Over 107 million Americans drive to work, according to a report by U.S.Pirg Education Fund. That’s more than 80% of all commuters – incredibly, more than 70% drive in alone! No wonder the roads in the top 100 urban US centres get a little congested.
In stark contrast less than 2% of commuters use the subway, but it’s not all bad news for the environment. The general consensus is that the age of the car is over. Of the 100 largest urban centres:
- 99 saw a falling share of workers commuting by car.
- 86 saw the share of families with two cars decrease.
- 84 saw the proportion of households without cars increase.
- 60 saw declining passenger-miles-per-resident
The car may be running out of petrol, but judging by the sheer number of vehicles, it’s a long road there…
How America Gets To Work
| # | Transport | Commuters |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Car | 107,460,210 |
| 2 | Carpool | 13,675,867 |
| 3 | Work from Home | 6,143,943 |
| 4 | Walk | 3,969,058 |
| 5 | Bus | 3,692,559 |
| 6 | Subway | 2,480,371 |
| 7 | Bicycle | 864,883 |
| 8 | Train | 755,366 |
| 9 | Motorcycle | 324,770 |
| 10 | Taxi | 161,905 |
| 11 | Trolley | 85,096 |
| 12 | Ferry | 40,064 |
Compare that to how Australia gets to work.