A new international study has found that people around the world spend nearly identical amounts of time travelling every day about 78 minutes regardless of income, geography or transportation systems.
Published in Environmental Research Letters, the study was conducted by the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona in partnership with researchers at McGill University. The team analyzed mobility data from 43 countries, representing more than half of the global population.
Despite significant differences in urban design, transportation options and living standards, the study found that average daily travel time varied by only 12 minutes across nations.
A “Fixed” Travel-Time Budget
McGill professor Eric Galbraith told CTVNews.ca that the consistency was “striking,” revealing a near-universal travel-time pattern among populations.
“There wasn’t much difference in how much time people were travelling … it just really shows surprisingly little variation,” Galbraith said.
He noted that while individuals can travel for several hours on certain days, natural limits family responsibilities, work schedules and basic human behaviour keep the long-term average stable.
What researchers found surprising was not the upper limit, but how few countries fell below it.
“People like to get out and move around, and see their local environment, for at least 40 minutes a day,” Galbraith explained. When these instincts mix with daily demands, the global average settles around 1.3 hours per day.
The stability also holds across wealth levels.
“It’s remarkable how consistent it is and how little it varies with wealth,” Galbraith said. “It’s pretty safe to bet that people in the future are going to travel for about 70 to 85 minutes per day.”
Energy Use and Emissions: The Bigger Impact
The research suggests major implications for transportation planning and climate policy. If daily travel time remains fixed, shifting travellers toward low-energy modes becomes more critical than reducing distances or increasing speed.
Cities built around driving require far more energy per person than those designed for walking, cycling or public transit even if vehicles become more fuel-efficient.
“People travel very different distances across cultures, but the time stays stable,” Galbraith said. “You can really predict how much energy people use from the amount of energy they’re using per hour, rather than per distance.”
He pointed out that a high-speed train may appear efficient per kilometre, but still consumes large amounts of energy per hour of operation. In contrast, walking or cycling uses minimal energy, even though both take more time.
Transport energy consumption can vary up to 40-fold depending on the mode, with the United States ranking highest and Canada close behind.
What Cities Should Do Next
The researchers say the findings could serve as a guide for urban planners and governments. Instead of focusing on faster transportation or longer networks, they argue cities should invest in:
- High-quality public transit
- Cycling infrastructure
- Walkable, compact neighbourhoods
Without these shifts, overall transportation energy use may continue to rise even as nations adopt cleaner cars or more efficient technology.
“The most effective way to reduce future travel energy is to change the built environment through urban policy,” Galbraith said. Making it “easy, convenient and enjoyable” for residents to choose low-energy travel is key.
Global Patterns and Limitations
Among the countries studied, Pakistan recorded the lowest average travel time, while South Korea had the highest. The authors emphasize that the study takes a broad, statistical view rather than analyzing individual cities or regions.
Even so, they say the message is clear: if people everywhere spend roughly 78 minutes travelling each day, the best way to cut transport-related emissions is to lower the energy used during those minutes not the minutes themselves.
The discovery forms part of a broader research project examining how humans spend their time worldwide. While Galbraith is not continuing this specific transport-focused work, he said the findings offer a valuable insight for future planning and policy.
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