Survey April 2026

What behaviour of fellow passengers disturbs passengers on public transport in the canton of Zurich, to what extent – and how often?

We have investigated this exciting question for the ZVV in the VBZ passenger voice.

We wanted to know how passengers perceive the behaviour of their fellow passengers on public transport in the canton of Zurich. The focus was on everyday manners and mutual consideration.

The results do not provide a representative picture of all passengers, but they do provide a picture of the mood that is very meaningful due to the high participation of 64%.

What behaviors of our fellow passengers are particularly disturbing to our passengers?

The respondents from our pool are most bothered by aggressive behavior as well as loud music, videos or games without headphones. Shoes or feet on the seats, loud phone calls and leaving rubbish and other dirt lying around were also often mentioned as very disturbing.

What was surprising, however, was that less than half of those surveyed find eating strong-smelling food or smoking at bus stops very disturbing.

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How often do our passengers experience which disruptive behaviors of fellow passengers?

In addition to the question of how strongly certain behaviors are disruptive, the study also examined how often passengers experience them. This makes it easier to classify the relevance of the perceived disturbance severity.

More than half of the participants say they experience the following disruptive behaviors on almost every trip except for many trips:

• Blocking free seats

• Loud phone calls

• Loud music, videos or games without headphones

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What is the relationship between the severity of the disturbance and the frequency of the disturbance?

The following graphic combines the results of the two questions on the severity of disturbance and the frequency of disruptive behaviors. It shows how strongly individual behaviors are perceived as disturbing by fellow passengers and how often the respondents state that they experience them on their public transport journeys.

The following behaviors are both frequently experienced and perceived as highly disruptive and are therefore the most relevant:

• Blocking free seats (e.g. by objects or sitting posture)

• Loud phone calls

• Loud music, videos or games without headphones

• Blocking aisles and doors

• Lack of consideration when getting on and off

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Who is responsible for being considerate of each other on public transport?

The participants were asked who is responsible for considerate behavior in public transport in the canton of Zurich. The results show that the majority of our pool sees the responsibility primarily with the individual passengers themselves.

At the same time, consideration in public transport is understood as a common task. Many see the responsibility not only with the passengers, but also with the public transport companies, politics and society as a whole. Respectful coexistence is thus seen as the result of the interaction of different actors.

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What measures promote more considerate behaviour in public transport?

In an open question, the participants were asked to name proposals for measures for a more considerate approach to each other in public transport in the canton of Zurich.

The question was answered by almost 30% of the participants. Many mentioned several aspects. The most frequently mentioned were the implementation of campaigns and the publication/visibility of behavioral instructions as well as clear rules.

These findings provide the ZVV with information on which measures could contribute to promoting more considerate treatment among passengers on public transport.