New survey shows transit travel up in Seattle region following COVID-19 travel changes
A new survey from Commute Seattle reveals that while telework remains popular, transit travel and drive-alone trips are on the rise as more people return to the office after years of social and personal change.
According to King County Metro, the 2024 Seattle Commute Survey — conducted in partnership with Commute Seattle, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) and the University of Washington’s Mobility Innovation Center — provides insights into the travel habits of more than 75,000 workers and students. The findings, collected in October 2024, include a new question on satisfaction, revealing that people who bike and walk report the highest satisfaction with their commute. People who drive alone to get to work report the lowest satisfaction.
“As more people return to in-person work, they’re rethinking how they get to the places that matter most,” said Commute Seattle Executive Director Alex Hudson. “This is a crucial opportunity for employers and the public agencies to invest in sustainable transportation options that meet people’s real needs. Smart choices now can ease commutes and help make Seattle a more livable city.”
“As commute patterns shift, it’s clear that people need options that are reliable, flexible and affordable. This data reinforces the benefit of investing in safe, sustainable ways to get around,” said SDOT Director of Transit and Mobility Candida Lorenzana. “By investing in transit, bike and pedestrian improvements, SDOT is working to make commuting easier and more accessible for everyone traveling to and through Seattle.”
Key findings from the survey include:
Shift in work arrangements
- City-wide, the percentage of people reporting their jobs are fully remote decreased by eight percent in 2024 compared to 2022.
- As more people return to in-person work, transit use increased by three percent for center-city commuters while drive alone trips increased by six percent since 2022, marking the first time in 10 years that drive alone commutes have trended upward.
- Monday and Friday continued to be the most popular weekdays for remote work in 2024 while on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, most surveyed workers commute to a physical workplace.
Travel choices and motivation
- People choose how they travel based on time, flexibility, reliability and affordability.
- The primary reasons people drive alone are that it is faster, they like the convenience or they have family care obligations.
- The primary reasons people choose not to drive alone are to save money, avoid stress from driving, they don’t own a car, want to avoid traffic and to reduce personal contributions to air pollution from vehicle emissions.
- Transit use was popular across demographics, with the highest usage among people 15-24 years old or people with household incomes below $60,000.
- Driving alone has decreased for all non-commute trips, including grocery shopping, social and leisure and exercise and fitness trips.
Commute satisfaction
People who use active travel, like biking and walking, tend to live closer to their workplace and report the highest satisfaction with their commute.
Employer incentives
- Commute Trip Reduction-affected employees have a lower drive alone rate than the general workforce – education, incentives and subsidies work.
- Respondents identified employer-provided incentives, including shuttles and subsidized transit benefits, along with greater flexibility as effective ways to shift mode choice and improve commute satisfaction.
