Modal share
Share of mode of transport
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.
01Comparability 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 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.
02Modal 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adelaide | 3% | 1% | 11% | 85% | 2016 | GCCSA | Australia |
| Atlanta | 1% | 0% | 3% | 86% | 2016 | UA | USA |
| Mexico City | 1% | 1% | 71% | 22% | 2019 | Mexico | |
| Athens | 8% | 2% | 37% | 53% | 2006 | Greece | |
| Auckland | 5% | 1% | 12% | 81% | 2018 | MUA | New Zealand |
| Austin | 2% | 1% | 3% | 83% | 2019 | USA | |
| Baltimore | 3% | 0% | 7% | 84% | 2016 | UA | USA |
| Barcelona | 34.35% | 2.28% | 37.33% | 26.04% | 2018 | Spain | |
| Beijing | 21% | 32% | 26% | 21% | 2005/2011 | China | |
| Belgrade | 23% | 1% | 49% | 27% | 2015 | Serbia | |
| Berlin | 34% | 18% | 26% | 22% | 2023 | Germany | |
| Brisbane | 4% | 1% | 14% | 81% | 2016 | GCCSA | Australia |
| Brussels | 36% | 9% | 24% | 29% | 2022 | Belgium | |
| Bogotá | 24% | 7% | 43% | 15% | 2019 | Colombia | |
| Boston | 5% | 1% | 14% | 73% | 2016 | UA | USA |
| Bucharest | 31% | 2% | 27% | 36% | 2015 | Other (taxi): 4% | Romania |
| Budapest | 32% | 1% | 47% | 20% | 2011 | Hungary | |
| Calgary | 4% | 1% | 8% | 84% | 2021 | CMA | Canada |
| Chicago | 7.1% | 1.8% | 20.5% | 51% | 2024 | USA | |
| Cologne | 25% | 19% | 21% | 35% | 2017 | Germany | |
| Dallas | 1% | 0% | 2% | 90% | 2016 | UA | USA |
| Daejeon | 26% | 2% | 28% | 44% | 2012 | South Korea | |
| Delhi | 21% | 12% | 48% | 19% | 2008/2011 | India | |
| Detroit | 1% | 0% | 2% | 92% | 2016 | USA | |
| Denver | 2% | 1% | 4% | 81% | 2020 | UA | USA |
| Dhaka | 19% | 39% | 29% | 13% | 2009 | Bangladesh | |
| Dublin | 18% | 7% | 15% | 59% | 2020 | Ireland | |
| Edmonton | 3% | 1% | 6% | 87% | 2021 | CMA | Canada |
| Guangzhou | 35% | 19% | 22% | 23% | 2021 | China | |
| Hamburg | 22% | 22% | 24% | 32% | 2022 | Germany | |
| Helsinki | 10.99% | 9.34% | 32.42% | 46% | 2016 | MA, Other: 0.5% | Finland |
| Hong Kong | 11% | 0.5% | 77% | 12% | 2011 | China | |
| Houston | 1% | 0% | 2% | 91% | 2016 | UA | USA |
| Indianapolis | 1% | 0% | 1% | 91% | 2016 | UA | USA |
| Jakarta | 1% | 0.2% | 20% | 78%* | 2019 | UA *67% motorbike | Indonesia |
| Kuala Lumpur | 0.5% | 0.5% | 21% | 78% | 2018 | Malaysia | |
| Las Vegas | 1% | 0% | 4% | 90% | 2016 | UA | USA |
| London | 26% | 2.5% | 44.5% | 27% | 2020 | UK | |
| Los Angeles | 3% | 1% | 5% | 85% | 2016 | UA | USA |
| Madrid | 34% | 0.5% | 25% | 40% | 2018 | Spain | |
| Manila | 9% | 2% | 44% | 45% | 2019 | Philippines | |
| Melbourne | 4% | 2% | 19% | 76% | 2016 | GCCSA | Australia |
| Miami | 2% | 1% | 4% | 87% | 2016 | UA | USA |
| Milan | 18% | 10% | 41% | 29% | 2014 | Italy | |
| Minsk | 13% | 1% | 63% | 20% | 2016 | Belarus | |
| Montreal | 5% | 2% | 22% | 70% | 2016 | CMA | Canada |
| Mumbai | 27% | 6% | 52% | 15% | 2008/2011 | India | |
| Munich | 33% | 21% | 22% | 24% | 2023 | Germany | |
| Nagoya | 15% | 13% | 30% | 43% | 2011 | Japan | |
| New York City | 30.7% | 1.1% | 32.1% | 30.2% | 2019 | UA | USA |
| Osaka | 7% | 19% | 61% | 13% | 2010 | Japan | |
| Ottawa | 8% | 2% | 18% | 72% | 2016 | CMA | Canada |
| Paris | 40% | 2% | 22% | 34% | 2020 | Parisiens | France |
| Perth | 3% | 1% | 12% | 84% | 2016 | GCCSA | Australia |
| Philadelphia | 4% | 1% | 10% | 80% | 2016 | UA | USA |
| Phoenix | 2% | 1% | 2% | 87% | 2016 | UA | USA |
| Portland | 3% | 3% | 7% | 78% | 2016 | UA | USA |
| Prague | 35% | 1% | 37% | 25% | 2021 | Czech Republic | |
| Rio de Janeiro | 29% | 3% | 43% | 25% | 2012 | UA | Brazil |
| Rome | 4% | 1% | 29% | 66% | 2014 | Italy | |
| San Antonio | 2% | 0% | 3% | 90% | 2016 | UA | USA |
| San Diego | 3% | 1% | 3% | 85% | 2016 | UA | USA |
| San Francisco | 5% | 2% | 20% | 64% | 2016 | UA | USA |
| San Jose | 2% | 2% | 5% | 84% | 2016 | UA | USA |
| Santiago | 34.5% | 4% | 29.6% | 25.7% | 2012 | UA | Chile |
| São Paulo | 32% | 1% | 36% | 31% | 2017 | UA | Brazil |
| Seattle | 4% | 1% | 10% | 77% | 2016 | UA | USA |
| Seoul | N/A | 4% | 66% | 23% | 2014 | South Korea | |
| Shanghai | 27% | 20% | 33% | 20% | 2009/2011 | China | |
| Singapore | 22% | 1% | 44% | 33% | 2011 | Singapore | |
| Sofia | N/A | N/A | 73% | 27% | 2010 | Bulgaria | |
| Stockholm | 14% | 7% | 47% | 32% | 2011 | Sweden | |
| Sydney | 5% | 1% | 27% | 65% | 2020 | Deloitte | Australia |
| Taipei | 13% | 4% | 43% | 40% | 2016 | Taiwan | |
| Tel Aviv | 8.2% | 4.3% | 17.7% | 62.5% | 2022 | Israel | |
| Tokyo | 23% | 14% | 51% | 12% | 2008/2009 | Japan | |
| Toronto | 5% | 1% | 16% | 76% | 2021 | CMA | Canada |
| Vancouver | 6% | 2% | 15% | 75% | 2021 | CMA | Canada |
| Vienna | 30% | 11% | 34% | 25% | 2024 | Austria | |
| Warsaw | 18% | 3% | 47% | 32% | 2015 | Poland | |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aarhus | 7% | 27% | 19% | 43% | 2004 |
| Alicante | 18% | 0% | 13% | 69% | 2004 |
| Amsterdam | 5% | 30% | 19% | 42% | 2020 |
| Bari | 13% | 1% | 14% | 72% | 2001 |
| Basel | 33% | 17% | 27% | 22% | 2015 |
| Bern | 30% | 15% | 32% | 22% | 2015 |
| Bilbao | 68.1% | 0.9% | 19.6% | 11.1% | 2021 |
| Birmingham | 1% | 1% | 25% | 66% | 2001 |
| Bologna | 8% | 4% | 21% | 67% | 2001 |
| Bonn | 28% | 15% | 17% | 41% | 2017 |
| Bratislava | 26.7% | 1.6% | 32.6% | 37.7% | 2014 |
| Brno | 5% | 2% | 57% | 32% | 2012 |
| Buffalo | 6% | 1% | 14% | 79% | 2012 |
| Bremen | 25% | 25% | 15% | 36% | 2018 |
| Bristol | 19% | 8% | 12% | 55% | 2011 |
| Canberra | 5% | 3% | 8% | 85% | 2016 |
| Christchurch | 4% | 6% | 5% | 84% | 2018 |
| Copenhagen | 30% | 26% | 18% | 26% | 2021 |
| Córdoba | 18% | 1% | 10% | 71% | 2004 |
| Dortmund | 19% | 10% | 22% | 49% | 2019 |
| Dresden | 26% | 18% | 20% | 36% | 2018 |
| Dublin | 13.2% | 7.6% | 21.5% | 48.5% | 2016 |
| Düsseldorf | 34% | 13% | 18% | 35% | 2017 |
| Edinburgh | 19% | 7% | 30% | 42% | 2009-2010 |
| Eindhoven | 3% | 24% | 8% | 65% | 2004 |
| Essen | 19% | 7% | 19% | 55% | 2019 |
| Florence | 8% | 4% | 21% | 69% | 2001 |
| Frankfurt | 11% | 15% | 30% | 44% | 2015 |
| Freiburg im Breisgau | 29% | 34% | 16% | 21% | 2017 |
| Gent | 15.6% | 33.8% | 11.2% | 39% | 2021 |
| Gdańsk | 20.8% | 5.9% | 32.1% | 41.2% | 2016 |
| Gijón | 24% | 0% | 17% | 59% | 2004 |
| Gothenburg | 12% | 14% | 21% | 52% | 2004 |
| Graz | 19% | 19% | 20% | 42% | 2018 |
| The Hague | 5% | 22% | 30% | 43% | 2004 |
| Halifax | 8% | 1% | 12% | 78% | 2016 |
| Hamilton | 4% | 1% | 10% | 84% | 2016 |
| Hanover | 26% | 19% | 19% | 36% | 2017 |
| Kraków | 28.4% | 1.2% | 36.3% | 33.7% | 2013 |
| Las Palmas | 15% | 0.42% | 13% | 68% | 2011 |
| Lisbon | 15.6% | 2.5% | 30.8% | 50.2% | 2020 |
| Málaga | 12% | 0% | 11% | 77% | 2004 |
| Malmö | 14% | 26% | 25% | 34% | 2018 |
| Murcia | 18% | 1% | 7% | 74% | 2004 |
| Naples | 13% | 0% | 26% | 60% | 2001 |
| Nuremberg | 30% | 15% | 23% | 32% | 2023 |
| Oslo | 32% | 6% | 31% | 29% | 2022 |
| Palermo | 12% | 1% | 9% | 78% | 2001 |
| Pamplona | 42% | 2% | 13% | 41% | 2013 |
| Poznań | 20.6% | 8.4% | 33.7% | 37.3% | 2019 |
| Quebec City | 2% | 6% | 11% | 80% | 2016 |
| Rotterdam | 5% | 14% | 25% | 56% | 2004 |
| Seville | 13% | 7% | 18% | 62% | 2014 |
| Stuttgart | 29% | 8% | 23% | 40% | 2017 |
| Tallinn | 14% | 2% | 34% | 49% | 2020 |
| Tampere | 10% | 10% | 14% | 66% | 2021 |
| Turin | 12% | 3% | 5% | 79% | 2004 |
| Utrecht | 25.3% | 48.4% | 5.4% | 18.7% | 2018 |
| Valencia | 16% | 1% | 21% | 62% | 2004 |
| Valladolid | 22% | 1% | 20% | 57% | 2004 |
| Vigo | 19% | 0% | 13% | 68% | 2004 |
| Vilnius | 36% | 0% | 26% | 38% | 2011 |
| Vitoria-Gasteiz | 45.6% | 8.0% | 9.5% | 35.5% | 2021 |
| Wellington | 21% | 4% | 23% | 49% | 2018 |
| Victoria (CMA) | 10% | 7% | 11% | 70% | 2016 |
| Winnipeg | 5% | 2% | 14% | 79% | 2016 |
| Wrocław | 24.2% | 6.3% | 27.6% | 41.4% | 2018 |
| Zaragoza | 45.91% | 2.90% | 23.71% | 26.88% | 2017 |
| 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
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Modal share”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- UK transport modal share from 1952-2014.png by Absolutelypuremilk, CC BY-SA 4.0
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