BEIJING — China saw a rising use of public transport in urban areas in 2021, official data showed.

Last year, the number of passenger trips using public transport in 36 major cities reached 52.95 billion, jumping 19.9 percent from a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Transport.

More specifically, the number of bus and tram passengers increased 11.4 percent year-on-year during the period, while that of rail passengers soared 34.3 percent, the ministry said.