SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL – The Origem Destino (OD) 2017 survey, published July 3rd by the São Paulo Metrô, showed that noon is the busiest time in the São Paulo metropolitan region, reaching 5.2 million daily trips.
This number, which is 30 percent higher than that recorded in 2007, considers motorized and other travel, and exceeds the morning (4.5 million) and afternoon (4 million) peaks. Motorized trips are those made by subway, train, bus, automobiles, and motorcycles, whereas non-motorized trips are made by bicycle or on foot.
The survey emphasizes the ten percent reduction in the average travel time of people on public transportation in the region. The current average is 60 minutes, compared to 67 minutes in 2007. Overall, average travel time in all forms fell 14 percent: from 39 to 34 minutes between 2007 and 2017.
The most significant drop occurred in non-motorized modes (cycling or walking), where the average travel time fell 24 percent, from 17 to 13 minutes. In motorized travel, there was an increase in rail usage (subway and train).
“The 53 percent growth rate in this system is connected to high investment in expanding the subway network, which grew 46 percent (28.4 km) between 2007 and 2017, going from 61.4 to 89.8 km in length, and also in improving the Companhia Paulista de Trens Metropolitanos,” says Metrô.
According to the data, the number of women commuters using public transport grew by ten percent, higher than the male rate, which fell by three percent over the ten years.
Taxi travel grew by 414 percent, reflecting the operation of new App-based services, which account for 79 percent of total travel in this form. The automobile continues to lead with 11.3 million trips per day.
The OD study is the largest urban mobility survey conducted in Brazil. The data is collected every ten years by Metrô. “From the results, we can understand the mobility and the way people move within the São Paulo Metropolitan Region. This enables the mapping of travel and economic activities in Greater São Paulo for the planning of public transports.”
In the 2017 edition, it took eleven months of work to collect information with the involvement of approximately 160,000 people in the 39 cities that make up the São Paulo Metropolitan Region. The interviews were carried out in residential homes, highways, airports, and bus terminals.