Travel by distance, trips, type of transport and purpose
Published
Last updated 11 October 2017 - see all updates
This page has been archived.
It has been replaced by
Travel.
There is a new version of this page. View the latest version.
- 1. Navigate to Main facts and figures section
- 2. Navigate toDistance travelled by ethnicity section
- 3. Navigate toDistance travelled by ethnicity and mode of transport section
- 4. Navigate toDistance travelled by ethnicity and purpose of journey section
- 5. Navigate toNumber of trips by ethnicity section
- 6. Navigate toTrips made by ethnicity and mode of transport section
- 7. Navigate toTrips made by ethnicity and purpose of journey section
- 8. Navigate to Methodology section
- 9. Navigate to Data sources section
- 10. Navigate to Download the data section
1. Main facts and figures
-
overall, people in England travelled about 6,600 miles per year and made an average of 932 trips per year in 2011/15
-
White people travelled the greatest distance and made the most trips in this period, and people from the Other ethnic group travelled the smallest distance and made the fewest trips
-
overall, the greatest distance travelled, and the majority of the trips made, were by car or van, either as a passenger or a driver
-
the greatest distance travelled was for leisure for all ethnic groups except Asian people, where a broadly equal distance was travelled for leisure and commuting
Things you need to know
The National Transport Survey (NTS) data is based on a 7-day travel diary. These results are then used to estimate the yearly average distance travelled, or number of trips.
The NTS has been run in the same way from 2002/06 to 2011/15. This means there is a high level of consistency in the data.
To increase the reliability of the estimates, data have been aggregated over a series of overlapping 5-year periods. The average for each 5-year period is then calculated.
Location is a factor in the variety of distance travelled and number of trips made by different ethnic groups. The average distance travelled by people in urban areas is significantly lower than in rural areas, and a higher proportion of ethnic minority groups live in urban areas. The 2011 Census found that 98% of Black and Asian people lived in urban areas, compared to 80% of White people.
What the data measures
This data measures the distance people travel every year, broken down by ethnicity, mode of transport and purpose of journey.
It also measures the number of trips people make every year, broken down by ethnicity,mode of transport and purpose of journey.
Although the data is based on people living in England, any trips they made in Wales and Scotland are also counted. The data includes people of all ages, including babies and children.
The ethnic categories used in this data
For this data, the number of people surveyed (the ‘sample size’) was too small to draw any firm conclusions about specific ethnic categories. Therefore, the data is broken down into the following 5 broad groups:
- Asian/Asian British
- Black/African/Caribbean/Black British
- Mixed/Multiple ethnic groups
- White
- Other ethnic group
2. Distance travelled by ethnicity
| All | Asian | Black | Mixed | White | Other | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time | All Miles | All Trips | Asian Miles | Asian Trips | Black Miles | Black Trips | Mixed Miles | Mixed Trips | White Miles | White Trips | Other Miles | Other Trips |
| 2002/06 | 7,141 | 1,041 | 4,558 | 851 | 4,697 | 805 | 4,954 | 914 | 7,424 | 1,063 | 4,465 | 818 |
| 2003/07 | 7,130 | 1,026 | 4,480 | 843 | 4,869 | 799 | 4,991 | 917 | 7,415 | 1,047 | 4,576 | 831 |
| 2004/08 | 7,067 | 1,017 | 4,496 | 842 | 4,788 | 815 | 5,266 | 910 | 7,346 | 1,038 | 4,528 | 840 |
| 2005/09 | 6,997 | 1,006 | 4,581 | 846 | 4,776 | 817 | 5,293 | 915 | 7,276 | 1,026 | 4,377 | 838 |
| 2006/10 | 6,901 | 989 | 4,686 | 836 | 4,678 | 809 | 5,316 | 903 | 7,179 | 1,009 | 4,429 | 840 |
| 2007/11 | 6,833 | 971 | 4,586 | 813 | 4,630 | 807 | 5,077 | 881 | 7,125 | 991 | 4,617 | 812 |
| 2008/12 | 6,725 | 966 | 4,580 | 813 | 4,489 | 806 | 4,940 | 867 | 7,029 | 987 | 4,420 | 777 |
| 2009/13 | 6,666 | 952 | 4,547 | 808 | 4,386 | 793 | 4,831 | 856 | 6,981 | 973 | 4,579 | 774 |
| 2010/14 | 6,622 | 941 | 4,473 | 785 | 4,447 | 789 | 4,804 | 836 | 6,939 | 964 | 4,527 | 764 |
| 2011/15 | 6,613 | 932 | 4,460 | 775 | 4,352 | 779 | 4,693 | 847 | 6,944 | 955 | 4,040 | 734 |
Download table data for ‘Distance travelled by ethnicity’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Distance travelled by ethnicity’ (CSV)
Summary of Travel by distance, trips, type of transport and purpose Distance travelled by ethnicity Summary
This data shows that:
-
overall, people in England travelled an average of 6,613 miles per year per person in 2011/15, a decrease of 7 percentage points from 2002/06
-
there was a reduction in the distance travelled for every ethnic group over this period, although Asian people saw the smallest reduction in distance, at 2%
-
White people travelled an average of 6,944 miles per year per person in 2011/15, over 2,000 miles more than the average distance travelled by people in each of the other ethnic groups – a consistent trend over the time studied
-
people from the Other ethnic group travelled the least distance – just over 4,000 miles
3. Distance travelled by ethnicity and mode of transport
| All ethnic groups | Asian | Black | Mixed | White | Other | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type of Transport | All ethnic groups % | All ethnic groups Miles | Asian % | Asian Miles | Black % | Black Miles | Mixed % | Mixed Miles | White % | White Miles | Other % | Other Miles |
| Bicycle | 1 | 53 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 17 | 1 | 46 | 1 | 58 | 1 | 43 |
| Bus in London | 1 | 81 | 5 | 209 | 14 | 596 | 4 | 180 | 1 | 45 | 9 | 349 |
| Car / van driver | 50 | 3,294 | 40 | 1,806 | 32 | 1,406 | 30 | 1,415 | 51 | 3,545 | 36 | 1,458 |
| Car / van passenger | 28 | 1,867 | 27 | 1,186 | 23 | 980 | 35 | 1,642 | 28 | 1,971 | 27 | 1,081 |
| London Underground | 1 | 85 | 5 | 221 | 5 | 204 | 3 | 126 | 1 | 67 | 5 | 213 |
| Motorcycle | 0 | 33 | withheld to protect confidentiality | withheld to protect confidentiality | withheld to protect confidentiality | withheld to protect confidentiality | withheld to protect confidentiality | withheld to protect confidentiality | 1 | 38 | withheld to protect confidentiality | withheld to protect confidentiality |
| Non-local bus | 1 | 52 | withheld to protect confidentiality | withheld to protect confidentiality | withheld to protect confidentiality | withheld to protect confidentiality | withheld to protect confidentiality | withheld to protect confidentiality | 1 | 52 | withheld to protect confidentiality | withheld to protect confidentiality |
| Other local bus | 3 | 205 | 3 | 149 | 5 | 219 | 4 | 201 | 3 | 210 | 4 | 144 |
| Other private transport | 2 | 109 | 1 | 45 | withheld to protect confidentiality | withheld to protect confidentiality | withheld to protect confidentiality | withheld to protect confidentiality | 2 | 117 | withheld to protect confidentiality | withheld to protect confidentiality |
| Other public transport | 1 | 41 | 1 | 24 | 1 | 43 | withheld to protect confidentiality | withheld to protect confidentiality | 1 | 44 | withheld to protect confidentiality | withheld to protect confidentiality |
| Surface Rail | 8 | 554 | 12 | 524 | 13 | 556 | 13 | 592 | 8 | 558 | 10 | 421 |
| Taxi / minicab | 1 | 55 | 1 | 41 | 1 | 61 | withheld to protect confidentiality | withheld to protect confidentiality | 1 | 56 | withheld to protect confidentiality | withheld to protect confidentiality |
| Walk | 3 | 184 | 4 | 172 | 4 | 187 | 5 | 224 | 3 | 184 | 5 | 195 |
Download table data for ‘Distance travelled by ethnicity and mode of transport’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Distance travelled by ethnicity and mode of transport’ (CSV)
Summary of Travel by distance, trips, type of transport and purpose Distance travelled by ethnicity and mode of transport Summary
-
in 2011/15, overall, people travelled the greatest distance (78%) by car or van, either as a driver or a passenger; 16% of journeys were made by public transport
-
within ethnic groups, the percentage of distance travelled by different types of transport varied: for example, 79% of the distance travelled by White people was by car or van, compared to 55% of the distance travelled by Black people
-
14% of the distance travelled by Black people was by bus in London, compared to 1% of the distance travelled by White people
-
13% of the distance travelled by Black and people from mixed backgrounds was by surface rail, compared to 8% of the distance travelled by White people
4. Distance travelled by ethnicity and purpose of journey
| All | Asian | Black | Mixed | White | Other | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trip Purpose | All % | All Miles | Asian % | Asian Miles | Black % | Black Miles | Mixed % | Mixed Miles | White % | White Miles | Other % | Other Miles |
| Business | 9 | 601 | 6 | 246 | 7 | 317 | 5 | 253 | 9 | 651 | 8 | 313 |
| Commuting | 20 | 1,301 | 31 | 1,371 | 25 | 1,079 | 20 | 934 | 19 | 1,316 | 23 | 944 |
| Education | 5 | 330 | 8 | 376 | 11 | 500 | 9 | 423 | 5 | 318 | 9 | 363 |
| Leisure | 40 | 2,623 | 31 | 1,362 | 27 | 1,180 | 40 | 1,876 | 40 | 2,811 | 33 | 1,350 |
| Other escort | 7 | 464 | 7 | 290 | 6 | 271 | 10 | 455 | 7 | 489 | 7 | 264 |
| Other including just walk | 1 | 44 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 25 | 1 | 48 | 1 | 22 |
| Personal business | 7 | 472 | 8 | 367 | 13 | 583 | 8 | 358 | 7 | 481 | 9 | 353 |
| Shopping | 12 | 777 | 10 | 427 | 9 | 409 | 8 | 368 | 12 | 831 | 11 | 431 |
Download table data for ‘Distance travelled by ethnicity and purpose of journey’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Distance travelled by ethnicity and purpose of journey’ (CSV)
Summary of Travel by distance, trips, type of transport and purpose Distance travelled by ethnicity and purpose of journey Summary
This data shows that:
-
in 2011/15, overall, people travelled the greatest distance (40%) for leisure, including trips to visit friends and for entertainment, sport and holidays; this is twice the distance travelled for commuting (20%)
-
the group with the lowest percentage of average annual distance travelled for leisure was Black (at 27%) and the groups with the highest percentage travelled for leisure were White and Mixed (at 40%)
-
the group with the lowest percentage of average annual distance travelled for education (including taking children to school) was White (at 5%)
-
the group with the highest percentage of average annual distance travelled for education (including taking children to school) was Black (at 11%)
5. Number of trips by ethnicity
| Time | All | Asian | Black | Mixed | White | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trips | Trips | Trips | Trips | Trips | Trips | |
| 2002-2006 | 1,041 | 851 | 805 | 914 | 1,063 | 818 |
| 2003-2007 | 1,026 | 843 | 799 | 917 | 1,047 | 831 |
| 2004-2008 | 1,017 | 842 | 815 | 910 | 1,038 | 840 |
| 2005-2009 | 1,006 | 846 | 817 | 915 | 1,026 | 838 |
| 2006-2010 | 989 | 836 | 809 | 903 | 1,009 | 840 |
| 2007-2011 | 971 | 813 | 807 | 881 | 991 | 812 |
| 2008-2012 | 966 | 813 | 806 | 867 | 987 | 777 |
| 2009-2013 | 952 | 808 | 793 | 856 | 973 | 774 |
| 2010-2014 | 941 | 785 | 789 | 836 | 964 | 764 |
| 2011-2015 | 932 | 775 | 779 | 847 | 955 | 734 |
Download table data for ‘Number of trips by ethnicity’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Number of trips by ethnicity’ (CSV)
Summary of Travel by distance, trips, type of transport and purpose Number of trips by ethnicity Summary
This data shows that:
-
overall, people in England made an average of 932 trips in 2011/15, down 10 percentage points from 2002/06
-
all ethnic groups saw a reduction in the number of trips, but Black people saw the smallest reduction (at 3%)
-
in 2011/15, White people made the highest number of trips per person (955) and people from the Other ethnic group made the lowest number of trips per person (734)
6. Trips made by ethnicity and mode of transport
| All | Asian | Black | Mixed | White | Other | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type of transport | All % | All Trips | Asian % | Asian Trips | Black % | Black Trips | Mixed % | Mixed Trips | White % | White Trips | Other % | Other Trips |
| Bicycle | 2 | 17 | 1 | 6 | withheld to protect confidentiality | withheld to protect confidentiality | 2 | 17 | 2 | 18 | withheld to protect confidentiality | withheld to protect confidentiality |
| Bus in London | 2 | 20 | 6 | 50 | 18 | 138 | 6 | 49 | 1 | 12 | 12 | 88 |
| Car / van driver | 42 | 387 | 32 | 248 | 23 | 183 | 21 | 177 | 43 | 412 | 27 | 201 |
| Car / van passenger | 22 | 208 | 22 | 169 | 17 | 129 | 28 | 241 | 23 | 215 | 17 | 126 |
| London Underground | 1 | 9 | 3 | 23 | 3 | 24 | withheld to protect confidentiality | withheld to protect confidentiality | 1 | 7 | 4 | 26 |
| Motorcycle | 0 | 3 | withheld to protect confidentiality | withheld to protect confidentiality | withheld to protect confidentiality | withheld to protect confidentiality | withheld to protect confidentiality | withheld to protect confidentiality | 0 | 4 | withheld to protect confidentiality | withheld to protect confidentiality |
| Non-local bus | 0 | 1 | withheld to protect confidentiality | withheld to protect confidentiality | withheld to protect confidentiality | withheld to protect confidentiality | withheld to protect confidentiality | withheld to protect confidentiality | 0 | 1 | withheld to protect confidentiality | withheld to protect confidentiality |
| Other local bus | 4 | 41 | 4 | 30 | 6 | 47 | 6 | 51 | 4 | 42 | 5 | 34 |
| Other private transport | 1 | 7 | 0 | 3 | withheld to protect confidentiality | withheld to protect confidentiality | withheld to protect confidentiality | withheld to protect confidentiality | 1 | 7 | withheld to protect confidentiality | withheld to protect confidentiality |
| Other public transport | 0 | 3 | withheld to protect confidentiality | withheld to protect confidentiality | withheld to protect confidentiality | withheld to protect confidentiality | withheld to protect confidentiality | withheld to protect confidentiality | 0 | 2 | withheld to protect confidentiality | withheld to protect confidentiality |
| Surface Rail | 2 | 20 | 3 | 26 | 4 | 34 | 3 | 27 | 2 | 18 | 3 | 25 |
| Taxi / minicab | 1 | 10 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 10 | withheld to protect confidentiality | withheld to protect confidentiality | 1 | 10 | withheld to protect confidentiality | withheld to protect confidentiality |
| Walk | 22 | 207 | 27 | 209 | 25 | 197 | 29 | 244 | 22 | 206 | 27 | 199 |
Download table data for ‘Trips made by ethnicity and mode of transport’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Trips made by ethnicity and mode of transport’ (CSV)
Summary of Travel by distance, trips, type of transport and purpose Trips made by ethnicity and mode of transport Summary
This data shows that:
-
White people made the highest percentage of their trips by car or van as a driver or passenger (at 66%), and Black people made the lowest percentage (at 40%)
-
White people also made the highest percentage of their trips by car or van as a driver (at 43%), and people from Mixed ethnic background made the lowest percentage (at 21%)
-
in 2011/15, all ethnic groups made between 2% and 4% of their trips by rail; Black people made the highest percentage of their trips by local bus, at 24%
-
People from Mixed backgrounds made the highest percentage of their trips on foot (29%) and White people the lowest (22%)
7. Trips made by ethnicity and purpose of journey
| All | Asian | Black | Mixed | White | Other | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trip Purpose | All % | All Trips | Asian % | Asian Trips | Black % | Black Trips | Mixed % | Mixed Trips | White % | White Trips | Other % | Other Trips |
| Business | 3 | 30 | 2 | 18 | 3 | 26 | 2 | 19 | 3 | 32 | 4 | 26 |
| Commuting | 16 | 145 | 20 | 156 | 16 | 127 | 13 | 113 | 15 | 146 | 17 | 128 |
| Education | 12 | 112 | 20 | 155 | 22 | 174 | 21 | 177 | 11 | 105 | 17 | 128 |
| Leisure | 26 | 243 | 18 | 139 | 18 | 142 | 25 | 215 | 27 | 258 | 19 | 139 |
| Other escort | 9 | 86 | 9 | 67 | 8 | 61 | 11 | 95 | 9 | 89 | 8 | 61 |
| Other including just walk | 4 | 41 | 3 | 20 | 2 | 12 | 4 | 33 | 5 | 45 | 3 | 24 |
| Personal business | 10 | 92 | 11 | 88 | 15 | 113 | 9 | 79 | 10 | 92 | 10 | 74 |
| Shopping | 19 | 181 | 17 | 131 | 16 | 124 | 14 | 116 | 20 | 189 | 21 | 154 |
Download table data for ‘Trips made by ethnicity and purpose of journey’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Trips made by ethnicity and purpose of journey’ (CSV)
Summary of Travel by distance, trips, type of transport and purpose Trips made by ethnicity and purpose of journey Summary
-
in 2011/15, overall, the highest proportion of trips were for leisure purposes at 26%, (leisure includes trips to friends, and for entertainment, sport and holidays)
-
19% of trips overall were for shopping, and 16% for commuting
-
White people made 11% of their trips for reasons to do with education (including taking children to school), compared to between 17% and 22% for the other ethnic groups
-
White people made the highest percentage of their trips for leisure (at 27%) and Asian and Black people the lowest (both at 18%)
8. Methodology
The denominators are the weighted total number of individuals in each ethnic group. The numerators are the weighted total distance of travel, or number of trips, by different types of transport and for different purposes for each ethnic group.
The NTS data collection consists of a face-to-face interview and a 7-day self-completed written travel diary, allowing travel patterns to be linked with individual characteristics. The NTS covers travel by people in all age groups, including children.
In 2013, the survey coverage changed from sampling residents of England, Wales and Scotland, to residents of England only. Approximately 16,000 individuals, in 7,000 households in England, participate in the NTS each year.
Responses are weighted to take account of different population demographics, but are not grossed to England totals.
Statistics from the NTS were assessed during 2010 by the UK Statistics Authority. An assessment report (PDF opens in a new window or tab) was published in October 2010. The statistics were confirmed as National Statistics in July 2011.
Suppression rules and disclosure control
Any cells with fewer than 100 unweighted individuals, or 300 unweighted trips, have been suppressed. This is for reasons of reliability, as the data is not disclosive in this aggregated form.
For example, in the latest 5-year period, there were only around 700 and 900 individuals in the 'Mixed' and 'Other' ethnic groupings respectively, so the data does not support further detailed breakdowns, as these estimates would be unreliable.
Rounding
Figures are rounded to the nearest whole percentage. The percentages calculated in the tables are based on unrounded figures.
Related publications
Previous reports are available at the National Travel Survey
Further technical information
Full methodological details for the NTS are available in the annual Technical Report (PDF opens in a new window or tab)
A shorter Notes document (PDF opens in a new window or tab) is also available
9. Data sources
Source
Type of data
Survey data
Type of statistic
National Statistics
Publisher
Department for Transport
Publication frequency
Yearly
Purpose of data source
The National Travel Survey (NTS) is a household survey designed to monitor long-term trends in personal travel and to inform the development of policy.
It is the primary source of data on personal travel patterns within England, Scotland and Wales by residents of England.
The survey collects information on how, why, when and where people travel as well as factors affecting travel (for example, car availability and whether people hold driving licences).
10. Download the data
This file contains the following: ethnicity, year, value, unweighted sample
This file contains the following: ethnicity, year, value, unweighted sample size
This file contains the following: ethnicity, year, value, unweighted sample size
This file contains the following: ethnicity, year, value, unweighted sample size