Data published this week, shows that half of Swiss workers travel to and from work by car, despite a push to get commuters to switch to public transport to meet climate targets.
Federal Statistical Office data shows that around 80% of the nation’s 5 million workers were required to travel to work in 2022. Of those 71% travelled outside their home municipality, with a quarter travelling to another canton.
Half of commuters (50%) went to and from work by car, the most popular mode of transport, a proportion unchanged from 1990.
In 2022, only 16% of workers made their commute by rail, 13% by public road transport, 9% by bike (including e-bike), 9% on foot, with the remaining 2% travelling by motorcycle.
The only notable differences between 1990 and 2022 were a shift from public road transport (17% to 13%) to rail transport (11% to 16%) and a fall in the percentage riding motorcycles (4% to 2%). Bike use rose from 7% to 9% when e-bikes are included.
For Switzerland to achieve its climate goals it has long been the hope that mobility will shift towards public transport. Transport makes up 33% of Switzerland’s greenhouse gas emissions, excluding international air travel and shipping. And more than three quarters of transport emissions come from cars and motorcycles.
Part of the challenge is the relative attractiveness of driving. Trains and buses work well for those who live and work near key public transport hubs or in well served cities. However, for most Swiss they are inconvenient. In addition, public transport is relatively expensive, despite being heavily subsidised. This also comes with a political dimension – rural and suburban dwellers who rely on cars to get around often resent subsidising a public transport system that they rarely use and get upset when they are chastised for using the mode of transport most suited to their geography.
Another way to attack the problem would be to further electrify road transport whilst increasing the production of emission-free electricity. It might also be worth considering infrastructure that allows people to combine car transport with public transport. Low cost parking on the edges of cities with good public transport connections could the cut the distances driven.
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