Travel by distance, trips, type of transport and purpose
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- 1. Navigate to Main facts and figures section
- 2. Navigate toDistance travelled by ethnicity over time 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 per person by ethnicity over time section
- 6. Navigate toNumber of trips per person by ethnicity and mode of transport section
- 7. Navigate toNumber of trips per person 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
- in 2014 to 2018, people in England travelled 6,552 miles and made 957 trips per year each on average
- White people travelled the greatest distance and made the most trips, while Black people travelled the shortest distance and made the fewest trips
- over three-quarters of all miles travelled were by car, either as a passenger or driver
- the greatest distance travelled was for leisure for all ethnic groups except the Black and Other ethnic groups, where a similar distance was travelled for both leisure and commuting
Things you need to know
The Department for Transport takes 5 years' worth of data and works out the average for that period. This is because the data varies year from year. A new 5 year average is worked out every year.
While this increases the reliability of the data, it means that some statistical tests have not been carried out. The commentary is about the differences between ethnic groups that are reasonably reliable.
Where people live can affect their travel habits. The average distance travelled by people in urban areas is significantly lower than in rural areas. A higher percentage of ethnic minority groups live in urban areas. The 2011 Census found that 98% of Black and Asian people lived in urban areas, compared with 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 (for example, car, bus or train)
- 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
| 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 | 7,151 | 1,065 | 4,567 | 876 | 4,704 | 823 | 4,964 | 938 | 7,434 | 1,087 | 4,473 | 840 |
| 2003/07 | 7,139 | 1,049 | 4,489 | 868 | 4,876 | 816 | 5,002 | 943 | 7,424 | 1,071 | 4,584 | 854 |
| 2004/08 | 7,076 | 1,041 | 4,505 | 865 | 4,796 | 833 | 5,277 | 937 | 7,356 | 1,061 | 4,536 | 863 |
| 2005/09 | 7,007 | 1,029 | 4,590 | 870 | 4,784 | 836 | 5,304 | 943 | 7,285 | 1,048 | 4,386 | 863 |
| 2006/10 | 6,910 | 1,012 | 4,695 | 859 | 4,685 | 828 | 5,327 | 930 | 7,188 | 1,031 | 4,438 | 865 |
| 2007/11 | 6,842 | 993 | 4,595 | 836 | 4,637 | 826 | 5,088 | 908 | 7,134 | 1,013 | 4,627 | 836 |
| 2008/12 | 6,734 | 987 | 4,589 | 837 | 4,497 | 827 | 4,950 | 891 | 7,037 | 1,009 | 4,429 | 798 |
| 2009/13 | 6,675 | 973 | 4,556 | 832 | 4,394 | 813 | 4,841 | 880 | 6,990 | 994 | 4,588 | 795 |
| 2010/14 | 6,630 | 962 | 4,482 | 808 | 4,455 | 809 | 4,814 | 859 | 6,947 | 984 | 4,536 | 784 |
| 2011/15 | 6,622 | 952 | 4,469 | 798 | 4,360 | 799 | 4,703 | 871 | 6,953 | 975 | 4,048 | 754 |
| 2012/16 | 6,570 | 949 | 4,630 | 801 | 4,280 | 792 | 4,806 | 869 | 6,887 | 971 | 4,107 | 783 |
| 2013/17 | 6,564 | 949 | 4,645 | 801 | 4,190 | 778 | 5,128 | 883 | 6,880 | 972 | 4,262 | 796 |
| 2014/18 | 6,552 | 957 | 4,588 | 802 | 4,179 | 776 | 5,087 | 902 | 6,875 | 981 | 4,308 | 808 |
Download table data for ‘Distance travelled by ethnicity over time’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Distance travelled by ethnicity over time’ (CSV)
Summary of Travel by distance, trips, type of transport and purpose Distance travelled by ethnicity over time Summary
This data shows that in 2014 to 2018:
- people in England travelled an average of 6,552 miles per person per year, a decrease of 599 miles compared with 2002 to 2006
- on average, White people travelled over 1,500 miles more than people from each of the other ethnic groups (at an average of 6,875 miles per person per year)
- Black people travelled the shortest distance of any ethnic group, at 4,179 miles per person per year on average
3. Distance travelled by ethnicity and mode of transport
| All | Asian | Black | Mixed | White | Other | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mode of transport | All % | All Miles | Asian % | Asian Miles | Black % | Black Miles | Mixed % | Mixed Miles | White % | White Miles | Other % | Other Miles |
| Bicycle | 1 | 56 | 0 | 19 | 1 | 22 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 1 | 62 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable |
| Bus in London | 1 | 73 | 4 | 190 | 11 | 448 | 3 | 135 | 1 | 45 | 6 | 268 |
| Car / van driver | 50 | 3,273 | 41 | 1,866 | 34 | 1,433 | 31 | 1,588 | 51 | 3,518 | 41 | 1,752 |
| Car / van passenger | 28 | 1,817 | 29 | 1,309 | 20 | 826 | 36 | 1,851 | 28 | 1,908 | 27 | 1,158 |
| London Underground | 1 | 97 | 4 | 205 | 4 | 181 | 3 | 138 | 1 | 82 | 4 | 162 |
| Motorcycle | 0 | 31 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 1 | 35 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable |
| Non-local bus | 1 | 49 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 1 | 48 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable |
| Other local bus | 3 | 187 | 2 | 101 | 5 | 211 | 4 | 219 | 3 | 194 | 4 | 155 |
| Other private transport | 2 | 101 | 1 | 38 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 2 | 109 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable |
| Other public transport | 1 | 44 | 1 | 26 | 1 | 50 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 1 | 45 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable |
| Surface Rail | 9 | 569 | 12 | 538 | 16 | 657 | 10 | 530 | 8 | 571 | 10 | 421 |
| Taxi / minicab | 1 | 57 | 1 | 43 | 2 | 64 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 1 | 58 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable |
| Walk | 3 | 199 | 4 | 183 | 5 | 196 | 5 | 261 | 3 | 199 | 5 | 207 |
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
This data shows that, in 2014 to 2018:
- 78% of all miles travelled by people in England were by car or van (either as a driver or a passenger), the highest percentage out of all types of transport
- 16% of all miles travelled were by public transport
- car or van journeys accounted for 79% of the distance travelled by White people (the highest percentage out of all ethnic groups), compared with 54% for Black people (the lowest percentage)
- London bus journeys accounted for 11% of the distance travelled by Black people (the highest percentage out of all ethnic groups), compared with 1% for White people (the lowest percentage)
- surface rail accounted for 16% of the distance travelled by Black people (the highest percentage out of all ethnic groups), compared with 8% of White people (the lowest percentage)
4. Distance travelled by ethnicity and purpose of journey
| All | Asian | Black | Mixed | White | Other | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Purpose of trip | All % | All Miles | Asian % | Asian Miles | Black % | Black Miles | Mixed % | Mixed Miles | White % | White Miles | Other % | Other Miles |
| Business | 9 | 597 | 6 | 280 | 8 | 317 | 6 | 289 | 9 | 646 | 6 | 276 |
| Commuting | 20 | 1,296 | 29 | 1,341 | 28 | 1,154 | 19 | 958 | 19 | 1,306 | 27 | 1,160 |
| Education / escort education | 5 | 333 | 8 | 382 | 12 | 483 | 10 | 512 | 5 | 317 | 10 | 451 |
| Leisure | 40 | 2,619 | 33 | 1,500 | 27 | 1,117 | 43 | 2,173 | 41 | 2,803 | 28 | 1,219 |
| Other escort | 7 | 441 | 6 | 263 | 6 | 271 | 9 | 452 | 7 | 465 | 8 | 330 |
| Other including just walk | 1 | 51 | 1 | 27 | 0 | 15 | 1 | 36 | 1 | 55 | 1 | 26 |
| Personal business | 7 | 477 | 8 | 351 | 12 | 487 | 7 | 350 | 7 | 491 | 8 | 365 |
| Shopping | 11 | 739 | 10 | 444 | 8 | 333 | 6 | 317 | 12 | 792 | 11 | 480 |
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 2014 to 2018:
- people travelled the greatest distance (40%) for leisure, including trips to visit friends and for entertainment, sport and holidays – this was twice the distance travelled for commuting (20%)
- travel for leisure accounted for 27% of the distance travelled by Black people (the lowest percentage out of all ethnic groups), compared with 43% for people with Mixed ethnicity (the highest percentage)
- travel for education, including taking children to school, accounted for 5% of the distance travelled by White people (the lowest percentage out of all ethnic groups), compared with 12% for Black people (the highest percentage)
5. Number of trips per person by ethnicity over time
| Time | All | Asian | Black | Mixed | White | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trips | Trips | Trips | Trips | Trips | Trips | |
| 2002/06 | 1,065 | 876 | 823 | 938 | 1,087 | 840 |
| 2003/07 | 1,049 | 868 | 816 | 943 | 1,071 | 854 |
| 2004/08 | 1,041 | 865 | 833 | 937 | 1,061 | 863 |
| 2005/09 | 1,029 | 870 | 836 | 943 | 1,048 | 863 |
| 2006/10 | 1,012 | 859 | 828 | 930 | 1,031 | 865 |
| 2007/11 | 993 | 836 | 826 | 908 | 1,013 | 836 |
| 2008/12 | 987 | 837 | 827 | 891 | 1,009 | 798 |
| 2009/13 | 973 | 832 | 813 | 880 | 994 | 795 |
| 2010/14 | 962 | 808 | 809 | 859 | 984 | 784 |
| 2011/15 | 952 | 798 | 799 | 871 | 975 | 754 |
| 2012/16 | 949 | 801 | 792 | 869 | 971 | 783 |
| 2013/17 | 949 | 801 | 778 | 883 | 972 | 796 |
| 2014/18 | 957 | 802 | 776 | 902 | 981 | 808 |
Download table data for ‘Number of trips per person by ethnicity over time’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Number of trips per person by ethnicity over time’ (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, on average in 2014 to 2018:
- people in England made 957 trips per year (down by 108 trips per year since 2002 to 2006)
- White people made the most trips per person per year (981) and Black people made the least number of trips per person ( 776)
- in every ethnic group, people made fewer trips compared with 2002 to 2006
6. Number of trips per person by ethnicity and mode of transport
| All | Asian | Black | Mixed | White | Other | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mode of transport | All % | All Trips | Asian % | Asian Trips | Black % | Black Trips | Mixed % | Mixed Trips | White % | White Trips | Other % | Other Trips |
| Bicycle | 2 | 17 | 1 | 8 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 2 | 18 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable |
| Bus in London | 2 | 18 | 6 | 45 | 13 | 100 | 4 | 34 | 1 | 11 | 9 | 70 |
| Car / van driver | 40 | 388 | 31 | 249 | 26 | 198 | 19 | 173 | 42 | 413 | 28 | 229 |
| Car / van passenger | 21 | 204 | 21 | 171 | 16 | 122 | 27 | 248 | 21 | 211 | 18 | 148 |
| London Underground | 1 | 10 | 2 | 19 | 2 | 18 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 1 | 9 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable |
| Motorcycle | 0 | 3 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 0 | 3 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable |
| Non-local bus | 0 | 1 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 0 | 1 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable |
| Other local bus | 4 | 38 | 3 | 22 | 6 | 47 | 6 | 51 | 4 | 38 | 4 | 35 |
| Other private transport | 1 | 7 | 0 | 3 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 1 | 7 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable |
| Other public transport | 0 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 7 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 0 | 3 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable |
| Surface Rail | 2 | 21 | 3 | 26 | 5 | 39 | 3 | 30 | 2 | 20 | 3 | 24 |
| Taxi / minicab | 1 | 10 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 10 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 1 | 10 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable |
| Walk | 25 | 239 | 30 | 244 | 29 | 222 | 35 | 313 | 24 | 238 | 31 | 249 |
Download table data for ‘Number of trips per person by ethnicity and mode of transport’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Number of trips per person by ethnicity and mode of transport’ (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 2014 to 2018:
- trips by car or van, as either driver or passenger, accounted for 63% of trips by White people (the highest percentage out of all ethnic groups), compared with 42% for Black people (the lowest percentage)
- White people made 42% of their trips as a car or van driver (the highest percentage out of all ethnic groups), compared with 19% of people with Mixed ethnicity
- in every ethnic group, people made between 2% and 5% of their trips by train
- trips by local bus accounted for 19% of trips by Black people (the highest percentage out of all ethnic groups)
- people from the Mixed ethnic group were most likely out of all ethnic groups to walk (making up 35% of their trips) and White people were least likely (24%)
7. Number of trips per person by ethnicity and purpose of journey
| All | Asian | Black | Mixed | White | Other | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Purpose of trip | All % | All Trips | Asian % | Asian Trips | Black % | Black Trips | Mixed % | Mixed Trips | White % | White Trips | Other % | Other Trips |
| Business | 3 | 31 | 2 | 18 | 3 | 27 | 2 | 20 | 3 | 32 | 3 | 27 |
| Commuting | 15 | 145 | 19 | 155 | 18 | 140 | 12 | 112 | 15 | 145 | 18 | 149 |
| Education / escort education | 12 | 119 | 21 | 166 | 22 | 174 | 22 | 198 | 11 | 111 | 22 | 176 |
| Leisure | 26 | 247 | 18 | 143 | 16 | 128 | 25 | 228 | 27 | 263 | 17 | 138 |
| Other escort | 9 | 86 | 9 | 70 | 9 | 68 | 11 | 101 | 9 | 88 | 10 | 79 |
| Other including just walk | 5 | 53 | 3 | 25 | 2 | 16 | 5 | 49 | 6 | 57 | 4 | 31 |
| Personal business | 10 | 93 | 11 | 89 | 14 | 107 | 8 | 74 | 9 | 93 | 8 | 63 |
| Shopping | 19 | 184 | 17 | 137 | 15 | 117 | 13 | 120 | 20 | 192 | 18 | 145 |
Download table data for ‘Number of trips per person by ethnicity and purpose of journey’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Number of trips per person by ethnicity and purpose of journey’ (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, in 2014 to 2018:
- 26% of trips were for leisure purposes (trips to visit friends, trips for entertainment, sport and holidays), making it the most common reason for travelling
- 19% of trips were for shopping and 15% were for commuting
- 11% of trips made by White people were for education (including taking children to school) – the figure for every other ethnic group was between 21% and 22%
- 27% of trips made by White people were for leisure (the highest percentage out of all ethnic groups), compared with 16% for Black people (the lowest percentage)
8. Methodology
National Travel Survey respondents complete both a:
- face-to-face interview
- 7-day travel diary
This allows the Department for Transport to link travel patterns with individual characteristics.
The survey includes around 16,000 people in 7,000 households in England every year. It covers travel by people in all age groups, including children.
Weighting: Weighting adjusts the results of a survey to make them more reliable and more representative of the general population.
For example, if 25% of a survey's respondents are women, it won't reflect the views of the general population.
National Travel Survey responses are weighted to take account of different population demographics. They’re also weighted to take into account people who didn’t respond or didn’t complete their travel diary in full.
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
Further technical information
National Travel Survey 2018: notes and definitions (PDF opens in a new window or tab) (PDF)
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 is designed to:
- track long-term trends in personal travel
- inform the development of policy
It is the main source of data on personal travel patterns by residents of England.
The survey collects information on how, why, when and where people travel. It also covers factors affecting people's travel habits (such as whether they have a car and driving licence).
10. Download the data
This file contains the following: ethnicity, year, value, numerator and denominator (weighted and unweighted)
This file contains the following: ethnicity, year, value, numerator and denominator (weighted and unweighted)
This file contains the following: ethnicity, year, value, numerator and denominator (weighted and unweighted)
This file contains the following: ethnicity, year, value, numerator and denominator (weighted and unweighted)