Everyday modes of transportation still centered around the car but becoming more diverse
Long structured around private cars, everyday mobility practices seem to be undergoing a dual dynamic: the continued dominance of cars, which are still the preferred mode of transport for 57% of French people for their daily journeys, and the emergence of alternative solutions, such as walking (19%), public transport (12%), and cycling (5%). Carpooling remains marginal, with 3% of French people saying they use it on a daily basis.
Although 43% say they have good alternatives to using a car to get around, only a minority use them regularly (24%), indicating a gap between what’s available and actual behavior. However, generational dynamics are challenging this model: 18-24 year olds seem much more likely to use alternatives (37% vs. 24% on average).
Carpooling: strong potential for uptake, particularly among young people
In this context, carpooling has significant potential for uptake: nearly one in two French people (44%) say they are willing to carpool regularly for their daily commute, a practice that is still not widely established but is widely accepted, with positive perceptions growing faster than actual usage. Younger people are the most enthusiastic about this mode of transport (15% of 18-24 year olds say they are definitely willing to carpool, compared to an average of 9%), while among those already familiar with alternatives to the car, openness to carpooling reaches 16%.
Carpooling services are also receiving an encouraging reception. One-third of French people are already aware of their existence, and 55% say they would be willing to use them if they were available near their homes. Here again, younger people and those in work are the most enthusiastic. In this case, the majority would opt for alternating between driving and riding, which represents a new way of thinking about mobility, with the latter being perceived more as a shared service rather than an individual responsibility.
A desire to transform local mobility towards multimodal solutions
More than one in two French people would like to have a carpooling service near their home (56%), and 64% would like municipal election candidates to commit to rolling them out, a sign that everyday mobility is a significant political issue.
Similarly, the coordination between different solutions appears to be key: two-thirds of French people (65%) say they would be willing to use their cars less if more transport options (bus, train, carpooling service) were available nearby. The ideal solution is therefore an intermodal ecosystem, where carpooling is added to other forms of mobility. The modes of transport most easily associated with carpooling are walking, cited by 40% of respondents, and public transport, cited by 30%.
The potential of encouraging the use of carpool lanes to change habits
Finally, the study reveals that the presence of a carpool lane could have a tangible impact on French people’s car ownership: 36% of households that own a vehicle would be willing to reduce the number of cars in their household if such a lane existed near their home, and 34% would even consider purchasing an electric vehicle if specific incentives were associated with the use of a carpool lane. These indicators demonstrate the economic, environmental, and cultural potential of encouraging carpooling.
Although mobility practices are changing slowly, with car use still predominant, perceptions and expectations reveal a clear trend: shared mobility is gaining legitimacy and desirability. Carpooling is gradually becoming part of an imaginary world where daily cooperation is no longer seen as a constraint, but as a response to the economic, social, and ecological challenges that are reshaping contemporary mobility.
Link to download the results: Sondage IFOP – Ecov – Janvier 2026.pdf
