According to major media reports, there were a total of 1,911 damage events in Zurich public transport last year, marking a ten percent increase compared to the previous year. Cases increased in the categories of collisions with vehicles, accidents with bodily injury, and malicious damage. There were 926 collisions with vehicles, including 530 with cars, 289 with utility vehicles, and 64 with bicycles, mopeds, or e-scooters.
Last year, there were 853 such accidents, and in 2023, there were 733. In 687 accidents, persons were injured, with 345 of these being stop accidents, which occur when vehicle personnel must initiate an emergency stop due to another road user. Vandalism increased from 89 malicious damage events in 2024 to 117 last year.
The VBZ stated with regret that there were two fatal accidents in 2025. One fatal accident occurred on October 10, 2025, when a pensioner was hit by a tram while crossing the street and later died in the hospital. The pensioner noticed the approaching tram, ran faster toward the tram tracks, and was then hit by the tram.
The second fatal accident occurred on November 15, 2025, when an 85-year-old woman was hit and dragged several meters by an approaching Cobra tram while crossing the street in District 8, and later died in the hospital. All damage events with insurance or liability consequences are recorded, evaluated, and analyzed by the VBZ in various categories. The statistics cover the entire VBZ transport performance in the city and region, and they are absolute numbers, without adjustment for the distance traveled, the number of passengers transported, or the general traffic volume in Zurich.
It is unknown what specific measures the VBZ is planning to reduce accidents and vandalism, and how these accident rates compare to other Swiss cities or public transport systems. The causes of the non-fatal accidents have not been detailed.