As the year comes to a close, Moovit, the #1 commuter app which has guided 1.5 billion users in 3,500 cities across 112 countries, unveils its end of year 2024 Global Public Transport Report. The report, composed of big data analyzed from tens of millions of trip requests performed by Moovit app users, coupled with user research in 50 cities across 17 countries, portrays a fascinating picture of how people travel across cities using public transportation, with key insights into transit network efficiency and accessibility. 

In the United States, data was analyzed in the Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Greater Miami, New York-New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, DC-Maryland-Virginia metropolitan areas. 

Key report metrics and some USA findings include:

Commute Time: The average time it takes to commute one way

• Greater Miami commuters endure the longest transit commutes — averaging 52 minutes — equal to 1 year and 5 months spent riding transit during a life time
• San Franciscans and Philadelphia tie for the shortest commutes — averaging 43 minutes — equal to 1 year and 2 months year spent riding transit during a lifetime
  • 74% of them enjoying short commutes of up to 30 minutes

Wait Time: Average time spent waiting at stations, per trip 

• Miamians wait the longest — 21 minutes, with 19% waiting more than 20 minutes 
• Seattle riders have the shortest wait times — 12 minutes, on average
• Commuters in New York-New Jersey, Boston, Chicago, and Philadelphia areas all average the same wait time — 14 minutes

Transfers: Average number of transfers required for riders to reach their destination

• Boston has the highest amount of transit riders — 25% — using three or more lines per journey, the worst in the US
• In San Francisco, 40% get to their destination using one line

Improvement Factors: 

• The biggest issues for US transit riders that, if fixed, would encourage them to ride transit more often
  • Higher frequency of vehicles — 24%
  • Accurate and reliable arrival times — 24%
  • Lower cost fares — 21%
• Top three cities with the highest percentage of riders that prioritize Safety as the #1 factor that would encourage them to use public transportation more often: 
  • South West, UK — 14%
  • Chicago — 13%
  • Los Angeles — 12% 

Payment Preferences: How riders prefer to pay for their transit journeys 

• Despite digital payment options on the rise, transit riders in each city prefer to pay using a transit card, with payment by cash coming in second 
  • Among people that prefer to pay their fare in cash, Los Angeles locals came in first with 36% 
  • Only 15% of US transit riders prefer to pay with their digital wallet or a transit app 

“As cities and towns continue to grow and evolve, understanding the daily experiences of transit riders is crucial to improving the future of mobility,” said Ziv Kabaretti, Moovit’s VP Product. “The Moovit 2024 Global Public Transport Report not only highlights the challenges that remain, but also shows the positive strides being made around the world to make commuting more convenient, efficient, and accessible.”

Compared to other global cities:

• Mexico City reigns for longest commute — 67 minutes — equal to 1 year and 10 months spent riding public transportation in a lifetime
  • In the US, Miami reigns with 52 minutes, equal to 1 year and 5 months 
• The world’s shortest commutes are in Venice — 42 minutes — equal to 1 year, 2 months
• New York (51 minutes) and London (50 minutes) have similar commute times
• Los Angeles and Paris both share an average of 47 minute commutes
• Paris transit riders have the shortest wait time among all cities — 10 minutes, with 65% waiting 5 minutes or less
  • However, almost ⅓ of Parisian commuters use 3+ lines during a single trip

The 2024 Global Public Transport Report can be viewed here.

NOTES TO EDITORS

Due to the extensive coverage offered by Moovit the named cities covered in Moovit’s report also include the region immediately surrounding that city.