EPFL mobility survey

Our 2021 survey revealed that nearly 80% of commuters use public transportation or other environmentally friendly transport methods. This figure is slightly lower than in 2019, but still encouraging if we factor in the effects of the pandemic.

• Participation: Approximately 33% of EPFL community members responded to the 2021 survey (some 5,600 people).
• Destination: Almost all respondents named an EPFL campus as their main destination. 64% of respondents who come to the Lausanne campus do so from central Lausanne or one of the four surrounding towns.
• Arrival and departure: Arrival times in 2021 were less concentrated than in 2019, with 39% of respondents arriving between 7:45am and 8:30am (compared to 54% in 2019). Departures were, as in 2019, more spread out than arrivals, with the majority of people leaving between 5pm and 7pm.
• Modal share in 2021: Public transport remained at the top of the rankings, although this mode saw a sharp decline in 2021. Only 4% of students used a car, compared to 33% of employees. 94% of students favored sustainable transportation methods, compared to 64% of employees. Between 2003 and 2021, there was a gradual increase in the rates of walking (from 4% to 16%) and cycling (from 13% to 26%), particularly among students.

• Changes in commuting methods: 7% of respondents changed their preferred mode of transportation between 2019 and 2021. Respondents cited the pandemic as the main reason for the change. For those who planned to use a different mode once the pandemic measures were lifted, health and wellness was the most frequently cited reason.
• Transportation services: PubliBike was the most widely used transportation service in 2021 (37% of respondents), even though it was used less than in 2019. This service was more popular with students. However, there was an increase in the use of the “Mobility” car-sharing service by employees (26% in 2021, versus 13% in 2019). Most respondents had used the Point Vélo bike repair service (72%) and were very satisfied with it.
• Combining modes: More than one in five respondents (21%) reported using multiple modes of transportation. Most of them combined walking and public transport or alternated between cycling and public transport.
• Carpooling: There is still some difficulty in attracting people to carpooling. The majority (78%) of respondents who drive to EPFL do so alone in their own vehicle. This is particularly true for employees, who account for 81% of that figure.
•  As for carpooling, it still has some difficulty in attracting people, since the majority (78%) of people driving to EPFL are solo drivers in their vehicles; this is particularly true for staff, since this proportion even reaches 81%.

*Surveys conducted in association with the Swiss Centre of Expertise in the Social Sciences (FORS).

• Summary Analysis – Mobility Survey 2021.pdf (PDF, 429 KB, in French only)
• Summary Analysis – Mobility Survey 2019.pdf (PDF, 448 KB, in French only)
• Summary Analysis – Mobility Survey 2017.pdf (PDF, 4 MB, in French only)

Raw results 2003-2021

The Swiss Centre of Expertise in the Social Sciences (FORS) has created a public database with the results of every EPFL transportation survey from 2003 to 2021.

The following data files are available for download:

• Overall results, 2003-2021 surveys (XLS, 131 MB)
• Codebook with Excel file metadata (PDF, 2 MB, in French only)