If
“auto-soloism”
is declining a little in Île-de-France, more than eight out of 10 drivers still drive alone in their car in the morning during rush hours, according to a study by highway manager Vinci published on Tuesday.
Drivers were
“alone on board their vehicle”
in 83.8% of the more than 500,000 vehicles observed around 10 French metropolises using cameras, from September 11 to 22, 2023, according to Vinci.
This represents an average of 1.24 people per vehicle,
"still far from the target of 1.75 people per vehicle, within the framework of the National Low Carbon Strategy"
, France's official roadmap for its reductions in CO2 emissions.
The number of carpoolers would need to triple to achieve this objective.
This
“barometer of solo driving”
highlights strong disparities between the urban areas studied.
Île-de-France, Aix-en-Provence and Toulon show a reduction in solo use of more than 4% over one year.
Nantes has one of the lowest rates during the week on certain axes (77.3% at the A83, down) but also one of the highest on others (95.5% at the A11) .
The various figures from Vinci show that it is paradoxically
“at the time when it would be the most useful, when traffic is the densest approaching metropolises, that carpooling is also the least practiced”
.
The government launched a carpooling bonus of 100 euros at the beginning of 2023 which should encourage the French to change their driving habits, to save money, gasoline, time in traffic jams, and to pollute less.
It was renewed in 2024 but now focuses on short journeys, to get everyday carpooling off the ground, that is to say for journeys of less than 80 kilometers.