The more trips made on foot, the more cars sit idle — these are two important findings from a new mobility study commissioned by the federal government.
The car remains the most important means of transportation in Germany. But increasingly it is not used. These are the results of the latest study “Mobility in Germany”, prepared by the Infas Institute of Applied Social Sciences on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Transport. Based on this, almost half of the cars are not driven on a typical day. In 2008, only a third of cars were idle during the day.
Electric cars are used like combustion engines
The study authors note that electric cars are no longer only used for short-distance travel, but are now used almost as much as combustion engines. It is said that there is almost no difference in annual mileage and route length per trip. “Currently, the proportion of distances longer than 30 kilometers or more is 13 percent, almost the same as the distance traveled by combustion vehicles.”
The average annual mileage for electric cars is 14,600 kilometers, while for all cars it is 13,700 kilometers, but for new combustion engines starting registration in 2020 the average is 16,800 kilometers.
“The car remains the most important means of transport,” said Federal Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder (CDU). Although people rarely drive for the first time, cars are still indispensable for many people, especially in rural areas. According to research, 53 percent of all trips and 73 percent of all kilometers are made by drivers or passengers.
More routes are taken on foot
According to the study, it is surprising that pedestrian traffic has now become much more important. This is the highest level since 2008, namely four percent of all kilometers traveled this way. For comparison: For bicycles, the figure is eleven percent. Study author Robert Follmer said dogs have been walked more frequently since the coronavirus pandemic and health awareness with pedometers is more prominent than in the past.
Local public transport has recovered from the low levels of Corona, mainly thanks to Deutschlandticket. According to research, this is commonplace for 16 percent of survey respondents. In big cities, the proportion reaches 33 percent. Deutschlandtickets are not only used to get to work. 32 percent of trips are recreational trips.
According to the ministry, the research is based on a national survey of households in more than 1,000 towns and cities regarding their daily traffic behavior. Between May 2023 and June 2024, more than 218,000 households and approximately 421,000 people were surveyed. Research was conducted in 2002, 2008 and 2017.
