Cars less popular among Belgian commuters

The car is still the most common means of transport for Belgians travelling between home and the workplace, but its popularity has been on the decline since 2005, as commuters are increasingly inclined to take the bike or public transport, reports De Morgen.

In 2014, 65.6% of commuters in Belgium took the car to go to work, compared to 66.8% in 2005. Taking into account carpooling, as well, the number of individuals commuting to work by car decreased by 5% between 2005 and 2014. There was also a significant decrease in the number of commuters taking the motorcycle to work in the same period, according to a new survey by the FPS Mobility.

The survey shows that commuters in Belgium are more and more likely to opt for public transport or the bicycle to get to work. "Train, tram, metro and bus use increased by 15.3% since 2005," confirms the FPS Mobility. More than one in ten commuters takes the train (10.9%, compared to 9.5% in 2005), while metro, tram and bus use rose to 6.9% in the same period. The proportion of cyclists also increased, to 9.5%.

The survey tracked the commuting behaviour of the employees of nearly 4,000 large companies across Belgium.