Three of four Brazilians do not consider transport in financial plans
A survey released Thursday (May 30) at an urban mobility event in São Paulo found that 76 percent of Brazilians do not do any financial planning regarding transport costs.
The study shows there is a great difference between how much Brazilians think they spend on transport and how high costs really are. Among car owners, this gap is six times as much as their estimates. An average car owner says they spend some $90 on the car, but the real amount may surpass $500 a month, taking into account other values like fuel, taxes, insurance, and maintenance.
The average amount spent on transport by the respondents stood at $53, but this varies depending on social class: in class A, the average is a monthly $110, whereas in classes D and E this sum adds up to $40.
Commute time
The study shows that Brazilian spend an average of 1:20 commuting to their main daily activities and back. This goes up to 2:07 when all daily trips are considered. In other words, a person spends some 32 days in traffic every year.
People in classes D and E take longest to commute: approximately 130 minutes everyday, followed by class C (129 minutes), and B (124). Class A, in turn, spends 94 minutes.
Brazilian regions where commuting takes longest are the Southeast (144 minutes), and the Northeast (132). Losses stemming from traffic jams in the country total $67 billion a year—four percent of the country’s GDP.
Means of transportation
The research also found that interviewees usually avail themselves of three modes of transportation each week. Walking ranks first: 70 percent mentioned it as their main mode of transportation, followed by bus (46%), and private car (43%). The use of ride-hailing apps has been on the rise, and reached 18 percent of respondents, just as much as motorbikes. Next come bicycle and scooters (16%), the subway, train, BRT or VLT (9%), and taxi (7%).
Also according to the survey, 30% of car owners said they would forego their own cars to use other means of transportation. Of those who had a car, 11 percent said they no longer owned one at some point in the last five years. Among the reasons mentioned are costs and a change in lifestyle.
The North is where walking is most widespread (85 percent of respondents), and where driving a car was mentioned the least (23%). It is also where they use motorbikes the most (32%). The South is the region with the highest rate for cars (66%).
Of every ten people heard, four described it as difficult or very difficult to move around in Brazil.
The study, carried out by Ipsos and commissioned by transport app 99, interviewed 1.5 thousand people aged 18 and above, across all Brazilian regions. The study was conducted from April 29 to May 8.
