Toronto, Ontario — Canadians are travelling even more than before the COVID-19 pandemic started, with travel rates reaching a peak of 130 billion km travelled in the third quarter of 2021, according to a study by StreetLight Data and released by AIA Canada.
The report showed the last peak of 126 billion kilometres driven was recorded during the same quarter of 2019. In 2020, that number dropped to 116 billion kilometres.
“Canadians enthusiastically resumed their pre-pandemic levels of road travel this summer, reflecting their collective desire to break free from pandemic isolation and confidence in the strong vaccination levels across the country,” the report read.
“The pendulum may have swung further than usual this quarter as Canadians eagerly celebrated the possibility of a post-pandemic world.”
The average daily kilometres travelled also hit an 11-quarter high of 1.4 billion km from July to September of 2021.
The report also noted that with the lifting of lockdown restrictions came a renewed sense of “business confidence” among the automotive industry, leading to a fervor of travel.
“This increase in business confidence led some Canadian employees and companies to resume pre-pandemic commuting and driving patterns.”
In regards to the future, the report concluded open-endedly.
“Canadians are eager to resume aspects of their pre-pandemic lives but uncertainty remains. Will strong vaccination levels across the country protect against new lockdowns and restrictions, and keep us behind the wheel? Our fingers are crossed.”
