🚗 We're spending longer in the car

[phkrause]

Data: TomTom; Note: U.S. overall includes an average of 80 cities; Chart: Axios Visuals Drive times in Dallas-Fort Worth have increased since 2021 — but you probably already noticed. The big picture: Car commutes have largely gotten slower across America since the mid-pandemic era, per new data from mapping and location tech giant TomTom. Longer commutes are likely due to more people returning to offices last year, reports Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick and Kavya Beheraj. By the numbers: It took 19 seconds longer last year to drive 6 miles in the D-FW city centers than it did in 2021. It took an average of 11 minutes and 40 seconds to drive 6 miles in the city centers in 2023. A 6-mile trip took nine minutes and 20 seconds on average across the D-FW metro. The intrigue: The additional seconds add up. Dallas-area drivers lost an average of 23 hours during rush hour last year, up by two hours and 12 minutes from 2022. Local commuters could save 17 driving hours a year by working from home one day a week, TomTom estimates. That would also equal a $52 savings in gas. Details: Post-work rush hour is worse than morning commutes, per TomTom's D-FW data. Evening rush hour adds an average of four minutes to a 6-mile trip, compared to a three-minute longer morning commute. The slowest time is between 5-6pm Tuesdays when a 6-mile trip takes 12 minutes and 10 seconds. Between the lines: Dallas office worker occupancy increased 7% in January compared to the previous year, per the Dallas Morning News. The bottom line: Hybrid work schedules took employees back to the office just a few days a week after pandemic lockdowns. That has changed.