Personal travel by people in England increased last year but remained below pre-pandemic trends, according to the latest Government statistics.
The National Travel Survey 2023, published by the Department for Transport found that the average number of trips per peson was 915, up by 6% compared to 2022, but that trip rates remain 4% lower than in 2019.
Cars on the A2 near London
There were increases in trip rates amongst private transport modes (such as car drivers, car passengers and motorcycles.
The average number of trips made as a car driver or passengers rose to 363 trips and 185 trips per person respectively, but remained below pre-pandemic levels.
Car driver was the most frequent mode to begin a trip, with 39% of trips.
The survey found increases on many public transport modes such as buses outside London, London Underground and surface rail, while active transport (walking and cycling) remained fairly stable compared to 2022.
Average trips by buses outside London increased by 8% compared to 2022 with 25 trips per person.
Officials said this may have at least partially been impacted by the national £2 bus fare cap which came into effect on buses outside London from January 2023.
The number of bus trips in London remained similar to the previous year.
RAC senior policy officer Rod Dennis said: ‘It’s abundantly clear that the private car remains the mode of choice for journeys over a mile in length, despite the fact that the proportion of households with access to a car has remained broadly flat for the last 50 years.
‘And while the average distance travelled by bus has crept up slightly this year, it’s still the case that these figures are down hugely compared to the start of the century – reinforcing the fact that many local bus services, where they still exist, simply aren’t working for people.’
He added: ‘The findings give the new government some food for thought as it tries to balance the needs of all road users, whether they are bus riders, cyclists, pedestrians or drivers.’
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