HEC study | The car, the most expensive mode of transport

Traveling by car in the metropolis is significantly more expensive than by bus or even by bike, confirms a study by HEC Montréal. Opting for a two-wheeled vehicle rather than a car for short trips would allow society to save more than 1 billion per year, the report also reveals.

$15,250

This is the social cost per person of a car in Montreal, on an annual basis, according to a report published by Gabrielle Beaudin and Muriel Julien, two sustainable development students at HEC Montreal, and their economics professor, David Benatia . The public transport bill comes to $7,450, while cycling costs $2,400 and walking, $2,050. These figures are calculated by relating the social cost – i.e. infrastructure investments – to the surface area used by each mode, the associated private expenditure and other “external costs”, such as congestion or GHG emissions.

A high annual cost

On an annual basis, the research team calculates that automobile commuting costs represent $9.4 billion in the metropolis. The bill for public transport stands at 3.7 billion, that of cycling at 113 million and that of walking at 335 million. The study is also accompanied by a “calculator” offered online to help you evaluate the real costs of your transportation habits yourself. It indicates its travel distance, mode, district and estimated time, with and without congestion. Thus, for a recurring trip of barely 10 kilometers per day in Ville-Marie by car, for a total of 35 minutes with congestion, a motorist costs the company more than $20,000.

Save up to 1.7 billion

The researchers point out that if each motorist with a one-way journey of 10 kilometers or less – most often to work or school – took the bike or public transport, savings of around 1.7 billion could be released each year. In a scenario of postponing journeys of 7 kilometers or less, the saving would still be 1.2 billion. In addition, it would lead to a 42% reduction in GHGs, a 15% reduction in congestion and a 37% reduction in the cost associated with road accidents. At 5 kilometers or less, society would save approximately 840 million annually.

The car takes up more space

The authors of the study also estimate that cars are taking up more space in Montreal since the pandemic. The report estimates the modal share of the car on the island at 50% in 2023, while it was 45.8% in 2018, according to the most recent data from theOrigin-Destination Survey (OD). The place of public transport would have fallen from 38.6% to 30.5% in five years, while cycling gained a little ground, from 3.5% to 4.2%. The HEC Montréal report arrives at these estimates based on the evolution of the automobile fleet, the number of annual visits to the STM and the meters on the cycle paths, but no official data is yet available to date.

More expensive in some areas

The study also finds that car bills tend to increase in neighborhoods where building values ​​are higher. For example, in the city center, expenses associated with automobile use are $2.36 per person-kilometer and $0.89 per person-kilometer for public transit. This is almost 50% higher than the urban average. This trend is also visible “on Le Plateau-Mont-Royal (1.49 times more expensive for the car), […] Mont-Royal (1.67 times more expensive for the car), Outremont (1.79 times more expensive for the car), Hampstead (2.29 times more expensive for the car) and Westmount (2.35 times more expensive for the car),” say the authors.