Halle (dpa/sa) – Transport companies in Saxony-Anhalt transported significantly fewer people in 2021 than before the start of the corona pandemic. The companies counted a total of around 153 million passengers, as the State Statistical Office announced on Wednesday. That was 3.3 percent less than in the previous year and 16.2 percent less than in 2019. Journeys on Deutsche Bahn trains were not included in the count.

Providers of occasional transport, who organize excursions or holiday trips, were particularly affected by the decline. In 2021, they accounted for just a small fraction of all trips in 2021, at 2.2 percent.

No projections are available for the current year. However, the transport companies from Saxony-Anhalt already counted around 15 percent more passengers in the first quarter of 2022 than in 2021.