What do Poles drive? The car dominates. Small towns and villages excluded from transport

80 percent respondents asked by the Public Opinion Research Center declare that they most often travel by car. At the same time, 75 percent residents of the largest cities consider access to public transport to be sufficient; in rural areas, 29 percent think so. – according to the latest CBOS survey.

As stated in the research announcement, 80 percent respondents declared that they most often travel by car, and in rural areas this percentage is 86%.

At the same time, 40 percent declared using public transport. respondents. The youngest people (18-24 years old) and the oldest people (over 65 years old) use public transport most often. According to CBOS, this makes these groups most susceptible to exclusion in the event of liquidation of connections.

“While 75 percent of residents of the largest cities consider access to public transport to be sufficient, in rural areas only 29 percent of respondents think so. The lack of access to public transport actually cuts off non-motorized people from basic services – 50 percent of those excluded said they could not go to the doctor, and 48 percent could not go shopping,” it was emphasized.

The study also showed thate since 2007, the percentage of respondents choosing a car, motorcycle or scooter to get to school or work has increased from 43%. up to 68 percent At the same time, declines were observed in the use of bus transport (from 32% to 18%) and in the abandonment of walking (from 32% to 14%).

Moreover, compared to the 2007 survey, the assessment of access to public transport has slightly worsened – the number of respondents who declare that they can easily get where they want, when they want, decreased by 3 percentage points (from 54% to 51%). However, the percentage of people who are critical of access to public transport has increased, pointing out serious difficulties (from 14% to 19%) or claiming that it does not exist at all (from 2% to 5%).

CBOS also reported that the median distance between place of residence and workplace increased compared to 2007 from 6 km to 10 km. However, the median commute time (20 minutes) has not changed.

“The results of our study indicate a strong dominance of individual transport over public transport – most respondents travel by car. Public transport plays a key role mainly in the case of the youngest and oldest respondents. (…) Poles generally have a good opinion about access to public transport in their area, although compared to the survey carried out in 2007, the respondents' assessments have slightly worsened. Nevertheless, the data show that we get to work or school faster than in 2007, and the distances covered are smaller” – CBOS summarized.

The study was carried out from November 6 to November 17, 2025 on a sample of 992 people (including: 60.1% using the CAPI method, 23% – CATI and 16.9% – CAWI). (PAP)

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