1. Main points
1.1 In 2005, over two-thirds of commuters said that they travelled to work by car or van (60% as a driver and 8% as a passenger), 13% walked, 12% went by bus, 4% took a train, 2% cycled and 2% used other modes of transport. 65% of men drove to work compared to 56% of women; proportionately more women walked or went by bus than men (paragraph 11.2.1). Since the survey started, the percentage driving to work has risen (from 54.7% in 1999 to 60.2% in 2005), the percentage getting a lift has fallen (from 11.8% to 7.5%), there has been a slight decrease in the percentage walking (from 13.8% to 12.8%) and little change in the use of other modes of transport (paragraph 11.2.7).
1.2 About 43% of commuters who travelled to work by car or van said that they could use public transport: "takes too long" was their main reason given for not doing so (58% of them) and just over a third said that public transport was "inconvenient" (paragraph 11.3.2). 27% of those who drove to work or education did something else as part of their journey (paragraph 11.4.1): most-often mentioned was "taking children to school" (11% of car driver commuters), with many more women than men doing this (17% vs. 6%) (paragraph 11.4.2).
1.3 Walking was reported to be the usual method of travel to school in 2005 for 53% of pupils, 24% were said to go by bus (16% by school bus and 7% by ordinary bus), 21% went by car or van, and only 1% cycled to school (paragraph 13.2.1). 26% of primary school age pupils travelled by car, as did 14% of secondary school age pupils (paragraph 13.2.2). 24-27% of children from "managerial and professional" backgrounds travelled by car or van, compared with only 14-21% of those from "routine" or "semi-routine" backgrounds (paragraph 13.2.4). Since 1999, the percentage walking to school has fallen (from 54.7% to 52.6%), the percentage going by car has risen (from 18.3% to 20.8%) and there has been little change in the use of the other modes of transport (paragraph 13.2.7).
1.4 In 2005, over two-thirds (68%) of households had one or more cars (paragraph 3.1). Car availability rose with income, from 38% of households with an annual net income of under £10,000 to 99% of those with an annual net household income of over £40,000 (paragraph 3.2.1). Only 44% of households in the most deprived 20% of areas of Scotland had access to a car compared with 86% in the least deprived 20% of areas . 58% of households in large urban areas had a car, compared with 84-85% of those in "rural" areas (paragraph 3.2.2).
1.5 The overall trend has been for the proportion of households with one or more cars to increase (from 62.9% in 1999 to 67.9% in 2005). The proportion of households with two or more cars also increased; from 17.8% in 1999 to 23.5% in 2005 (paragraph 3.2.4).
1.6 Almost two thirds (65%) of people aged 17+ said they had a full driving licence in 2005 (paragraph 4.2.1): 77% of men, only 56% of women (paragraph 4.2.2), and 79% of 40-49 year olds (paragraph 4.2.1). 41% of people aged 17+ were said to drive every day (paragraph 4.3.1): 50% of men compared with 34% of women. 57% of people aged between 40 and 49 drove every day (paragraph 4.3.2).
1.7 The proportion of males aged 17+ with a full driving licence remained almost constant (at just over three-quarters) between 1999 and 2005, whereas the proportion of females aged 17+ with a full driving licence rose from 51.9% in 1999 to 56.3% in 2005 (paragraph 4.2.4).
1.8 36% of adults in 2005 supported keeping the current system of motoring taxes and charges, and 34% supported giving incentives to drive environmentally friendly cars (paragraph 5.2.1). In 2005, 58% of adults said they were concerned about traffic growth in Scotland (paragraph 5.3.1). The most common reason for concern were "busier roads/streets" (mentioned by 46% of those who expressed concern), "congestion/increased travel times" (41%) and "air pollution" (32%) - some people gave several reasons (paragraph 5.3.3).
1.9 11% of adults said they drove in congested traffic every day; 16% of men compared with 7% of women (paragraph 5.4.1). The most frequently mentioned impacts of congestion were "longer journey times" (mentioned by 38% of those who ever drove in congested traffic) and "stress" (23%) (paragraph 5.4.2), and the most popular options for what should be done about congestion were "improve public transport service" (34% of those drivers), "public transport should be cheaper" (16%) and "build more roads" (15%) (paragraph 5.4.3).
1.10 85% of all households were said to be up to 6 minutes walk away from a bus stop, and overall, 25% of householders said that there was a least one bus every 13 minutes. 44% of households in large urban areas said there was at least one bus every 13 minutes in contrast to 3% or fewer of those in rural areas and "remote" small towns (paragraph 3.3.1). The frequency of bus service appears to have improved over the years, with the percentage of households saying there was at least one bus every 13 minutes rising from 19.7% in 1999 to 24.9% in 2005 (paragraph 3.3.2).
1.11 43% of adults had used a local bus service in the month prior to the interview. 13% of women and 10% of men used the bus every day or almost every day. 27% of 16-19 year olds used the bus every day or almost every day, compared to 8-14% of those aged 30 and above (paragraph 9.2.1). 18% of those living in large urban areas used the bus every day or almost every day, compared with just 3-5% of those in rural areas or "remote" small towns (paragraph 9.2.2). 74% of bus users agreed that the buses ran on time, and 66% felt that bus fares were good value (paragraph 9.4.1).
1.12 In 2005, 19% of adults had used a train in the past month (paragraph 9.1). 13% of those in households with an annual net income of under £10,000 had used a train in the past month, compared with 31% in households with an income of over £40,000 (paragraph 9.3.1). 81% of rail users felt that the trains ran on time, and 60% agreed that train fares were good value. Non users views of rail services were markedly different because up to two-thirds said they had no opinion on rail services, with the result that only 31% thought that the trains ran on time, and 23% thought that rail fares were good value (paragraph 9.4.1).
1.13 81% of adults over 60 in 2005 held a concessionary travel pass; 75% of men compared to 85% of women (paragraph 9.7.2). 40% of adults aged over 60 used such a pass at least once a week; 44% of women and 32% of men (paragraph 9.7.3).
1.14 In 2005, 46% of adults said that they had made a trip of more than a quarter of a mile by foot for pleasure or to keep fit (including walking a dog) in the previous seven days: 48% of men and 45% of women (paragraph 10.2.3). Only 4% of adults said that they had cycled for pleasure or to keep fit in the previous seven days: 6% of men and 3% of women (paragraph 10.3.2).
1.15 About a third of households (35%) had one or more bicycles that adults could use. It varied with annual net household income: from 15% of households with up to £10,000 per year to 70% of those with in excess of £40,000 (paragraph 3.4.1).
1.16 In 2005, 17% of adults had heard of Traveline Scotland, and 5% said that they had used it. 8% of 16-29 year olds had used the service, compared with 6% of 30-49 year olds, 4% of 50-69 year olds and only 1% of those aged over 70 (paragraph 8.2.1).
1.17 7% of adults had heard of Transport Direct (paragraph 8.3.1), and 1.2% had used it (1.4% of men and 1.0% of women). Usage was highest in the 30-49 age group (1.6%) and lowest in the 70+ age group (0.4%) (paragraph 8.3.3).