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Moovit Unveils 2024 Global Public Transport Report: See How Toronto Compares

New York, New York  – December 2024

Big data insights from 50 cities across 17 countries reveals trends in Commute Times, Wait Times, Transfers, Payment, and Transit Improvement Factors

  • Toronto transit commuters have the second worst transit commutes among Canadian and US cities  55 minutes — Vancouver is the worst
  • Torontonians will spend 1 year, 7 months throughout a lifetime riding transit
  • Lower cost fares is the #1 issue stopping Torontonians from using transit more often
  • Toronto ties with New York, Boston, Chicago, and Philadelphia for wait times

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 Canada, data was analyzed in the greater Toronto and Vancouver areas. Key metrics in the report include Commute Time, Wait Time, Transfers, Public Transit Improvement Factors, and Payment Preferences.

HOW TORONTO COMPARES IN NORTH AMERICA

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

  • Top 3 longest transit commute times between Canadian and American regions:
    • Vancouver— 60 minutes = 1 year, 8 months spent riding transit in a lifetime
    • Toronto – 55 minutes = 1 year, 7 months riding transit in a lifetime
    • Miami — 52 minutes = 1 year, 5 months riding transit in a lifetime
  • Mexico City reigns for longest commute amongst all cities— 67 minutes — equal to 1 year and 10 months spent riding transit in a lifetime

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

  • Transit commuters in Toronto, New York, Boston, and Chicago all have the same average wait time — 14 minutes
  • Across Canada and the US cities, Miamians wait the longest — 21 minutes,
  • Seattle riders have the shortest wait times — 12 minutes, on average

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

  • Just 22% of Torontonians get to their destination with 1 line, the lowest in North America
    • While 22% of Torontonians endure using 3 or more lines per journey 

Improvement Factors: 

  • The biggest issues for Canadian transit riders that, if fixed, would encourage them to ride transit more often
    • Higher frequency of vehicles — 29%
    • Lower cost fares — 26%
    • Accurate and reliable arrival times — 19%

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

  • Despite digital payment options on the rise, 67% of Canadians prefer to pay fares using a transit card, followed by second (12%)

“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 — 57 minutes — equal to 1 year and 10 months spent riding public transportation in a lifetime
  • The world’s shortest commutes are in Venice — 42 minutes — equal to 1 year, 5 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

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. 

Additional Company Information

About Moovit

Moovit (www.moovit.com) is the creator behind the #1 commuter app. Moovit’s iOS, Android, and Web apps offer users a smart mobility experience to easily get to their destination using any mode of public and shared transportation. Transit riders can benefit from mobile ticketing to plan, pay, and ride with transit services. Introduced in 2012, Moovit now serves over 1.5 billion users in more than 3,500 cities across 112 countries, in 45 languages. 

Moovit amasses up to six billion anonymous data points a day to add to the world’s largest repository of transit and urban mobility data. 

Ziv Kabarreti
VP of Product, Moovit