Public transport has still not recovered from the coronavirus pandemic, with recorded journeys down by 27% from the level of 2019, according to statistics agency CBS.

Passengers checked in on buses, trains and trams 966 million times in 2022 – 40% more than the previous year, but 27% down from 2019.

Lockdown rules were in force for the first two months of last year, but figures show the pattern continued into January 2023, when the number of journeys was 22% lower than in 2020 – the last time there were no social distancing restrictions in January.

The gap was widest during peak hours, suggesting that commuters are less likely to travel to work five days a week than before the pandemic. On Tuesdays the number of check-ins was down by 31% between 8am and 9am and 26% lower between 5pm and 6pm.

A recent study by the infrastructure ministry found evidence that home working had been built in to many employees’ routines, with people working from home for an average of 1.1 days a week.