Tram Driver World Championship Spotlights Unconventional Skills in Vienna

Wed Oct 22 2025 10:40:16 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

In a groundbreaking event, tram drivers from around the world gathered in Vienna to showcase their unique skills, competing in challenges that included bowling and curling with trams.

The inaugural Tram Driver World Championship took place in Vienna, where participants from cities like Hong Kong and San Diego tested their skills through quirky challenges. Austrian driver Florijan Isaku emerged victorious, while drivers from Poland and Norway followed suit. The event commemorated 160 years of trams in Vienna and drew a large crowd, celebrating the unexpected capabilities of tram operators.

An Austrian tram driver has been crowned the winner of the first ever Tram Driver World Championship in Vienna.

Drivers from Hong Kong, Rio de Janeiro, and San Diego travelled to the city to show off their tram operating skills in front of thousands of spectators.

The event saw drivers compete in a series of tram-based challenges, including quirky tasks of bowling and curling using the vehicle.

Organisers said that thousands of visitors came to watch the spectacle, which marked 160 years since trams were introduced to Vienna.

The Austrian team beat off competition from reigning European champions Budapest who were on track to win but ended up in fourth place.

A total of 25 teams from across the globe battled out on a 250 metre long course.

The world's tram-driving pros were tested on their ability to operate the vehicles in eight challenges, which included braking and accelerating smoothly.

One test saw a bowl of water strapped to the front of the tram, with the driver tasked with braking smoothly in an effort to not spill any liquid.

Another challenge - tram curling - saw the drivers push a bicycle trolley so it halted at a specific spot.

One fan favorite, tram bowling, involved using a giant ball to knock down inflatable pins.

While Austria nabbed first place, second place was awarded to Poland, followed by Norway, with Croatia finishing last.

The Austrian entrant Florijan Isaku, expressed his overwhelming joy at winning in his home country, saying, It's just great and describing Vienna's public transport operator, Wiener Linien, as a family.

On the other hand, it was a disappointing day for Hungary, whose representative Krisztina Schneider, the European champion, found herself challenged by the curling task, saying, I thought my speed would be enough but in the end it wasn't. The next European championships are scheduled to take place in Warsaw, Poland.