Belgians work surprisingly close to home

The average distance travelled by a Belgian worker between his residence and work is 19 kilometres. The car remains the most popular means of transport, but the bicycle is making a strong comeback, writes Metrotime.

While the high traffic congestion in Belgium may say otherwise, more than 68% of the Belgian working population works within a radius of 20km from home, according to a survey by HR group Acerta based on the payroll data of more than 40,000 employers between 2011 and 2015. Interestingly, the age of the employee has no effect on the distance covered. However, salary does play a role: the higher the pay, the farther the commute.

The number of workers taking the car to travel to work is 71%, compared to 70% in 2011. The number of employees using a company car to get to work has risen from 16% to 18% in five years. The company car users tend to travel a greater distance between work and home: about 32km on average.

The survey also reveals that only 5% of Belgian workers use the bus or train to commute to work, a number that has remained more or less constant over the past five years.

The bicycle is rapidly gaining popularity as a mode of transport, with 18% of employees taking the bike to work, compared to 12% in 2011. The introduction of the electric bicycle has a lot to do with the increase, as do worsening traffic congestion and the bicycle allowance provided by some employers.