Socioeconomic and Travel Variables Associated with Subway Commuting for Work or Study in the São Paulo Metropolitan Region

This study investigates associations between socioeconomic and travel variables among users of the São Paulo metro, focusing on travels made for work and study purposes, which are expected to reflect regular commuting patterns, and identifies the main variables associated with mobility characteristics within this group. Using data from the 2017 Origin–Destination Survey conducted by the São Paulo Metro Company, a set of 10,522 respondents was analyzed. The statistical analysis employed Pearson correlation, factor analysis of mixed data (FAMD), and multiple linear regression. The findings indicate that both socioeconomic and travel variables were significantly associated with mobility characteristics among metro system users in the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo (RMSP). The main variables associated with these mobility characteristics were the distance between origin and destination, the distances to the respective stations, travel duration, age, study status, employment status, education level, Brazilian Criteria score, and number of vehicles. Based on the FAMD, these variables were organized into multiple dimensions that could be descriptively grouped into three main groups of information: travel burden and spatial accessibility; life-stage and educational/occupational profile; and life-stage and socioeconomic position. The socioeconomic composition of consistent metro users predominantly includes middle and middle-lower economic classes, with lower economic class, lower household income, and lower education levels being associated with longer travel distances and durations. The study also revealed that most metro travels are within 20 km, with an average travel time of 74 min. These findings suggest that improved infrastructure and better-distributed metro networks throughout the RMSP may contribute to enhancing accessibility, promoting social inclusion, and improving transportation equity.