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In Amsterdam, more than half the people ride their bikes to work

Cycling is the most common mode of transport for commuting

bicycling to and from work in Amsterdam
More than 50% of Amsterdammers use a bicycle for their home-work commutes

Amsterdam Essentials…

DutchAmsterdam.nl — More than half of Amsterdam residents, 56%, cycled to work in 2024. Cycling is therefore the most common mode of transport for commuting 1Analysis of the Regional Labor Force Survey (REB) by Research and Statistics. Michiel van Dartel, Isabel Orlemans, Hoe reizen Amsterdammers naar hun werk? Onderzoek en Statistiek, Gemeente Amsterdam, July 15, 2025

Nearly a quarter of them take the bus, tram, or ferry, and a fifth use the metro. Just 15% of Amsterdammers drives a car to work.

So says a report prepared by Onderzoek en Statistiek, the research facility for the municipality of Amsterdam.

In 2019 the percentage of people who used a bike for the home-work commute was 30 percent.

Meanwhile a survey conducted by mobility provider Shuttel among employees of Amsterdam-based companies shows that the number of kilometers cycled per person per year has increased from 389 in March 2024 to 533 in March 2025. 2Marc Kruyswijk, Amsterdammer pakt veel vaker de fiets om naar het werk te gaan (met dank aan de e-bike), Parool, May 15, 2025

This busy intersection at Weteringschans in Amsterdam shows what bicycle rush hour traffic looks like. Filmed by Tim and Shannon, Living the Dream

15% of Amsterdammers goes to and from work by car

15% of Amsterdammers takes a car to work (down from 25% in 2019) — particularly those who work in North or Westpoort suburbs.

North is among the Amsterdam boroughs that are easiest to reach by car. Westpoort — with an area of over 35 square kilometers one of the three largest industrial estates in the Netherlands — is the economic engine of Amsterdam. The approximately 2,200 companies located there employ 10 percent of Amsterdam’s workforce.

Visiting Amsterdam? Rent a bicycle, or join a bike tour. (Just avoid the morning and evening commutes :)

Bicycles account for 40 percent of traffic movements in Amsterdam

Overall, bikes account for almost 40 percent of all traffic movements in Amsterdam — a figure that has contributed to making Amsterdam the most bicycle-friendly city in the world.

Unbelievably busy bicycle crossing in Amsterdam

Tourists love to rent and ride bicycles in and around Amsterdam. Guided bicycle tours are popular as well. It’s an activity we recommend.

Just one note of caution: while bicycling in Amsterdam is quite safe, you may want to avoid riding during the morning and evening rush hours. Unless of course you consider this an exciting challenge:

Bicycle and car traffic at the crossing Korte Prinsengracht and Haarlemmerstraat, filmed by Thomas Schlijper

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Footnotes

Anton and Janet Hein
Publisher at DutchAmsterdam | Website | + posts

Anton and Janet Hein live and work in Amsterdam. We are the publishers of DutchAmsterdam.

Anton was born on a houseboat in the center of Amsterdam, right across from the iconic Westertoren and what later became the Anne Frank House museum. Having lived in nearly every district since then, he knows the city like his own back pocket.

Janet was born in England and raised in Ireland before moving to Amsterdam 43 years ago. Even to date she brings an expat’s perspective to the DutchAmsterdam website.

Category: Bicycles | Related to:

Last updated Monday, September 1, 2025 CET (Central European Time)

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