Company profile
What we now know as the Prague Public Transit Company was founded on 1 September 1897 as the “Office of Municipal Electric Companies” an enterprise of the Royal Capital City of Prague”. At that time, in addition to its public transportation services, this entity also engaged in the production and distribution of electricity. In 1946, after the nationalization of the energy sector and the gradual separation of power plants, gas and waterworks, the remaining public transportation part of the then “Municipal Enterprises of Prague” was transformed into the “Transport Enterprises of the Capital City of Prague”. The name of the company, its organization and management changed several times in later years. In 1991, the entity was changed into a joint stock company, which we now know as the “Prague Public Transit Company” (DPP), the sole owner of which is the Capital City of Prague.
DPP is also a shareholder in certain other private businesses, which are involved in transportation related services. As part of its commitment to offering a high quality of service to its passengers, DPP offers a range of ticket (fare) options, a network of points of sale and vending machines and regular (fixed and announced) schedule of travel times. DPP is also working on the introduction of what are referred to as “public transport preferences”, which are both active and passive systems to prioritize and optimize the movement of public transport vehicles. In addition, DPP and the Prague Integrated Transport System (PID) are working to make improve the availability of park-and-ride P + R car parking options for public transport passengers.
Metro
The metro rail network of DPP forms the backbone of the public transportation system within Prague and the system provides it passengers with 61 stations on three separate routes “Lines A, B and C which travel a total distance of 65.4 kilometers. In accordance with the latest design standards to provide accessibility to those with limited mobility and orientation difficulties, in all of its newly built stations there are lifts and these stations are barrier free. DPP is also working to make the choice to ride easier by installing park-and-ride facilities at stations. As at 31 December 2021, there were three major such facilities (Kačerov, Zličín and Hostivař) providing parking for a total of 730 vehicles. In terms of riding on the Prague metro, there are two basic types of cars, which are joined together to form five-car trains (referred to as “sets”). On Line C, there are M1 type cars, which run out of the Kačerov depot. The second type of rail car, which runs on Lines A and B are older and bear the designation 81-71M. These are modified / reconstructed versions of the older Soviet-era type 81-71 cars.
Trams
As of 31 December 2021, Prague had a 143 kilometer tram network (with a total of 563.9 kilometers of tram tracks) on which it ran 26 lines during the day, reduced to just 9 during nighttime hours. There are currently 770 vehicles in the operating tram fleet of which 393 are low-floor. The service is run out of 7 tram depots (Hloubětín, Kobylisy, Motol, Pankrác, Strašnice, Vokovice and Žižkov). In the tram fleet, there are two different types of basic vehicle – the classic T-series trams, which run as individual vehicles (solo), and the second type, which includes several versions of articulated and multi-unit trams. The tram division also operates the Petřín Hill funicular and the funicular at the Prague Zoo in Troja. The Petřín funicular rises a total of 130.45 meters and is 510.4 meters in length. The chairlift at the zoo is a single-rope orbital cableway with fixed slings. Its travels 105.9 meters with a rise of 50.1 meters.
Buses
As of the end of 2021, and together with Prague Integrated Transport (PID), the Prague Public Transit Company (DPP) operated 98 daily city bus routes, 13 suburban routes, 16 school routes, 1 special route for people with reduced mobility and 14 night-service routes + 1 trolleybus route. The total length of all 143 routes is 1,807.5 km. Out of a total of 1,211 buses, 1,204 are currently low-floor vehicles. DPP has 5 main bus garages, which are at Klíčov, Vršovice, Kačerov, Hostivař and Řepy.
As evidenced by the above numbers as part of its fleet renewal program, one of DPP’s priorities has been to purchase low-floor vehicles to better serve its handicapped and disabled passengers. Other goals include the reduction of vehicle pollution by purchasing new buses with low-emission engines (EEV) and the testing of alternative propulsion systems. To improve operational efficiency and to reduce costs, the use of articulated buses on heavily traveled routes is being increased; and, at the same time, smaller midibuses are increasingly being used for lower demand and limited service routes.