The most used means of transportation in Portugal is the car, reveals survey

The personal car is the most used means of transport in Portugal, with a usage above the average of six countries analyzed in a survey by the company Ipsos, which includes Spain, France, Belgium, Italy and Germany

According to the survey commissioned by the insurer Europ Assistance, during the week the car itself is the most used means of transport in Portugal (37% use it more than an hour a day), which increases at the weekend (40%), while the average of the six countries is 29 and 31%, respectively.

Not even the changes triggered by the covid-19 pandemic, the cost of transportation or environmental concerns have changed the prominent position occupied by the car in commuting in Portugal.

Walking comes in second in the country, both during the week (32%) and during the weekend (30%), being the main way of commuting in the average of these countries (33 and 35%).

The use of public transportation comes in third place, both in Portugal (15% and 8%) and in the average of the six European countries (14 and 9%).

As for the distance between home and work, more than half (58%) of the journeys in Portugal are less than 10 kilometers, while the average is a little less (52%).

The survey also reveals that "almost half of Europeans also use the bicycle as a transportation alternative, with electric bicycles being adopted by one in five people".

Ipsos polled 'online' 6.000 people, with "national samples representative of 1.000 people per country", concluding that Portugal is the country that spends the most monthly on mobility (fuel, tolls, parking, public transport, bike or scooter rental, tvde - individual passenger transport in uncharacterized vehicles managed by an electronic platform).

The monthly budget in Portugal reaches 150 euros, above France (145), Italy (135), Germany (134), Belgium (128) and Spain (109). The average of the six is 133 euros.

The study was conducted between November 29 and December 9, 2022 and indicates that the covid-19 pandemic has led to some changes in mobility habits, with walking, cycling and scootering becoming more frequent.

Electric bicycles are more used in Belgium and Germany than in the other countries, while bicycles and scooters are more popular in Germany and Italy.

In contrast, the use of the means in which there is greater proximity, such as public transport and even car sharing, has decreased.

Also mainly due to the pandemic, telecommuting has increased and has an effect on mobility habits.

The Ipsos analysis concludes that "the vast majority of Europeans work at least one day a week at home", with Portugal in second place in this 'ranking' with an average of 2.2 days.

According to the study's press release, "Germany, with an average of 2.4 days a week, is the country where teleworking has the greatest weight. France and Belgium have only 1.6 days of work at home, below the European average of two days.

In the future, the Europeans surveyed, in addition to walking, "intend to use public transport and bicycles more, especially in Italy and Portugal.

But "change may still take some time" because "even if Europeans are aware that environmental issues must be a priority and that efforts should be made to change mobility habits only a small percentage really feels uncomfortable with the use of cars," the note adds.