The pandemic has disrupted habits in Greater Montreal, which has seen a historic drop in the number of trips in 35 years. Teleworking means that people travel less by car, but especially by public transport, according to a vast survey carried out every five years since 1970 and the results of which were revealed on Wednesday.
200,000 fewer trips
Travel decreased by 4% across the metropolitan region between 2018 and 2023, according to the survey conducted by the Regional Metropolitan Transport Authority (ARTM). That’s more than 200,000 fewer trips for a typical weekday, despite the addition of 117,000 households in the greater metropolitan area. It was only in 1987 that such a significant decrease was observed, in the midst of an economic recession due to the oil crisis.
Teleworking is popular
Photo Adobe Stock
Teleworking is well established in people’s lives during the pandemic, which partly explains this historic decline in travel. In fall 2023, on the day of the survey, more than a quarter were teleworking. Those whose workplace is located in the city center were even more likely to work from home, i.e. one in four.
Public transport suffers
It is public transport that suffers the most from the overall reduction in the number of trips. People made more than 100,000 fewer trips by metro, bus or train during the morning rush hour in fall 2023 than in 2018, a drop of 25%. The number of car trips decreased by 10% during rush hour during the same period.
JOEL LEMAY/AGENCE QMI
The car remains at the heart of travel
People travel less, but when they travel, they still use their car. Between 2018 and 2023, the share of car trips over a 24-hour period has remained relatively stable, increasing from 67 to 66%. The vehicle fleet continues to increase. It would have reached more than 2.5 million vehicles. This is 1.23 vehicles per household, an increase of 4% in five years, according to the latest figures from the Société d’assurance automobile du Québec dating from 2022.
Sarah Daoust-Braun / 24H
More active transportation than before
People are increasingly opting for walking and cycling to get around. The share of trips that include at least one active mode increased by 4 percentage points in 2023 compared to 2018. During the morning rush hour, the share of active trips increased in Montreal, but also in Longueuil, Laval , on the northern crown and on the southern crown.
Not at the same time
When we travel, we don’t necessarily do it at the same time as five years ago. Although trips are no longer as numerous during the morning rush hour, they have increased by 6% during the day, between 9 a.m. and 3:29 p.m., all modes of transport combined.
A typical day
The 2023 Mobility Perspectives metropolitan survey was conducted by the Regional Metropolitan Transport Authority.
Formerly known as the origin-destination survey, it has been carried out every five years since 1970. It aims to represent travel on an average autumn weekday, all modes of transport combined.
In the fall of 2023, 110,000 people took part and agreed to describe a typical day of their travels.