comparison by the ÖAMTC, the Wiener Linien took third place among 23 major cities tested in Europe in terms of travel time, transfer and waiting times as well as information at stops and ticket prices, such as City of Vienna reported.

The subway network includes five lines, 101 stations and stretches over 75 kilometers. What is particularly exciting is the constant renewal and expansion of the transport network, which can be used at any time during the week until late at night. Most lines run from 5:00 a.m. to 12:30 a.m.

Insight into history and the future

Local public transport (ÖPNV) is not only the city's most important mode of transport, but also a piece of Vienna's history. With a modal split of 39% of the journeys made in Vienna using public transport, it is the city's most important mode of transport, which ranks at the top among the largest cities in Austria and beyond Wikipedia.

In recent years, the proportion of public transport users has increased noticeably. From 2011 to 2018 the number increased by 10.4%, while the population in Vienna grew by 10.9%. A notable aspect is the introduction of the annual ticket in 2012, which was set at 365 euros and led to a decline in short-term tickets.

With a colorful mix of history, progress and an ingenious new dictionary, Vienna is always very popular not only in terms of transport but also culturally. So the next time you hop on the Vienna subway or get on a tram, maybe you now have a term ready to put a smile on your face.