Carpooling: 8 out of 10 drivers are “auto-solists”

A Vinci Autoroutes study reveals that most drivers travel alone for their daily commutes.

Have you ever heard of auto-solism? This somewhat confusing neologism was initially invented to describe the act of traveling alone in one’s car. In other words, auto-solism is the exact opposite of carpooling.

To assess the scope of the phenomenon, Vinci Autoroutes conducted a comprehensive study in the fall of 2021, with the help of a start-up specializing in artificial intelligence. Over 1.5 million vehicles were analyzed over several weeks, based on images collected by cameras from Monday to Friday between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. The observation work was carried out on 13 highway axes near French urban areas in Île-de-France, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, around Tours, in the Basque Country, and near Montpellier.

More than 8 out of 10 drivers are alone on board

Study verdict: on average, 82.6% of drivers are alone at the wheel for their daily trips. At 8 a.m., the auto-solism rate even rises to 89%. Conversely, it decreases slightly later in the morning, even as the roads gradually clear. It is therefore at the time when traffic is most congested that auto-solism is most prevalent.

The study shows significant regional disparities. On the A11 north of Nantes, the proportion of auto-solists exceeds 93%, while on the A10 in Île-de-France, it is limited to 72.4%. Moreover, auto-solism decreases on Fridays compared to other weekdays, but by a relatively small margin (an average of -2%).

Auto-solism favored for home-to-work trips

Vinci estimates that there is a link between travel distance and carpooling practices. The longer the trip, the lower the auto-solism rate. “These initial observations indicate that trips between home and work, which mostly occur in the early morning, tend to generate the highest auto-solism rates, regardless of the region,” also specified Amelia Rung, Director of Development at VINCI Autoroutes.

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