Skip to Content
Streetsblog California home
Streetsblog California home
Log In
Streetsblog SF

Census: 95% of New SF Commuters Since 2006 Don’t Drive Solo

As San Francisco's economy booms, a lot more people are commuting, and very few are doing it in a car.

Between 2006 and 2014, the city saw a net growth of about 86,400 commuters, and 95 percent of them don't drive, according to data from the US Census American Community Survey. The ACS numbers provide the best available year-to-year data on commuting habits, though because of sampling error they are not absolutely precise.

The numbers show a clear trend: Transit, walking, and bicycle commuting are each growing markedly faster than solo car commuting.

Among SF residents, the number of transit commuters and solo drivers is now about equal -- a significant gain for transit commuting since last year's survey.

Changes in driving and transit use among SF residents only. Image: Jeremy Pollock/Twitter
Changes in driving and transit use among SF residents only. Image: Jeremy Pollock/Twitter
false

Among all workers in the city, 40 percent now primarily take transit to work, surpassing solo driving (33 percent drive alone, and another 9 percent carpool).

The new stats align with other recent findings about car use in SF. Last year, the ACS showed that between 2000 and 2012, 88 percent of the city's net increase of 11,139 households were car-free. Studies done by SF's local transportation agencies have shown that downtown car traffic is dropping despite the economic boom, and the majority of trips in SF have been made without a private automobile for at least three years.

As we reported last month, the new ACS stats show that the share of commuting by car has recently declined in the Bay Area more than any other metropolitan area.

Among peer cities in America, SF is one of the leaders in shifting commute travel from driving to other modes. In the chart below posted by Jamie Parks on Twitter, only Chicago, where the number of car commuters dropped, has seen driving account for a smaller share of the growth in commute travel.

The Bay Area's efforts to reduce driving and encourage walking, biking, and transit use are working. To continue to grow, the city needs to keep making progress.

"In the midst of a population boom and a changing climate, San Francisco more than ever needs to dramatically decrease the amount of single-occupant vehicles on the road," said Ilyse Magy of the SF Transit Riders Union. "For this mode shift to happen, we need a Muni that can not only handle the extra capacity but also get people to where they are going more efficiently. Otherwise commuters will choose the faster and more convenient option, which unfortunately is often driving."

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog California

First OC Streetcar Arrives

The $649 million 4.1-mile OC Streetcar light rail line is 92 percent complete, and now anticipated to open in spring 2026

May 8, 2025

Thursday’s Headlines

California and Trump continue to spar and more news from up and down the state.

May 8, 2025

Talking Headways Podcast: ‘Normal’ is Not Correct, Someone Died Here

After a crash, the debris is quickly cleaned up and everyone moves on (usually too quickly). But these two experts are asking us to all slow down.

May 8, 2025

Metro Names Bill Scott as Chief of Police

Chief Scott and Metro leadership emphasized that keeping Metro transit safe would require a multi-faceted approach that included the deployment of officers as well as collaboration with the community, ambassadors, and service providers. "Sometimes enforcement is the answer," Scott said. "Sometimes it's not."

May 7, 2025

State Supreme Court Reinforces Rules that Cities Must Maintain Safe Roads

When Ty Whitehead was injured in a crash caused by a pothole in Oakland, it sparked an eight-year legal battle that is still being waged.

May 7, 2025
See all posts