Italians are moving less and less. Daily trips drop by 4.1% in ten years

In 10 years, Italians have progressively reduced their daily commute, but they have spent more to get around, with families allocating almost 11% of their budget to transport. The transport sector could soon be revolutionised by the advent of Artificial Intelligence, with its advantages and risks. This is underlined by Consumers' Forum, an organisation comprising consumer associations, industrial and service companies and their trade associations, which organised the conference 'Consumers and Sustainable Mobility to 2050' on the subject on 2 March in Genoa. "In an Italia that is changing face under the impetus of demographic decline and ecological transition, this study offers a compass for transforming mobility into an instrument of inclusion, competitiveness and well-being for citizens between now and 2050," emphasises Consumers' Forum President Furio Truzzi.

According to the latest industry surveys, every day 40 million Italians move from their homes to go to work or school, or to perform daily activities, resulting in 102.7 million daily trips in 2025, an average of more than 2,5 per day per citizen - evidence from Consumers' Forum - If, compared to 10 years ago, the overall number of trips decreases by -4.1%, the per-capita distance travelled daily by the mobile population undergoes a sharp cut, from an average of 36.1 km in 2015 to 23.3 km in 2025, a reduction of -35.4%.

81.3% of Italians' movements take place within 10 km (it was 73.6% in 2015), while the most used means of transport is the private car (60.8%); 8.9% of movements take place on public transport, 20.6% on foot. The overall share of sustainable trips (walking, cycling, public transport) is improving, rising from 27.6% in 2015 to 34.7% in 2025; on average, more than one in three trips is 'green'.

People travel faster by car than 10 years ago, with the average speed increasing from 32.8 to 35 km/h, while public transport slows down slightly (from 24 to 23 km/h on average).

Italians' mobility is changing, but so is their spending on travel - analyses Consumers' Forum - For the item 'transport', a family spends an average of 3,567 euros per year, equal to 10.8% of annual consumer spending, with strong differences across the territory. In the province of Trento, in fact, transport costs an average of 5,367 euros per household per year, accounting for 14% of final consumption, and over 4,400 euros in Valle d'Aosta and Lombardy. In Campania, a family's expenditure on transport stops at 2,112 euros (7.8% of total annual expenditure), 2,175 euros in Puglia.