The pandemic drastically changed the way Canadians commute — here's how (CHART)
The pandemic has had a lasting effect on Canadians. Priorities have shifted and even our daily routines have undergone a change. Even the way we commute is different.
According to Statistics Canada, lockdowns, job losses, and COVID-19 restrictions had a huge impact on how Canadians commute. In 2021, there were 2.8 million fewer commuters compared to 2016.
“Whether it involves driving, taking a bus or train, walking, or hopping on a bike, commuting can be a stressful ordeal for some, while for others it can be a period of relaxation at the start and end of the day,” reads the Statistics Canada census, which was released on November 30.
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So how have Canadians’ commuting habits been altered by the pandemic? Let’s take a deeper look.
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Compared to 2016, last year saw a 17.8% drop in commuters to just 13 million as many lost their jobs or began working from home, reducing the need to drive or take transit. The average commute dropped by 2.5 minutes to just 23.7 minutes.
The number of people working from home also tripled in 2021 compared to 2016 with 4.2 million people going the WFH route.
How your commute may have changed also depends on the industry you’re in.
Commuting levels dropped for workers in professional services, education, public administration, and finance and insurance as several services, like restaurants, closed, or limited their physical locations, and many individuals moved to a home office.
On the contrary, more people in healthcare and social assistance, construction, and transportation and warehousing commuted by car “compared to five years earlier.”
This also meant that fewer vehicles were on the roads, and car commute times went down.
The highest drop in commute times was in Toronto, where commutes were shorter by 2.7 minutes; the smallest drop was in Winnipeg at just 1.2 minutes.
Toronto unfortunately still had the longest car commute times of all Canadian cities in 2021, at 27.6 minutes. Quebec drivers were only in their cars for an average of 19.5 minutes. Overall, the average car commuting times in Canada was 22.8 minutes last year.
According to the census, ridership on public transit is still at 60.8% of the pre-pandemic levels in 2019. The proportion of Canadians using mass transit or walking or cycling to get to work was higher than that of Americans.
“Beyond affecting personal well-being, commuting patterns have important economic and infrastructure-related implications, as well as environmental impacts,” StatsCan’s census reads.
How did your commute change during the pandemic? Did you drive less and walk more? Did you avoid using public transit? Let us know in the comments.
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