The Metropolitan Washington Council of Government’s “2025 State of the Commute Survey Report,” shows a return to pre-pandemic patterns, with driving alone still the most common way people get to work.
While it may seem like the same grind, day after day, a new report says daily commutes continue to change in the D.C. region.
In its once-every-three-years study of commuter behaviors, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Government’s “2025 State of the Commute Survey Report,” shows a return to pre-pandemic patterns, with driving alone still the most common way people get to work.
Hybrid workers, who do some teleworking, are going into the office more often, according to the COG report published Wednesday.
Only 35% of hybrid employees teleworked three or more days per week in 2025, compared to 75% in 2022. This frequency remains much higher than the pre-pandemic level of 14% of hybrid workers teleworking three or more days in 2019.
“According to our survey, driving alone is still the most common way to get around the DMV, but we have observed that solo drivers reported feeling less satisfied with their commute, while transit riders felt much more positive,” said David Sheehan, Commuter Connections Director at COG, in a news release.
Federal workers, who had the highest rates of telework in 2019 and 2022, reported the lowest rates in 2025, which corresponds with return to work mandates, according to the survey.
With more commuters returning to the roads, travel times increased across the region compared to 2022, though they remain below pre-pandemic averages. Commuters who drove to work alone reported a 7% decrease in commute satisfaction, compared to 2022.
Satisfaction with transit is on the rise, according to the COG survey.
Between 2022 and 2025, Metrorail commuter satisfaction increased by 16%. Commuter rail and bus services saw satisfaction gains of 9% and 6%, respectively.
In 2025, 51% of carpool and vanpool commuters were satisfied, ranking 7% higher than those driving alone.
As for why people choose to drive, rather than take transit, parking seems to remain a factor. In the COG survey, 77% of commuters who drove alone had free parking available, compared to 24% of transit riders.
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