Modal share
In-game article clicks load inline without leaving the challenge.
A modal share (also called mode split, mode-share, or modal split) is the percentage of travelers using a particular type of transportation or number of trips using said type. In freight transportation, this may be measured in mass.
Modal share is an important component in developing sustainable transport within a city or region. In recent years, many cities have set modal share targets for balanced and sustainable transport modes, particularly 30% of non-motorized (cycling and walking) and 30% of public transport. These goals reflect a desire for a modal shift, or a change between modes, and usually encompasses an increase in the proportion of trips made using sustainable modes.
Comparability of data
Modal share data is usually obtained by travel surveys, which are often conducted by local governments, using different methodologies. Sampling and interviewing techniques, definitions, the extent of geographical areas and other methodological differences can influence comparability. Most typical surveys refer to the main mode of transport used during trips to work. Surveys covering entire metropolitan areas are preferred over city proper surveys which typically cover only the denser inner city. As of 26 August 2025[update] the reference years in these lists span over two decades, making comparisons problematic, especially given changing population, new transportation infrastructure and the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, among other factors.
Modal split of journeys to work
The following tables present the modal split of journeys to work. It is better to use a measure of all trips on a typical weekday, but journey to work data is more readily available. It would also be beneficial to disaggregate private motor vehicles figures to car driver, car passengers and motorbikes (especially relevant for Asian cities).
Metropolitan areas with over 1,000,000 inhabitants
| Metro area | Walking | Cycling | Public transport | Private motor vehicle | Year | Survey area | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia Adelaide | 3% | 1% | 11% | 85% | 2016 | GCCSA | Australia |
| United States Atlanta | 1% | 0% | 3% | 86% | 2016 | UA | USA |
| Mexico Mexico City | 1% | 1% | 71% | 22% | 2019 | Mexico | |
| Greece Athens | 8% | 2% | 37% | 53% | 2006 | Greece | |
| New Zealand Auckland | 5% | 1% | 12% | 81% | 2018 | MUA | New Zealand |
| United States Austin | 2% | 1% | 3% | 83% | 2019 | USA | |
| United States Baltimore | 3% | 0% | 7% | 84% | 2016 | UA | USA |
| Spain Barcelona | 34.35% | 2.28% | 37.33% | 26.04% | 2018 | Spain | |
| China Beijing | 21% | 32% | 26% | 21% | 2005/2011 | China | |
| Serbia Belgrade | 23% | 1% | 49% | 27% | 2015 | Serbia | |
| Germany Berlin | 34% | 18% | 26% | 22% | 2023 | Germany | |
| Australia Brisbane | 4% | 1% | 14% | 81% | 2016 | GCCSA | Australia |
| Belgium Brussels | 36% | 9% | 24% | 29% | 2022 | Belgium | |
| Colombia Bogotá | 24% | 7% | 43% | 15% | 2019 | Colombia | |
| United States Boston | 5% | 1% | 14% | 73% | 2016 | UA | USA |
| Romania Bucharest | 31% | 2% | 27% | 36% | 2015 | Other (taxi): 4% | Romania |
| Hungary Budapest | 32% | 1% | 47% | 20% | 2011 | Hungary | |
| Canada Calgary | 4% | 1% | 8% | 84% | 2021 | CMA | Canada |
| United States Chicago | 7.1% | 1.8% | 20.5% | 51% | 2024 | USA | |
| Germany Cologne | 25% | 19% | 21% | 35% | 2017 | Germany | |
| United States Dallas | 1% | 0% | 2% | 90% | 2016 | UA | USA |
| South Korea Daejeon | 26% | 2% | 28% | 44% | 2012 | South Korea | |
| India Delhi | 21% | 12% | 48% | 19% | 2008/2011 | India | |
| United States Detroit | 1% | 0% | 2% | 92% | 2016 | USA | |
| United States Denver | 2% | 1% | 4% | 81% | 2020 | UA | USA |
| Bangladesh Dhaka | 19% | 39% | 29% | 13% | 2009 | Bangladesh | |
| Republic of Ireland Dublin | 18% | 7% | 15% | 59% | 2020 | Ireland | |
| Canada Edmonton | 3% | 1% | 6% | 87% | 2021 | CMA | Canada |
| China Guangzhou | 35% | 19% | 22% | 23% | 2021 | China | |
| Germany Hamburg | 22% | 22% | 24% | 32% | 2022 | Germany | |
| Finland Helsinki | 10.99% | 9.34% | 32.42% | 46% | 2016 | MA, Other: 0.5% | Finland |
| Hong Kong Hong Kong | 11% | 0.5% | 77% | 12% | 2011 | China | |
| United States Houston | 1% | 0% | 2% | 91% | 2016 | UA | USA |
| United States Indianapolis | 1% | 0% | 1% | 91% | 2016 | UA | USA |
| Indonesia Jakarta | 1% | 0.2% | 20% | 78%* | 2019 | UA *67% motorbike | Indonesia |
| Malaysia Kuala Lumpur | 0.5% | 0.5% | 21% | 78% | 2018 | Malaysia | |
| United States Las Vegas | 1% | 0% | 4% | 90% | 2016 | UA | USA |
| United Kingdom London | 26% | 2.5% | 44.5% | 27% | 2020 | UK | |
| United States Los Angeles | 3% | 1% | 5% | 85% | 2016 | UA | USA |
| Spain Madrid | 34% | 0.5% | 25% | 40% | 2018 | Spain | |
| Philippines Manila | 9% | 2% | 44% | 45% | 2019 | Philippines | |
| Australia Melbourne | 4% | 2% | 19% | 76% | 2016 | GCCSA | Australia |
| United States Miami | 2% | 1% | 4% | 87% | 2016 | UA | USA |
| Italy Milan | 18% | 10% | 41% | 29% | 2014 | Italy | |
| Belarus Minsk | 13% | 1% | 63% | 20% | 2016 | Belarus | |
| Canada Montreal | 5% | 2% | 22% | 70% | 2016 | CMA | Canada |
| India Mumbai | 27% | 6% | 52% | 15% | 2008/2011 | India | |
| Germany Munich | 33% | 21% | 22% | 24% | 2023 | Germany | |
| Japan Nagoya | 15% | 13% | 30% | 43% | 2011 | Japan | |
| United States New York City | 30.7% | 1.1% | 32.1% | 30.2% | 2019 | UA | USA |
| Japan Osaka | 7% | 19% | 61% | 13% | 2010 | Japan | |
| Canada Ottawa | 8% | 2% | 18% | 72% | 2016 | CMA | Canada |
| France Paris | 40% | 2% | 22% | 34% | 2020 | Parisiens | France |
| Australia Perth | 3% | 1% | 12% | 84% | 2016 | GCCSA | Australia |
| United States Philadelphia | 4% | 1% | 10% | 80% | 2016 | UA | USA |
| United States Phoenix | 2% | 1% | 2% | 87% | 2016 | UA | USA |
| United States Portland | 3% | 3% | 7% | 78% | 2016 | UA | USA |
| Czech Republic Prague | 35% | 1% | 37% | 25% | 2021 | Czech Republic | |
| Brazil Rio de Janeiro | 29% | 3% | 43% | 25% | 2012 | UA | Brazil |
| Italy Rome | 4% | 1% | 29% | 66% | 2014 | Italy | |
| United States San Antonio | 2% | 0% | 3% | 90% | 2016 | UA | USA |
| United States San Diego | 3% | 1% | 3% | 85% | 2016 | UA | USA |
| United States San Francisco | 5% | 2% | 20% | 64% | 2016 | UA | USA |
| United States San Jose | 2% | 2% | 5% | 84% | 2016 | UA | USA |
| Chile Santiago | 34.5% | 4% | 29.6% | 25.7% | 2012 | UA | Chile |
| Brazil São Paulo | 32% | 1% | 36% | 31% | 2017 | UA | Brazil |
| United States Seattle | 4% | 1% | 10% | 77% | 2016 | UA | USA |
| South Korea Seoul | N/A | 4% | 66% | 23% | 2014 | South Korea | |
| China Shanghai | 27% | 20% | 33% | 20% | 2009/2011 | China | |
| Singapore Singapore | 22% | 1% | 44% | 33% | 2011 | Singapore | |
| Bulgaria Sofia | N/A | N/A | 73% | 27% | 2010 | Bulgaria | |
| Sweden Stockholm | 14% | 7% | 47% | 32% | 2011 | Sweden | |
| Australia Sydney | 5% | 1% | 27% | 65% | 2020 | Deloitte | Australia |
| Taiwan Taipei | 13% | 4% | 43% | 40% | 2016 | Taiwan | |
| Israel Tel Aviv | 8.2% | 4.3% | 17.7% | 62.5% | 2022 | Israel | |
| Japan Tokyo | 23% | 14% | 51% | 12% | 2008/2009 | Japan | |
| Canada Toronto | 5% | 1% | 16% | 76% | 2021 | CMA | Canada |
| Canada Vancouver | 6% | 2% | 15% | 75% | 2021 | CMA | Canada |
| Austria Vienna | 30% | 11% | 34% | 25% | 2024 | Austria | |
| Poland Warsaw | 18% | 3% | 47% | 32% | 2015 | Poland | |
| United States Washington, D.C. | 3% | 1% | 6% | 56% | 2022 | UA | USA |
Metropolitan areas with over 250,000 inhabitants
| Metro area | walking | cycling | public transport | private motor vehicle | year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denmark Aarhus | 7% | 27% | 19% | 43% | 2004 |
| Spain Alicante | 18% | 0% | 13% | 69% | 2004 |
| Netherlands Amsterdam | 5% | 30% | 19% | 42% | 2020 |
| Italy Bari | 13% | 1% | 14% | 72% | 2001 |
| Switzerland Basel | 33% | 17% | 27% | 22% | 2015 |
| Switzerland Bern | 30% | 15% | 32% | 22% | 2015 |
| Spain Bilbao | 68.1% | 0.9% | 19.6% | 11.1% | 2021 |
| United Kingdom Birmingham | 1% | 1% | 25% | 66% | 2001 |
| Italy Bologna | 8% | 4% | 21% | 67% | 2001 |
| Germany Bonn | 28% | 15% | 17% | 41% | 2017 |
| Slovakia Bratislava | 26.7% | 1.6% | 32.6% | 37.7% | 2014 |
| Czech Republic Brno | 5% | 2% | 57% | 32% | 2012 |
| United States Buffalo | 6% | 1% | 14% | 79% | 2012 |
| Germany Bremen | 25% | 25% | 15% | 36% | 2018 |
| United Kingdom Bristol | 19% | 8% | 12% | 55% | 2011 |
| Australia Canberra | 5% | 3% | 8% | 85% | 2016 |
| New Zealand Christchurch | 4% | 6% | 5% | 84% | 2018 |
| Denmark Copenhagen | 30% | 26% | 18% | 26% | 2021 |
| Spain Córdoba | 18% | 1% | 10% | 71% | 2004 |
| Germany Dortmund | 19% | 10% | 22% | 49% | 2019 |
| Germany Dresden | 26% | 18% | 20% | 36% | 2018 |
| Republic of Ireland Dublin | 13.2% | 7.6% | 21.5% | 48.5% | 2016 |
| Germany Düsseldorf | 34% | 13% | 18% | 35% | 2017 |
| United Kingdom Edinburgh | 19% | 7% | 30% | 42% | 2009–2010 |
| Netherlands Eindhoven | 3% | 24% | 8% | 65% | 2004 |
| Germany Essen | 19% | 7% | 19% | 55% | 2019 |
| Italy Florence | 8% | 4% | 21% | 69% | 2001 |
| Germany Frankfurt | 11% | 15% | 30% | 44% | 2015 |
| Germany Freiburg im Breisgau | 29% | 34% | 16% | 21% | 2017 |
| Belgium Gent | 15.6% | 33.8% | 11.2% | 39% | 2021 |
| Poland Gdańsk | 20.8% | 5.9% | 32.1% | 41.2% | 2016 |
| Spain Gijón | 24% | 0% | 17% | 59% | 2004 |
| Sweden Gothenburg | 12% | 14% | 21% | 52% | 2004 |
| Austria Graz | 19% | 19% | 20% | 42% | 2018 |
| Netherlands The Hague | 5% | 22% | 30% | 43% | 2004 |
| Canada Halifax | 8% | 1% | 12% | 78% | 2016 |
| Canada Hamilton | 4% | 1% | 10% | 84% | 2016 |
| Germany Hanover | 26% | 19% | 19% | 36% | 2017 |
| Poland Kraków | 28.4% | 1.2% | 36.3% | 33.7% | 2013 |
| Spain Las Palmas | 15% | 0.42% | 13% | 68% | 2011 |
| Portugal Lisbon | 15.6% | 2.5% | 30.8% | 50.2% | 2020 |
| Spain Málaga | 12% | 0% | 11% | 77% | 2004 |
| Sweden Malmö | 14% | 26% | 25% | 34% | 2018 |
| Spain Murcia | 18% | 1% | 7% | 74% | 2004 |
| Italy Naples | 13% | 0% | 26% | 60% | 2001 |
| Germany Nuremberg | 30% | 15% | 23% | 32% | 2023 |
| Norway Oslo | 32% | 6% | 31% | 29% | 2022 |
| Italy Palermo | 12% | 1% | 9% | 78% | 2001 |
| Spain Pamplona | 42% | 2% | 13% | 41% | 2013 |
| Poland Poznań | 20.6% | 8.4% | 33.7% | 37.3% | 2019 |
| Canada Quebec City | 2% | 6% | 11% | 80% | 2016 |
| Netherlands Rotterdam | 5% | 14% | 25% | 56% | 2004 |
| Spain Seville | 13% | 7% | 18% | 62% | 2014 |
| Germany Stuttgart | 29% | 8% | 23% | 40% | 2017 |
| Estonia Tallinn | 14% | 2% | 34% | 49% | 2020 |
| Finland Tampere | 10% | 10% | 14% | 66% | 2021 |
| Italy Turin | 12% | 3% | 5% | 79% | 2004 |
| Netherlands Utrecht | 25.3% | 48.4% | 5.4% | 18.7% | 2018 |
| Spain Valencia | 16% | 1% | 21% | 62% | 2004 |
| Spain Valladolid | 22% | 1% | 20% | 57% | 2004 |
| Spain Vigo | 19% | 0% | 13% | 68% | 2004 |
| Lithuania Vilnius | 36% | 0% | 26% | 38% | 2011 |
| Spain Vitoria-Gasteiz | 45.6% | 8.0% | 9.5% | 35.5% | 2021 |
| New Zealand Wellington | 21% | 4% | 23% | 49% | 2018 |
| Canada Victoria (CMA) | 10% | 7% | 11% | 70% | 2016 |
| Canada Winnipeg | 5% | 2% | 14% | 79% | 2016 |
| Poland Wrocław | 24.2% | 6.3% | 27.6% | 41.4% | 2018 |
| Spain Zaragoza | 45.91% | 2.90% | 23.71% | 26.88% | 2017 |
| Switzerland Zürich | 33% | 12% | 32% | 21% | 2015 |
| Mean ± SD | 13±8% | 8±9% | 24±13% | 55±17% |
Notes: European data is based on the Urban Audit
Modal share targets
The Charter of Brussels, signed by 36 cities including Brussels, Ghent, Milan, Munich, Seville, Edinburgh, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Gdansk, and Timișoara, commits the signatories to achieve at least 15% of bicycling modal share by 2020, and calls upon European institutions to do likewise. The cycling modal share is strongly associated with the size of local cycling infrastructure.
The Canadian city of Hamilton adopted a similar modal share target plan in 2005.
Modal share in the developing world
The modal share differs considerably depending on each city in the developing world.
According to UNECE, the global on-road vehicle fleet is to double by 2050 (from 1,2 billion to 2,5 billion, see introduction), with most future car purchases taking place in developing countries. Some experts even mention that the number of vehicles in developing countries will increase by 4 or 5-fold by 2050 (compared to current car use levels), and that the majority of these will be second-hand.
Legislation impacting the modal share
Legislation can discourage car ownership through, for example, taxation and conditions on new car purchases). This could help in achieving a modal shift.
See also
- Air travel demand reduction
- Car ownership
- Circulation plan
- Phase-out of fossil fuel vehicles
- Intermodal passenger transport
- Mobility transition
- Mode choice (the decisions that determine Modal share, especially in traffic analysis and forecasting)
- Mode of transport
- Motonormativity
- Rail usage statistics by country
- Road reallocation
- Environmental aspects of the electric car
- Smart mobility
Notes
External links
- 2014-03-31 at the Wayback Machine
- – Modal share data and trends over the past 20 years for Australian cities (unpublished paper by David Ashley)