Poland
Warsaw
UMR Index Rank
#37
(=)
Score: 51%
Sustainable Mobility
#34
(=)
Score: 49.0%
Public Transit
#15
(+5)
Score: 61.0%
Technology Adoption
#47
Score: 29.4%
| Population | 1.9 million |
| Surface area (km2) | 546 |
| Population-density (people/km2) | 3,505 |
| GDP per capita ($) | 46,710 |
UMR Index Rank
#37
(=)
Score: 51%
Sustainable Mobility
#34
(=)
Score: 49.0%
Public Transit
#15
(+5)
Score: 61.0%
Technology Adoption
#47
Score: 29.4%
What Warsaw Does Well In Urban Mobility
Multimodality flourishes in Warsaw, with diverse and affordable public transit. Most residents have short distances to their nearest public transit stop, resulting in high utilization rates. Building on this strength, the city intends to expand the existing metro from two lines to five and a develop a tram network to connect all of Warsaw’s districts by 2050. In 2022 the city inaugurated three new stations and 17 trains to improve connectivity between eastern and western areas of the city.
Warsaw has introduced car-free zones throughout the city. In 2024 it also implemented a Low Emission Zone (LZE) covering 37 square kilometers (14 square miles), the first of its kind in Poland. While the LZE will apply only to diesel cars older than 2005 and petrol cars older than 1997, which is less than 5% of private vehicles in Warsaw, the city plans to gradually tighten restrictions.
Urban Mobility Readiness Index, Sustainable Mobility, Public Transit, and Technology Adoption scores
Source: Oliver Wyman Forum and University of California, Berkeley
Challenges And Opportunities For Warsaw’s Transportation System
Warsaw does not have many top universities and labs working on mobility, including research in artificial intelligence and machine learning with a mobility focus. The city is also home to few mobility companies, contributing to a more muted innovation ecosystem.
Warsaw performs less well than many peers on sustainability indicators, in particular the carbon intensity of electricity generation. It has the highest carbon intensity of electricity generation in this edition of the Urban Mobility Readiness Index, due to Poland’s heavy dependence on coal for power. Still, Warsaw is trying to address the issue. The city aims to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030 and become climate neutral by 2050. Warsaw’s plan includes expanding the rail network, investing in zero-emission buses, and developing car-sharing.
Dimensions of the Urban Mobility Readiness Index score
Source: Oliver Wyman Forum and University of California, Berkeley
How Warsaw Can Improve Its Urban Mobility Performance
While Warsaw has ambitions to increase the electric vehicle (EV) market share in sales, and managed to do so in recent years, the city still lags behind European peers such as Vienna or Dublin. To encourage EV adoption, Warsaw can expand purchase subsidies already offered under the Mój Elektryczny Samochód (My Electric Car) program, which provides zł70,000 ($17 ,400) for delivery vans and zł27 ,000 ($6,700) for cars. Larger subsidies for vehicles that are 100% electric, rather than hybrid, can also encourage greater adoption of EVs. Charging station availability is another major factor in EV purchase decisions, and Warsaw’s station density is well below its peers’. While charging infrastructure is improving, Warsaw can provide greater incentives for private and public installation.
Warsaw has no autonomous transit but can introduce greater automation in its metro expansion. Although it is a a large upfront investment, autonomous transit improves speed and efficiency and reduces operating costs while enabling longer operating hours. As such, investing in autonomous transit can help Warsaw modernize and improve its public transit offering.
Urban Mobility Readiness Index relative ranking evolution (2020-2024)
Source: Oliver Wyman Forum and University of California, Berkeley