4 Rail and bus use, and accessibilit y
- Forty-six per cent of respondents had used their local bus service in the last month, with 24 per cent using their local train.
- Respondents in households earning over £40,000 per year were the least likely to have used the bus in the last month and the most likely to have used a train.
- A quarter of respondents had a regular bus service (at least 5 buses an hour) in 2008.
- Seventy-eight per cent of respondents never used the bus in the evening and 54 per cent thought it was safe in 2008.
- Fifty-six per cent of those aged 60 or over used their concessionary pass at least once a month (52% in previous years) with 28 per cent having a pass but not using it.
Train use
4.1 Twenty-four per cent of respondents had used the train in the past month in 2008. This is an increase of 9 percentage points since 2002. Only 7 per cent used the train at least once a week. [ Table 5].
4.2 In 2008, 4 per cent of respondents travelled to work by train, and 1 per cent of children travelled to school by train. [ Table 12]. [ Table 13].
Age/gender
4.3 The younger the age group the more likely they were to have used a train in the last month. (Figure 6). [ Table 21].
Income, deprivation and urban/rural
4.4 Train use increased as household income increased. Thirty-five per cent of those in households earning over £40,000 per year used the train at least once a month compared to 19 per cent of those in the lowest income households (up to £10,000 per year).
4.5 Those living in more rural areas were less likely to travel by train, with only 11 per cent of those living in remote rural areas using a train at least once a month compared to over 20 per cent of those living in urban areas and accessible towns.
Evening travel and safety
4.6 Over three quarters of respondents had never used the train in the evening and less than 1 per cent used it most days. Thirteen per cent of respondents in 2008 felt very safe when travelling by train in the evening, a 5 percentage drop since 2001. However, it should be noted that the sample size was halved from 2007 onwards. [ Table 7].
4.7 Gender had no effect on people's frequency of travel by train in the evening, however females were less likely to think it was safe (42 per cent of females compared to 62 per cent of males). [ Table 23].
4.8 The older the age group the less likely they were to travel by train in the evening. They were also less likely to feel safe, which may be the reason they chose not to travel.
4.9 Those in employment or further/higher education were the most likely to travel by train in the evening.
4.10 Those in households earning over £40,000 per year were the most likely to report feeling very safe when travelling by train in the evening (21 per cent).
4.11 Those respondents who travel by train in the evening frequently (at least once a week or once a month) are more likely to report feeling safe than those travelling less frequently.
GB comparison
4.12 The SHS shows similar results to that of the GB (2008 NTS), which found that 6 per cent used the train at least once a week (compared to 7% from the SHS).
Bus use
4.13 A quarter of respondents had a regular bus service (at least 5 buses an hour) in 2008. This is an increase of 5 percentage points since 1999. Eighty-six per cent lived within 6 minutes walk to a bus stop, although this may not be the bus stop that they regularly use. Twenty-three per cent have both, i.e. a regular bus service that is within 6 minutes walk from their house. [ Table 2].
4.14 Forty-six per cent of respondents had used the local bus service in the past month. This is an increase of 5 percentage points since 2002. [ Table 5].
Age/gender
4.15 Younger and older age groups were the most likely to use the bus, while less than 40 per cent of those aged between 30 and 59 used the bus in the past month. This is consistent with the results on frequency of driving, which showed that the 30 to 59 year age groups were the most likely to drive every day. [ Table 21].
4.16 Women were more likely to use the bus, with over 50 per cent responding that they had used the bus in the last month, compared to only 41 per cent of men. [ Table 21]. However, men were more likely to use the bus in the evening than women were (24% and 20% respectively). [ Table 22].
Income, deprivation and urban/rural
4.17 Respondents in more deprived areas were more likely to have a good bus service (bus stop within 6 minute walk and 5+ buses per hour) than respondents in the least deprived areas (36% and 22%, respectively). [ Table 20].
4.18 Urban areas, particularly large urban areas, had more frequent bus services. Forty-one per cent of households in large urban areas had a bus stop within 6 minutes walk of their home, with a frequency of at least 5 buses an hour. This compares to remote rural areas, where there were no households who were served by a bus stop with at least 5 buses an hour. [ Table 20].
4.19 Those in large urban areas were the most likely to travel by bus almost or every day (20 per cent compared to only 3% of those living in remote rural areas). ( Table 21).
Figure 6: Adults who have used a bus or train in the past month, 2008
Evening travel and safety
4.20 Seventy-eight per cent of respondents never used the bus in the evening and 54 per cent thought it was safe from crime. The percentage of respondents claiming to feel that bus travel in the evening is safe has fallen by 13 percentage points since 2001.
4.21 Those living in large urban areas were most likely to travel by bus in the evening, possibly due to the more frequent service. However, those living in remote areas (either towns or rural areas) were the most likely to feel very safe using the bus in the evening.
4.22 Respondents aged between 16 and 29 were more likely to travel by bus in the evening than older age groups, and they were also more likely to feel safe.
GB comparison
4.23 The SHS shows similar results to that of the GB (2008 NTS), which found that 28 per cent used the bus at least once a week (compared to 33% from the SHS).
Bus use compared to train use
4.24 Frequency of driving and driving licence possession had a significant effect on whether respondents travelled by bus. Thirty-two per cent of those holding a full driving licence had used the local bus service in the past month, compared to 74 per cent of those who don't hold a full licence. Those who drove more frequently were less likely to travel by bus. However, train travel was comparatively unaffected by either frequency of driving or driving licence possession. [ Table 21].
4.25 Women were more likely to use the bus than men, while there was no difference in train use by gender (Figure 6).
4.26 Adults aged 16 to 19 were much more likely to use the bus almost or every day than older age groups (27% compared to an average of 13% for all adults). Whereas 20 to 29 year olds were the most likely to take the train every day. Older age groups (60 and over) were more likely to travel by bus than those aged 30-59, while train use decreased as age increased. [ Table 21].
4.27 The lower the household income bracket the more likely it is that the respondent used the bus in the last month. This is in direct contrast to train use, which has a decreased likelihood the lower the household income, implying that the higher cost of rail travel is a deterrent to those on lower incomes. [ Table 21].
Concessionary Travel
4.28 The National Concessionary Travel Scheme was rolled out across Scotland in April 2006. The scheme enables individuals aged 60+ or those with certain types of disabilities to travel free on buses across Scotland. Tables 24 and Table 25 only contain statistics for respondents with a concessionary pass described above.
4.29 Twenty-four per cent of adults (16+) had a concessionary fare pass in 2008, and 84 per cent of those aged 60 or over. [ Table 8]. However, only 56 per cent of respondents aged 60 or over actually used their pass at least once a month. [ Table 25].
4.30 This is consistent with Transport Scotland data showing 26 per cent of the adult population owning a concessionary fare pass (1,122,846 passes issued by end February 2009; GROS mid-year 2008 population estimate of 4,254,966).
4.31 Twenty-five per cent of respondents aged 60 to 64 did not have a pass, compared with 15 per cent or less for all older age groups. (Figure 7). [ Table 24].
Figure 7: Possession and use of concessionary fare pass, 2008
4.32 Women were more likely to have used their pass than men (61% and 50% respectively) and they tended to use it more frequently, with 46 per cent using it on a daily or at least weekly basis, compared to 35 per cent of men. [ Table 25].
4.33 Of all adults aged 60 or over, those who were permanently retired were more likely to have a pass than those in employment (88% and 68% respectively). This may indicate that those in employment are unaware that they are eligible for a pass.
4.34 Fifty per cent of adults aged 60 or over and in lower income households (up to £10,000 per year) used their pass at least once a week compared to 30 per cent of those in households with over £20,000 per year. [ Table 25].
4.35 Frequency of driving had a considerable effect on how often concessionary passes were used by the over 60s. Of those who drove every day, only 20 per cent used their pass at least once a week compared to over 50 per cent of those who drove less than once a week. [ Table 25].
Young Persons' Concessionary Travel
4.36 The Scotland-wide Concessionary Travel Scheme for Young People started on 8 January 2007. It allows all 16 - 18 year olds and young full-time volunteers up to the age of 25 concessionary travel on buses, rail and ferries throughout Scotland. The scheme provides a third off bus and rail travel throughout Scotland and two free return ferry journeys to the mainland each year if you live on a Scottish Island. A question on young persons concessionary travel was added to the survey in 2008.
4.37 Of those aged 16 to 18, 21 per cent had a pass, with 12 per cent using it at least once a fortnight. No one over 18 had a pass. This analysis is based on small sample sizes and therefore may be subject to larger sampling variation than other figures.