Panamanians make longest commute in Latin America

Panamanians spend up to 2hr a day traveling from their homes to their workplaces.

It is estimated that Panamanians have the longest travel time to get to work compared to other Latin American countries according to a study published today in Panama.

The average Panamanian spend about 2 hours a day in transit compared to an average of 1hr 20 minutes in other countries in Latin America. The study revealed that the delay is in average 67 minutes if they  travel by transport public and up to 56 minutes if they do it in a private vehicle.

"Panama, with a population of nearly 4 million inhabitants, of which half live in the capital, is a large country that has significant mobility challenges," said CAF representative in Panama, Susana Pinilla. Mobiity problems prevent people from accessing the best jobs.

In Latin America, one in eight citizens lives in the city, which makes it the second most urbanized region behind North America. The study also shows that, after Bogotá, residents in the Panamanian capital are those who have greater dissatisfaction with public transport because 34% believe that it should  be improved.

Panama is the only country in Central America that has a metro. The first line of the subway, which measures 16 kilometers and has 14 stations, was inaugurated in April 2014 and required an investment of $2.2 million dollars.

The Panamanian government has been promoting an urban mobility plan since last year. The plan includes the new buses, unification of metro fares and the decrease in ticket prices.

"39% of Latin Americans get to work by public transport, 22% by private transport and 26% on foot compared to 90% of the transfers in the United States are made by individually owed cars." said economist of the Direction of Socioeconomic Investigations of CAF, Juan Fernando Vargas