People who work in Brussels spend the longest time commuting: an average of almost 40 minutes per journey, resulting in a total commute time of 1 hour 20 minutes (or 80 minutes) per day – the highest figure in Belgium.
While 9% of those working in Brussels do not have a regular commute to work, 60% spend more than an hour commuting per day, according to the insights from the annual SD Worx survey of 1,000 working Belgians. On average, Brussels employees spend the longest time on the road.
"People who work in Brussels take twice as long to cover the same distance as those who work in Limburg," said Veerle Michiels, mobility expert at SD Worx. On average, this involves a journey of about 20 kilometres to work and back, amounting to 40 km per day.
One in three (32%) Brussels employees is dissatisfied with their commute time. Only the province of Flemish Brabant scores higher, with 37% employees being unhappy with the amount of time they spend on the road.
Coming into the city
At the same time, Brussels attracts the most commuters from almost all other provinces. "They often cover more kilometres and spend the longest time commuting. More than a third spend more than 1.5 hours commuting per day."
This is partly because Brussels attracts many employees from surrounding provinces such as Flemish Brabant, Hainaut, East Flanders, and Antwerp. Less than half of those who work in Brussels (46%) are satisfied with their commute time.
Importantly, not only the time spent commuting, but also the mode of transport plays a role in people's commuter satisfaction, Michiels stressed. "Cycling is gaining ground in Flanders, placing the region in the European top three in terms of bicycle use for commuting. Only in the Netherlands and Sweden do people cycle to work more."
However, cars remain the most popular mode of transport to work in Brussels (at 50%), with 41% of commuters using their own car.
Brussels outgoing Mobility Minister Elke Van den Brandt (Groen) cycling to work. Credit: Belga/ Benoit Doppagne
Still, public transport use is much higher than elsewhere: metro, tram, and bus are the second most popular modes of transport in Brussels (31%). Trains also score equally high at 30%. Walking follows at a considerable distance (15%), which can also be combined with other modes of transport.
Cycling to work has not really caught on in the Capital Region yet, with only 7% commuting by bike. Meanwhile, cycling holds a solid second place in commuting in all Flemish provinces.
Regardless of which mode of transport they choose, commuters often receive a financial boost, said Michiels. "There are numerous legal and sector-specific obligations for employers to contribute at least partially to the costs of their employees' commuting."
