Public-transport accessibility (ARE index): all cantons compared
Public-transport accessibility (ARE index) 2017: the highest value goes to the canton of Basel-Stadt (13'686.3), the lowest to the canton of Obwalden (328.4). The full ranking of all 26 cantons:
Tap a canton.
Federal Office for Spatial Development (ARE) accessibility index by public transport: how many residents and jobs can be reached from a place, weighted by travel time (national passenger transport model NPVM 2017, EWAP variant). Canton value = population-weighted mean of its communes. A context figure: higher means denser reach, typical of city cantons; it says nothing about quality of life. Road accessibility and the commune values are on the infrastructure hub. (Source: ARE Erreichbarkeit)
| # | Canton | Value | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Basel-Stadt | 13'686.3 | 2017 |
| 2 | Geneva | 10'647.9 | 2017 |
| 3 | Zurich | 8'882.3 | 2017 |
| 4 | Vaud | 5'155.2 | 2017 |
| 5 | Zug | 4'037.1 | 2017 |
| 6 | Bern | 3'486 | 2017 |
| 7 | Basel-Landschaft | 3'061 | 2017 |
| 8 | Lucerne | 2'517.7 | 2017 |
| 9 | Neuchâtel | 2'437 | 2017 |
| 10 | Solothurn | 2'283.2 | 2017 |
| 11 | Aargau | 2'095.2 | 2017 |
| 12 | St. Gallen | 2'007.3 | 2017 |
| 13 | Ticino | 1'721.4 | 2017 |
| 14 | Schaffhausen | 1'666.9 | 2017 |
| 15 | Schwyz | 1'661.8 | 2017 |
| 16 | Fribourg | 1'565.3 | 2017 |
| 17 | Thurgau | 1'554.4 | 2017 |
| 18 | Grisons | 1'511.9 | 2017 |
| 19 | Nidwalden | 1'244.3 | 2017 |
| 20 | Valais | 919 | 2017 |
| 21 | Glarus | 820 | 2017 |
| 22 | Appenzell Outer Rhodes | 809.3 | 2017 |
| 23 | Appenzell Inner Rhodes | 633 | 2017 |
| 24 | Jura | 614.6 | 2017 |
| 25 | Uri | 605.9 | 2017 |
| 26 | Obwalden | 328.4 | 2017 |
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| Official source | ARE Erreichbarkeit |
| Dataset (archive) | data/infra/infra-metrics-cantons.json · manifest |
| SHA-256 checksum | 87d9cf9c104ab75affaa1f78… |
| Last retrieved from source | 2026-09-06 |
| Archive release (immutable) | SLI-2026-10-03.32 |
| Calculation (derived) | = down_1000_pct (building-weighted) |
License: CC BY 4.0 (compilation); underlying figures remain subject to the source’s terms.
Frequently asked questions
Which canton has the lowest Public-transport accessibility (ARE index)?
The canton of Obwalden, at 328.4.
Which canton has the highest Public-transport accessibility (ARE index)?
The canton of Basel-Stadt, at 13'686.3.