9 Use of and views upon local bus services and train services, and possession and use of concessionary fare passes - adults (16+)(Tables 17, 18, 19, F, G; Charts H and I)
9.1 The interviewer asks the randomly selected adult how often they have used their local bus service in the past month. Table 17 shows the results. The first row of the table shows that, in 2005, 43% of adults had used a local bus service in the previous month: 12% used the bus every day or almost every day, 12% 2 or 3 times a week, 8% about once a week, and 12% once a fortnight or once a month. A similar question was asked about use of train services. 19% of adults had used the train in the month prior to interview, and 5% had used the train at least once a week.
9.2 Use of local bus services
9.2.1 Table 17 shows that females make more use of local bus services than males, with 13% of women using a bus service every day or almost every day, compared to 10% of men, and just under two-thirds of men not having used the bus in the past month, compared to just over half of women. The use of local bus services differed among the age groups in that 27% of 16-19 year olds and 18% of 20-29 year olds used the bus every day or almost every day, compared to 8-14% of those aged 30 and above. 75% of 16-19 year olds had used a bus in the previous month, compared to approximately only a third of 30-59 year olds. There is considerable variation in the use of buses with the current situation of the interviewee. Only 20% of self-employed people had used a bus in the previous month, and only 34% of those employed full-time, compared to 65% of those unemployed or in higher or further education. Considerable variation is also shown with socio-economic classification: for example, 50% of those in semi-routine occupations had used a bus within the last month, compared with only 20% of small employers and sole traders. The middle of Table 17 shows how use of bus services decreases with the net annual income of the household, ranging from 57% of those in "up to £10,000 per annum" households having used a bus in the previous month, to 26% of those in "£40,000 or more" households.
9.2.2 Usage of local bus services also varies between types of area. 58% of adults living in the most deprived 20% of areas in 2005 had used a bus in the month prior to interview, and 20% had used a bus every day or almost every day, compared to 42% who had used a bus, and only 9% who used one every day or almost every day in the least deprived 20% of areas. 57% of households in large urban areas had used a local bus in the previous month, and 18% had used one every day or almost every day, compared to 20% of those in "remote" rural areas having used a bus, and just 3% using one every day or almost every day. Predictably, the use of buses decreases with increased use of cars. 20% of those who drove every day had used a bus in the previous month, compared to 63-70% of those who never drove.
9.3 Use of train services
9.3.1 In terms of age, current situation, urban / rural classification and frequency of driving, use of train services varied in a similar way to use of local bus services, except the percentages who had used a train service were far lower. For example: 4% of 16-29 year olds used the train every day or almost every day, compared to 1% or less of those over the age of 50. There was very little variation between the sexes, with 19% of women having used a train in the previous month, compared to 20% of men. However, there is a tendency for the use of train services to increase with annual net household income, a different pattern from that for bus usage. For example, 13% of adults in households with an annual net household income of £10,000 or less had used a train in the previous month, compared to 20% in households with between £20,000 and £30,000, and 31% of those in "over £40,000" households. A similar pattern is shown by level of deprivation in the locality in which the respondents live. 27% of those living in the least deprived 20% of areas had used a train service, compared to 17-19% in the other areas.
9.3.2 Chart H illustrates variation in the use of local bus services and train services, by sex, age, urban / rural classification and frequency of driving.
9.4 Views on local bus and train services
9.4.1 Adults who said that they had used local bus services or train services in the past month were asked how strongly they agreed or disagreed with a series of statements about the services. Non-users of train services (those who had not used the train in the past month) were asked for their views on three aspects of train services. Table 18 shows the results. Users tended to be slightly more favourable to train services. For example, 74% of bus users thought that the buses run on time, 76% stated that they ran when they were needed, 77% found them comfortable, 86% felt safe and secure on the bus, and 88% found the range and price of tickets easy to understand. Similarly, 81% of rail users said that the trains run on time, 80% stated that they ran when they were needed, 88% found them comfortable, 88% felt safe and secure on the train, and 88% found the range and price of tickets easy to understand. The only major difference to this pattern was in the value of the fares: 66% of bus users felt that bus fares were good value, whereas only 60% of rail users agreed that train fares were good value. Non-users of trains had much lower percentages agreeing with the statements than users; 31% thought the trains were on time, 36% would feel personally safe and secure on the train, and 23% thought the fares were good value. However, this was mainly due to the high proportion of non-users who said that they had no view, around two-thirds for each statement: only 6% of non-users felt that the trains were not on time, and only 12% that the fares were not good value.
9.4.2 The middle section of Table 18 shows the percentages of different groups of train users who agreed with each of the statements (a similar analysis of bus users' views appears in the "Bus and Coach Statistics" bulletin). There was very little difference between the sexes in the proportions agreeing with each of the statements, although males were more likely to feel safe and secure (90% vs. 86%), and more likely to think the service is stable (86% vs. 82%). There was some variation in responses according to age group, with a greater proportion of those aged 60 or over agreeing with almost all the statements. The most notable difference was in those agreeing that fares were good value, with 54% of 16-29 year olds agreeing the fares were good value, compared to 79% of those aged 60 or over. There was some variation with the frequency of use of train services for some of the questions; most notably, smaller proportions of those who used the train every day or almost every day agreed that the services were on time (75% compared to 81-82% of those who used the train less often), and good value (52% compared to 59-61%).
9.4.3 The lower part of Table 18 compares the views of users and non-users of train services, excluding those who have no opinion. Users tend to agree with all three statements more than non-users; 83% vs. 69% agreed that the trains are on time, 88% vs. 74% agreed that they feel/would feel safe and secure on the train; 62% vs. 51% agreed that the fares are good value. The percentage agreeing with each statement tended to rise with age for both users and non-user; there was little difference between the sexes apart from a higher percentage of men feeling safe and secure, for both users and non-users.
9.5 Frequency of evening travel by bus and how safe from crime would they feel
9.5.1 The interviewer asked the randomly-chosen adult about the frequency of his or her evening travel by bus and how safe from crime he/she would feel when travelling by bus in the evenings. Table F shows this for the years for which the questions have been asked (2001 onwards). The frequency of travel does not appear to change much over the years. The proportion of those who feel very safe travelling by bus in the evening has fallen from 21.5% in 2001 to 12.8% in 2005.
9.6 Frequency of evening travel by train and how safe from crime would they feel
9.6.1 The interviewer asked the randomly-chosen adult about the frequency of his or her evening travel by train and how safe from crime he/she would feel when travelling by train in the evenings. Table G shows this for the years the questions have been asked. As for buses, the frequency of travel does not appear to change much over the years, although there is an increase in those who never travel by train in the evening (from 80.0% in 2001 to 83.7% in 2005) which is greater than could be regarded as due to sampling variability. The proportion of those who feel very safe travelling by train in the evening has fallen from 16.5% in 2001 to 10.2% in 2005.
9.7 Possession and use of concessionary fare passes
9.7.1 The randomly selected adult is asked if he/she has a concessionary travel pass which allows travel free of charge on off-peak local bus services. (This was the basis of the minimum national standard for concessionary fare arrangements that applied during 2005 - new arrangements were introduced with effect from 1 st April 2006.) Those who held such a pass were asked how often they use their pass. The upper part of Table 19 shows that in 2005, 26% of adults held a concessionary travel pass. Possession of such a pass is linked to age, as is shown in Chart I; 1-2% of those under 50 have a pass, compared with 5% of those in their 50s, 70% of those aged 60-64, and 81-87% of those aged 65 and over.
9.7.2 The lower part of Table 19 shows possession and use of concessionary travel passes for those aged 60 and over. 81% of those aged 60+ held a pass; 75% of men and 85% of women. Only 58% of those who are employed have a pass, compared to 84% of those who are permanently retired from work, and 71% of those who are permanently sick or disabled. Concessionary travel pass possession varies with income; 84-85% of 60+s living in households with an annual net income of under £15,000 have a pass, compared to 68% of those in "over £20,000" households. 84-86% of over 60s in urban areas held a pass, compared with 67-68% in rural areas. 70% of those who drive every day have a concessionary travel pass, compared with 77-81% of those who drive less often.
9.7.3 Of the 81% of 60+s who held a concessionary travel pass, 28% had not used them in the past month. 5% had used it every day, 10% almost every day, 17% had used it two or three times a week, 8% once a week, and 13% less often. 44% of women aged 60 and over had used a pass at least once a week in the past month, compared to 32% of men. Those who were permanently retired from work were more likely to have used their pass at least once a week compared to those who were employed (42% vs. 25%). Adults aged 60 and over who lived in households with an annual net income of less than £10,000 were much more likely to have used their pass at least once a week than those in "over £20,000" households. 52% of 60+s in large urban areas had used their pass at least once a week in the past month, compared to 13% in "remote" rural areas. As would be expected, use of the concessionary travel pass varies with frequency of driving; from 16% of 60+s who drive every day using their pass once a week, to 48% of those who drive less than once a week, to 55% of those with no driving licence.
Chart I - Possession and Use of concessionary travel pass - by age
