Prague’s metro will start shutting down at 10 p.m., trams and buses will shift to night schedules early

 Prague’s metro system will start to shut down as of 10 pm starting on Monday, November 2. This is two hours earlier than usual. The reason is due to the restrictions on movement of people due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Ropid, which organizes public transit in Prague and Central Bohemia, announced that the last trains will leave the terminal stations at 10 pm for their final journeys of the day.

Changes also affect other modes of transit. Regular daytime tram service, which is already running on a holiday schedule, will stop between 10 pm and 10:30 pm. Night trams will start operation at 10 pm, and run at half hour intervals. The first night tram will leave from the central change point at Lazarská at 10:30 pm. The obligation to wear a face covering in public transit will continue, and the front doors of trams will not open.

Regular daily bus service will also end between 10 pm and 10:30 pm. Night bus operation will start at 10 pm, with an interval of 60 minutes. Backbone lines 904, 905, 910 and 911 will have an interval of 30 minutes.

With the exception of lines 951 and 953, the operation of night suburban bus lines will be abolished in agreement with towns and municipalities.

On the regional railway, the interval on the backbone lines from Prague to the Central Bohemian Region — lines S1, S2 + S22, S4, S7, S9 — will be extended from 30 to 60 minutes after 9 pm.

Demand for public transport has fallen by 70% compared to the usual situation due to coronavirus restictions.

Despite many vehicles running almost empty, the schedule is being maintained so as not to restrict the movement of staff of medical facilities and other professions working around the clock. Rotating workers on night shifts will be able to use the last daily connections on the way to and from work.

If, in connection with the shortening of the daily operation of public transit lines any complications in arise in some areas, the city is ready to address the issue with slight modifications, Ropid said in a press release.

Prague Mayor Zdeněk Hřib (Pirates) thanked the people of Prague on his social media profile for their discipline and restriction of movement. "Compared to other regions, it is even a model of a responsible approach. This is the right way. The results correspond to this. Prague is by far not the most affected municipality in terms of the spread of the disease, although the capital has all the prerequisites for that,” Hřib said.

“We just have to endure it for a while, continue to follow the measures and go out only for exercise or health walks in nature. Thanks again for that!” he added.