Travel by distance, trips, type of transport and purpose

Published 10 October 2017

Last updated 1 March 2018 - 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This page has been archived.
It has been replaced by Travel.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.

Contents

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 the period from 2011 to 2015

• 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 Travel Survey 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 data, the information is collected over a series of overlapping 5-year periods. The average for each 5-year period is then calculated.

This type of survey methodology increases the reliability of the data. However, tests for significant differences between ethnic groups have not been carried out. Commentary has been supplied for those findings where there are relatively large differences between ethnic groups or modes of transport.

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.

The data for ‘All ethnic groups’ includes people who did not give their ethnicity.

What the data measures

This data measures the distance people travel, and the number of trips they make, every year. The data is 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 over time

• Location: England
• Time period: 2002/06 to 2011/15 (5-year rolling average)
• Source: National Travel Survey: 2015

Average distance in miles travelled per person by ethnicity over time

	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 (CSV) Source data (CSV)

Summary of Travel by distance, trips, type of transport and purpose Distance travelled by ethnicity over time 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 528 miles per year compared with 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 98 miles per year

• 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 per year in 2011/15

3. Distance travelled by ethnicity and mode of transport

• Location: England
• Time period: 2011/15 (5-year average)
• Source: National Travel Survey: 2015

Percentage of distance travelled, and average distance travelled in miles, per person 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							1	38
Non-local bus	1	52							1	52
Other local bus	3	205	3	149	5	219	4	201	3	210	4	144
Other private transport	2	109	1	45					2	117
Other public transport	1	41	1	24	1	43			1	44
Surface Rail	8	554	12	524	13	556	13	592	8	558	10	421
Taxi / minicab	1	55	1	41	1	61			1	56
Walk	3	184	4	172	4	187	5	224	3	184	5	195

Data withheld to protect confidentiality

Download table data (CSV) Source data (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

• the percentage of distance travelled by different types of transport varied across ethnic groups – 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 with Mixed ethnicity was by surface rail, compared to 8% of the distance travelled by White people

4. Distance travelled by ethnicity and purpose of journey

• Location: England
• Time period: 2011/15 (5-year average)
• Source: National Travel Survey: 2015

Percentage of distance travelled, and average distance travelled in miles, per person 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 (CSV) Source data (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 who travelled the lowest percentage of their average annual distance 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 was Black (at 11%)

5. Number of trips per person by ethnicity over time

• Location: England
• Time period: 2002/06 to 2011/15 (5-year rolling average)
• Source: National Travel Survey: 2015

Average number of trips per person by ethnicity over time

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 (CSV) Source data (CSV)

Summary of Travel by distance, trips, type of transport and purpose Number of trips per person by ethnicity over time Summary

This data shows that:

• overall, people in England made an average of 932 trips in 2011/15, down by 109 trips since 2002/06

• all ethnic groups saw a reduction in the number of trips, but Black people saw the smallest reduction (at 26 trips)

• on average, White people made the highest number of trips per person in 2011/15 (at 955) and people from the Other ethnic group made the lowest number of trips per person (at 734)

6. Number of trips per person by ethnicity and mode of transport

• Location: England
• Time period: 2011/15 (5-year average)
• Source: National Travel Survey: 2015

Percentage of trips, and average number of trips made, per person 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			2	17	2	18
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			1	7	4	26
Motorcycle	0	3							0	4
Non-local bus	0	1							0	1
Other local bus	4	41	4	30	6	47	6	51	4	42	5	34
Other private transport	1	7	0	3					1	7
Other public transport	0	3							0	2
Surface Rail	2	20	3	26	4	34	3	27	2	18	3	25
Taxi / minicab	1	10	1	7	1	10			1	10
Walk	22	207	27	209	25	197	29	244	22	206	27	199

Data withheld to protect confidentiality

Download table data (CSV) Source data (CSV)

Summary of Travel by distance, trips, type of transport and purpose Number of trips per person by ethnicity and mode of transport Summary

This data shows that:

• in 2011/15, 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%)

• 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 with Mixed ethnicity were the most likely to make their trips on foot (at 29%) and White people were least likely (at 22%)

7. Number of trips per person by ethnicity and purpose of journey

• Location: England
• Time period: 2011/15 (5-year average)
• Source: National Travel Survey: 2015

Percentage of trips, and average number of trips made per person, 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 (CSV) Source data (CSV)

Summary of Travel by distance, trips, type of transport and purpose Number of trips per person by ethnicity and purpose of journey Summary

This data shows that:

• overall, the highest proportion of trips in 2011/15 were for leisure purposes, at 26% – leisure includes trips to visit friends, and trips 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 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.

Weighting:

Weighting is used to adjust the results of a survey to make them representative of the population and improve their accuracy.

For example, a survey which contains 25% women and 75% men will not accurately reflect the views of the general population, which has an even 50/50 split.

Statisticians rebalance or ‘weight’ the survey results to more accurately represent the general population. This helps to make them more reliable.

Survey weights are usually applied to make sure the survey sample has broadly the same gender, age, ethnic and geographic make up as the general population.

Responses to the NTS are weighted to take account of different population demographics, but are not grossed to England totals. They’re also weighted to take into account people who didn’t respond or didn’t complete their travel diary in full.

Statistics from the NTS were assessed during 2010 by the UK Statistics Authority. An assessment report (PDF opens in a new window or tab) (PDF) was published in October 2010. The statistics were confirmed as National Statistics in July 2011.

Suppression rules and disclosure control

Values of fewer than 100 people or 300 trips (before weighting is applied) have been suppressed. ‘Suppression’ means the figures have not been included in the data, because the numbers involved are too small to draw any meaningful conclusions.

For example, in the latest 5-year period, there were only around 700 and 900 individuals in the 'Mixed' and 'Other' ethnic groups respectively, so the data does not support further detailed breakdowns as these estimates would be unreliable.

Where the size of the ethnic group population is small enough that an individual’s identity could be revealed, some other figures have also been excluded.

Rounding

Figures are rounded to the nearest whole percentage. The percentages calculated in the tables are based on unrounded figures.

Related publications

Previous National Travel Survey reports are available.

Quality and methodology information

9. Data sources

Source

National Travel Survey: 2015

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

Travel by distance and type of transport - Spreadsheet (csv) 177 KB

This file contains the following: ethnicity, year, value, unweighted sample

Travel by distance and purpose - Spreadsheet (csv) 108 KB

This file contains the following: ethnicity, year, value, unweighted sample size

Travel by trips and type of transport - Spreadsheet (csv) 156 KB

This file contains the following: ethnicity, year, value, unweighted sample size

Travel by trips and purpose - Spreadsheet (csv) 100 KB

This file contains the following: ethnicity, year, value, unweighted sample size

Publication release date: 10 October 2017

Updated: 1 March 2018

full page history

1. 1 March 2018 fixed problem with data tables
2. 28 February 2018 Minor updates for style and accuracy
3. 21 November 2017 1 correction - amended 'National Transport Survey' to 'National Travel Survey' in the Methodology section
4. 11 October 2017 Technical change: Updated url to match page title.
5. 10 October 2017 First published

From: Department for Transport

---

Share this page

Twitter Facebook LinkedIn