The World’s Most Painful Commute: Mexico City

NEW YORK (MainStreet) —  Americans aren’t the only ones who loathe their commute. In fact, according to an annual report from IBM, the stress levels we associate with our hellish commute pale in comparison to those experienced by workers in other countries.

The report awarded points in 10 categories designed to measure the emotional and economic toll of getting to and from work every day , including commuting time, time stuck in traffic, start-stop traffic, worsening traffic and anger caused by driving. The higher the score, the more painful the commute.

Of the 20 cities on six continents IBM investigated, New York actually had the sixth least-painful commute, posting a score of 28.  Los Angeles, which is notorious for its traffic congestion, finished three spots higher with a score of 34.

Mexico City, the highest-ranked city according to the report, scored a whopping 108. China’s two metros, Beijing and Shenzhen, weren’t far behind with scores of 95.

But regardless of where the cities fell on the Righter scale of awful commutes, IBM found that many people are becoming increasingly disgruntled with their daily drive. When compared to last year’s findings, many cities recorded significant increases in the number of respondents who said that roadway traffic has increased their levels of personal stress and anger and negatively affected their performance at work or school. 

Additionally, more people are turning to public transportation with the biggest movements toward mass transit being exhibited in in Nairobi, Mexico City, Shenzhen, Buenos Aires and Beijing. Overall, 41% believe improved public transit would help reduce traffic congestion.

IBM’s survey is based on interviews with 8,042 commuters. It analyzes driving commutes to and from work. The cities scores, listed from most to least stressful, are as follows:

• Mexico City: 108
• Shenzhen: 95
• Beijing: 95
• Nairobi: 88
• Johannesburg: 83
• Bangalore: 75
• New Delhi: 72
• Moscow: 65
• Milan: 53
• Singapore: 44
• Buenos Aires: 42
• Los Angeles: 34
• Paris: 31
• Madrid: 28
• New York: 28
• Toronto: 27
• Stockholm: 26
• Chicago: 25
• London: 23
• Montrea:l  21

You can find a full breakdown of the scores on IBM’s website.

—For the best rates on loans, bank accounts and credit cards, enter your ZIP code at BankingMyWay.com.