Is Carpooling Struggling to Convince?

Despite financial incentives and rising fuel prices, the French are still not widely turning to carpooling.

The auto-solismo-meter conducted by Vinci Autoroutes reveals that on average, 8.5 out of 10 drivers travel alone in their cars daily. The study, carried out in autumn 2022 on 11 highway axes, evaluates the auto-solismo rate at precisely 84.7%. This represents an increase of 2.5% compared to the previous similar study, conducted during autumn 2021.

“Analyses of over 700,000 vehicles highlight an average occupancy rate of 1.24 passengers per vehicle, well below the 1.75 target set by the National Low-Carbon Strategy by 2035”, explains Vinci in its meter. As in the previous two editions, the peak of auto-solismo is observed between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m., then decreases, reaching an average of 78% at 10 a.m.”

The “dunce cap” for Nantes metropolitan area

There are quite significant disparities between regions. It is in the Nantes metropolitan area, on the A11, that the auto-solismo rate is the highest (98.9%, +6.1% compared to autumn 2021). Conversely, the lowest rate was recorded in Toulon, on the A50 (77.4%, -4.7%). There is also a very strong increase in the Île-de-France region, where the rate has risen by 12% to reach 81.1%.

These results should be viewed in context with the data recently released by the national carpooling observatory. According to it, just over 780,000 shared trips were recorded last month across various platforms. While this number is a new record, there is still significant room for growth. Moreover, the fact that the practice isn’t really taking off despite the €100 incentive bonus can be seen as a worrying sign for advocates of reducing auto-solismo.

Also read: In Lille, €2 paid for each avoided car journey