• Ninth edition of the annual TomTom Traffic Index provides detailed insights on live and historic road congestion levels in cities around the world

• 57% of countries included see increase in traffic congestion

• Global average congestion level is 29%

• Drivers, city planners, automakers and policy makers, can use the TomTom Traffic Index to help tackle traffic-related challenges

• Fully interactive report is available online at tomtom.com/TrafficIndex

Amsterdam, The Netherlands, January 29, 2020   Location technology specialist, TomTom (TOM2), today released the results of the TomTom Traffic Index, a report detailing the traffic situation in 416 cities in 57 countries. Bengaluru takes the top spot this year with drivers in the southern Indian city expecting to spend an average of 71% extra travel time stuck in traffic. Next in the global rankings are Philippine capital, Manila (71%); Bogota in Colombia (68%); last year’s most congested city, Mumbai (65%); and Pune (59%), also in India; making up the top five most congested cities in the world.

In the US, the top five most congested cities are Los Angeles (42%), New York (37%), San Francisco (36%), San Jose (33%) and Seattle (31%).

The TomTom Traffic Index report is available online, is interactive, and allows visitors to explore the traffic situation in their own city – with live traffic information helping them to make better travel decisions.

Traffic congestion has increased globally during the last decade, and the 239 cities (57%) TomTom included in the new Traffic Index report had increased congestion levels between 2018 and 2019, with only 63 cities showing measurable decreases. This global increase in congestion, despite being an indicator of a strong economy, is understood to cost economies billions.

Ralf-Peter Schäfer, TomTom’s VP of Traffic Information, said: “Globally, there’s a long road to travel until congestion levels are brought under control. In time, the rise of autonomous vehicles and car-sharing services will help alleviate congestion, but planners and policymakers can’t afford to sit and wait. They need to use all the tools available to them to analyze traffic levels and impacts, so they can make critical infrastructure decisions. And drivers have a role to play too. Small changes in driving behaviours can make a huge difference.”

Analyzing real-time incidents and congestion to predict traffic before it happens, TomTom’s Real-Time Traffic makes TomTom navigation software more accurate with enhanced route calculations and accurate estimated times of arrival (ETA). That’s why TomTom is the market leader, with its traffic technology in millions of cars on the road around the world. TomTom Traffic knows the road ahead, saving time, fuel and stress for drivers, fleet and logistics providers, on-demand services (ride hailing, food delivery), and traffic management services.

And the location technology specialist’s work on the future of driving – from high definition maps for autonomous vehicles, to efficient electric vehicle routing and charging – means that car makers, technology companies, road authorities and governments already have the tools to make the roads less congested.

People can find out more about the TomTom Traffic Index, and discover where their home city ranks at tomtom.com/TrafficIndex. There’s also helpful advice on beating traffic congestion.

Next time you are heading into traffic, consider these helpful tips:

1. Plan before you go. Taking a few moments before heading out the door to inform yourself on the road conditions on the way to your destination will help you consider your alternatives and decide on the best course of action.

2. Trust technology to help you. It may be uncomfortable to take the road less traveled simply because your satnav suggests it’s the fastest one. Often, if you cannot see that a road is indeed congested, it is hard to believe it. Dare to take the alternative route offered by up-to-date navigation, because it is basing its recommendation on real-time traffic conditions on the route you are taking.

3. Change your driving habits. Most often, traffic will peak at certain times of the day, depending on location. This is clear in each of the city pages in the TomTom Traffic Index report, where we provide the average congestion level for each hour of each day of the week. Use the information available to adjust your departure time accordingly. Leaving early or late from a location might mean avoiding time spent in traffic on the road.

4. Consider alternatives. Does your trip have to be made by car? If your planned activity is time-sensitive and you cannot change your departure times, consider ride-sharing, public transport or non-motorized options such as cycling or scooters.

5. Work with your city. Ultimately, improving mobility in our cities is a collaborative effort. Together, city authorities, vehicle manufacturers, traffic signal system providers, parking facilities, traffic information providers, shared mobility providers, startups and, most importantly, the public, are experimenting and transforming cities worldwide. Inform yourself of the initiatives taking place in your urban area and how you can benefit from them.

Bengaluru, India

71%

Moscow, Russia

59%

Manila, Philippines

71%

Lima, Peru

57%

Bogota, Colombia

68%

New Delhi, India

56%

Mumbai, India

65%

Istanbul, Turkey

55%

Pune, India

59%

Jakarta, Indonesia

53%

Moscow, Russia

59%

Dublin, Ireland

48%

Istanbul, Turkey

55%

Odessa, Ukraine

47%

Kyiv, Ukraine

53%

Novosibirsk, Russia

45%

Bucharest, Romania

52%

Samara, Russia

44%

Saint Petersburg, Russia

49%

Kharkiv, Ukraine

43%

Los Angeles, USA

42%

Miami, USA

31%

New York, USA

37%

Washington, USA

29%

San Francisco, USA

36%

Chicago, USA

28%

San Jose, USA

33%

Honolulu, USA

28%

Seattle, USA

31%

Austin, USA

27%

Bogota, Colombia

68%

Santiago, Chile

44%

Lima, Peru

57%

Salvador, Brazil

43%

Recife, Brazil

50%

Fortaleza, Brazil

37%

Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

46%

Belo Horizonte, Brazil

35%

Sao Paolo, Brazil

45%

Porto Alegre, Brazil

35%

Bengaluru, India

71%

Jakarta, Indonesia

53%

Manila, Philippines

71%

Bangkok, Thailand

53%

Mumbai, India

65%

Tel Aviv, Israel

46%

Pune, India

59%

Tokyo, Japan

42%

New Delhi, India

56%

Chongqing, China

41%

Cairo, Egypt

40%

Durban, S. Africa

19%

Cape Town, S. Africa

32%

Bloemfontein, S. Africa

13%

Johannesburg, S. Africa

30%

Pretoria, S. Africa

25%

East London, S. Africa

22%

Sydney, Australia

33%

Brisbane, Australia

25%

Auckland, New Zealand

31%

Adelaide, Australia

24%

Melbourne, Australia

30%

Gold Coast, Australia

24%

Wellington, New Zealand

28%

Hobart, Australia

23%

Hamilton, New Zealand

25%

 Christchurch, New Zealand

21%

*of cities with a population of more than 800,000