Moveability survey: drive-alone rates remain high; employer subsidies linked to more shared-mode use

Kathleen Lu of Moveability told the commission the 2025 commuter survey covered six Central Texas counties and reached 1,874 residents at a 95% confidence level. Across the full six-county area, the drive-alone rate was 71%; for the three-county region of Travis, Hays and Williamson the comparable drive-alone rate was 68%.

"We are making progress towards that 50/50 mode split with the 68% drive-alone rate," Lu said when explaining year-to-year comparisons limited to the three-county area.

Lu highlighted five findings: continued investment in Williamson County (which had the second-highest transit ridership), a clear link between employer subsidies and increased use of active and shared modes, a reduction in telework compared with 2024, an average one-way commute of about 11.59 miles, and demographic disparities in mode use with high- and very-low-income households showing relatively higher active/shared-mode usage.

On employer subsidies, Lu said 68% of respondents agreed employers should subsidize active and shared modes but only 8% currently receive such subsidies; those who received subsidies were 19% more likely to use active/shared modes.

Commissioners asked whether the survey ties respondents to specific workplaces or addresses; Lu said the survey captured general residential location (enough to identify counties and broader areas) but does not collect exact employer names. Commissioners requested future cross-tabulations tying income, residential location and transit access to better inform policy choices about where to expand service and which communities to target for mode-shift programs.

Moveability posted the full report at movabilitytexas.org and affirmed it will provide follow-up analysis on biking declines and location-based patterns in future briefings.