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Main Transport Trends 2008
25/08/2008
Scotland's Chief Statistician today published Main Transport Trends. This statistical bulletin summarises a range of transport statistics.
Main Findings
The bulletin shows that in Scotland in 2007:
- New car registrations increased by 3% to 251,000 and the total number of vehicles on the road increased by 2% to 2.65 million;
- The volume of traffic rose by 1 per cent in 2007 to 44.4 billion vehicle kilometres - the highest level ever recorded;
- Rail patronage was at its highest level in over 40 years - 83.1 million passenger journeys in 2007;
- Air passenger numbers reached a new record level - up 3% to 25.1million.
The sections below describe the further trends shown by the statistics.
Motor vehicles and traffic
- The number of new vehicles registered rose by 3 per cent to 251,000, it was still the fourth highest figure recorded, 22 per cent more than in 1997.
- The number of vehicles per head of population has been consistently lower in Scotland than in GB as a whole: in 2007, there were 51 vehicles per 100 population in Scotland compared with 58 in GB.
- 70 per cent of households had at least one car available for private use - up from 63 per cent in 1999. 25 per cent of households had two or more cars in 2007 compared with 18 per cent in 1999.
Public transport: rail, bus and air
- There were 81.3 million passenger journeys on ScotRail services in 2007-08, 5 per cent greater than 2006-07 and 45 per cent higher than 10 years earlier.
- Per head of population, there are fewer rail passenger journeys originating in Scotland than in GB: 15.3 per head in Scotland in 2005-06, compared with 18.5 per head in GB.
- In 2006-07 there were 482 million bus passengers, 1 per cent higher than the previous year.
- Usage of local bus services is higher in Scotland than in GB as a whole: in 2006-07 94 journeys were made per head of population in Scotland compared with 84 in GB.
- There were 25.1 million air terminal passengers in 2007, 3 per cent more than in the previous year, 75 per cent more than in 1997, and the highest level ever recorded.
- The number of air passengers per head of population has been consistently higher for Scotland than for the UK. Between 1997 and 2007, air terminal passengers increased by 75 per cent for Scotland and 64 per cent for the UK as a whole.
Personal travel, including travel to work and school
- In 2007, over two-thirds of commuters travelled to work by car or van (63 per cent as a driver and 6 per cent as a passenger), 12 per cent walked, 12 per cent went by bus, 4 per cent took a train, 2 per cent cycled and 2 per cent used other modes of transport. The percentage travelling to work by car has increased in recent years.
- In 2007, 53 per cent of pupils walked to school, 21 per cent went by bus, 22 per cent by car, 1 per cent cycled, 1 per cent went by rail and 2 per cent used other means of transport.
- In 2007, 68 per cent of people aged 17 or over had a full driving licence: 78 per cent of men compared to 60 per cent of women. In recent years, the percentage for men has been fairly constant, whereas the percentage of women has increased.
Road Casualties
- 282 people were killed on Scotland's roads in 2007, (as published in Key 2007 Road Accident Statistics). This was 10 per cent less than in 2006, and 25 per cent fewer than in 1997 and the lowest number for more than 50 years.
- The number of people recorded as seriously injured in road accidents was 2,316, down by 12 per cent and the lowest figure since records began. Road casualties totalled 16,056, 7 per cent fewer than in 2006, 29 per cent fewer than in 1997, and the lowest figure since 1950.
Freight
- The majority of freight lifted in Scotland was transferred by road (172.4 million tonnes in 2006 - an increase of 4% on 2005). 20.1 millioon tonnes was transferred via coastwise shipping and 13 million tonnes by rail.