Travel by distance, trips, type of transport and purpose
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- 1. Navigate toMain facts and figures section
- 2. Navigate toThings you need to know section
- 3. Navigate to Distance travelled by ethnicity over time section
- 4. Navigate to Distance travelled by ethnicity and mode of transport section
- 5. Navigate to Distance travelled by ethnicity and purpose of journey section
- 6. Navigate to Number of trips by ethnicity over time section
- 7. Navigate to Number of trips by ethnicity and mode of transport section
- 8. Navigate to Number of trips by ethnicity and purpose of journey section
- 9. Navigate toData sources section
- 10. Navigate toDownload the data section
1. Main facts and figures
- on average, in the 5 years from 2015 to 2019, people in England travelled 6,554 miles and made 960 trips per year
- White people travelled the longest distance and made the most trips, while Black people travelled the shortest distance and made the fewest trips
- 77% of all miles travelled were by car, either as a driver or passenger
- the longest distance travelled for all ethnic groups except the Black ethnic group was for leisure
2. Things you need to know
What the data measures
The data measures:
- the distance people travel every year
- the number of trips made
- the type of transport used (for example, car, bus or train)
- the purpose of the journeys
The data is based on people of all ages living in England, and includes any trips they made in Wales and Scotland.
Percentages are rounded to the nearest whole number and were calculated using unrounded figures.
Not included in the data
Percentages based on fewer than 100 people or 300 trips have not been included in the data. This is because the numbers are too small to make any reliable generalisations.
The ethnic groups used in the data
Data is shown for the following 5 aggregated groups:
- Asian
- Black
- Mixed
- White
- Other
This is because the number of people surveyed was too small to make reliable generalisations about specific ethnic groups.
The data for ‘All ethnic groups’ includes people who did not give their ethnicity – this was 0.05% in the 5 years to 2019.
Methodology
Read the detailed methodology document (PDF opens in a new window or tab) for this data.
The data shows 5-year averages from April 2002 to March 2019. This is to make sure there are enough people to be able to make reliable generalisations. You can read more about combining multiple years of data and some of the issues involved.
The figures on this page are based on survey data. Find out more about interpreting survey data, including how reliability is affected by the number of people surveyed. Differences between ethnic groups have not been tested for statistical significance. The bullet points on this page only include findings about large differences.
National Travel Survey responses are weighted to take account of different population demographics. They are also weighted to take into account people who did not respond or complete their travel diary in full.
You can read more about how weighting is used to make survey data more representative of the group it is about.
In the data file
See Download the data for weighted and unweighted sample sizes.
3. 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 |
| 2015/19 | 6,554 | 960 | 4,705 | 809 | 4,066 | 773 | 5,082 | 918 | 6,878 | 983 | 4,440 | 840 |
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
The data shows that, on average in the 5 years from 2015 to 2019:
- people in England travelled 6,554 miles per person per year – down by 597 miles compared with the 5 years from 2002 to 2006
- White people travelled 6,878 miles per person per year – over 1,700 miles more than any other ethnic group
- Black people travelled 4,066 miles per person per year – the shortest distance out of all ethnic groups
4. 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 | 28 | 1 | 32 | 1 | 61 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable |
| Bus in London | 1 | 72 | 4 | 192 | 10 | 396 | 3 | 137 | 1 | 45 | 5 | 241 |
| Car / van driver | 50 | 3,257 | 41 | 1,910 | 35 | 1,428 | 31 | 1,586 | 51 | 3,504 | 40 | 1,784 |
| Car / van passenger | 28 | 1,822 | 28 | 1,339 | 19 | 755 | 35 | 1,768 | 28 | 1,917 | 27 | 1,216 |
| London Underground | 2 | 100 | 4 | 199 | 4 | 172 | 3 | 154 | 1 | 86 | 3 | 137 |
| Motorcycle | 0 | 29 | 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 | 33 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable |
| Non-local bus | 1 | 47 | 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 | 46 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable |
| Other local bus | 3 | 179 | 2 | 102 | 6 | 248 | 5 | 243 | 3 | 182 | 4 | 169 |
| Other private transport | 2 | 101 | 1 | 34 | 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 | 110 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable |
| Other public transport | 1 | 47 | 1 | 31 | 1 | 46 | 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 |
| Surface Rail | 9 | 586 | 12 | 578 | 16 | 642 | 11 | 560 | 9 | 586 | 11 | 491 |
| Taxi / minicab | 1 | 58 | 1 | 47 | 2 | 61 | 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 | 202 | 4 | 185 | 5 | 196 | 5 | 269 | 3 | 202 | 5 | 217 |
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
The data shows that, on average in the 5 years from 2015 to 2019:
- 77% of all miles travelled by people in England were by car or van (either as a driver or a passenger)
- 17% of all miles travelled were by public transport
- car or van journeys made up 79% of the distance travelled by White people, the highest percentage out of all ethnic groups – the lowest percentage was for Black people (54%)
- London bus journeys made up 10% of the distance travelled by Black people, the highest percentage out of all ethnic groups – the lowest percentage was for White people (1%)
- overground rail made up 16% of the distance travelled by Black people, the highest percentage out of all ethnic groups – the lowest percentage was for White people (9%)
5. 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 | 579 | 6 | 287 | 9 | 356 | 6 | 305 | 9 | 623 | 8 | 336 |
| Commuting | 20 | 1,293 | 28 | 1,334 | 28 | 1,144 | 18 | 908 | 19 | 1,305 | 26 | 1,142 |
| Education/escort | 5 | 334 | 9 | 408 | 12 | 483 | 12 | 614 | 5 | 314 | 11 | 470 |
| Leisure | 40 | 2,652 | 34 | 1,576 | 26 | 1,074 | 43 | 2,193 | 41 | 2,840 | 29 | 1,281 |
| Personal business | 7 | 466 | 8 | 368 | 10 | 400 | 6 | 287 | 7 | 482 | 8 | 356 |
| Shopping | 11 | 734 | 9 | 426 | 8 | 328 | 6 | 310 | 11 | 789 | 11 | 490 |
| Other escort | 7 | 442 | 6 | 275 | 7 | 265 | 8 | 430 | 7 | 466 | 7 | 333 |
| Other including just walk | 1 | 54 | 1 | 31 | 0 | 15 | 1 | 36 | 1 | 58 | 1 | 33 |
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
The data shows that, on average in the 5 years from 2015 to 2019:
- travel for leisure (including trips to visit friends and for entertainment, sport and holidays) made up 40% of all distance travelled, the highest percentage out of all reasons for travelling
- travel for leisure made up 43% of the distance travelled by people with Mixed ethnicity, the highest percentage out of all ethnic groups – the lowest percentage was for Black people (26%)
- travel for education (including taking children to school) made up 12% of the distance travelled by people from the Black and Mixed ethnic groups, the highest percentage out of all ethnic groups – the lowest percentage was for White people (5%)
6. Number of trips 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 |
| 2015/19 | 960 | 809 | 773 | 918 | 983 | 840 |
Download table data for ‘Number of trips by ethnicity over time’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Number of trips by ethnicity over time’ (CSV)
Summary of Travel by distance, trips, type of transport and purpose Number of trips by ethnicity over time Summary
The data shows that, on average in the 5 years from 2015 to 2019:
- people in England made 960 trips per person per year – down by 105 trips compared with the 5 years from 2002 to 2006
- White people made the most trips per person per year (983) and Black people made the fewest (773)
- in every ethnic group except the Other ethnic group, people made fewer trips compared with the 5 years from 2002 to 2006
7. Number of trips 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 | 16 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 8 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 2 | 17 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable |
| Bus in London | 2 | 17 | 6 | 46 | 12 | 93 | 4 | 35 | 1 | 11 | 8 | 65 |
| Car / van driver | 40 | 387 | 31 | 252 | 25 | 195 | 19 | 172 | 42 | 413 | 28 | 232 |
| Car / van passenger | 21 | 203 | 21 | 168 | 15 | 116 | 28 | 253 | 21 | 210 | 18 | 154 |
| London Underground | 1 | 10 | 2 | 18 | 2 | 19 | 2 | 18 | 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 | 36 | 3 | 23 | 7 | 55 | 6 | 51 | 4 | 36 | 5 | 42 |
| 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 | 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 |
| Surface Rail | 2 | 21 | 3 | 26 | 5 | 37 | 3 | 26 | 2 | 20 | 3 | 27 |
| Taxi / minicab | 1 | 10 | 1 | 9 | 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 | 26 | 245 | 31 | 250 | 29 | 227 | 35 | 323 | 25 | 244 | 33 | 274 |
Download table data for ‘Number of trips by ethnicity and mode of transport’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Number of trips by ethnicity and mode of transport’ (CSV)
Summary of Travel by distance, trips, type of transport and purpose Number of trips by ethnicity and mode of transport Summary
The data shows that, on average in the 5 years from 2015 to 2019:
- journeys by car or van made up 63% of trips by White people, the highest percentage out of all ethnic groups – the lowest percentage was for Black people (40%)
- White people made 42% of their trips as a car or van driver, the highest percentage out of all ethnic groups – the lowest percentage was for people with Mixed ethnicity (19%)
- journeys by local bus made up 19% of trips by Black people, the highest percentage out of all ethnic groups
- people with Mixed ethnicity were the most likely out of all ethnic groups to walk (making up 35% of their trips) and White people were least likely (25%)
- overground train journeys made up between 2% and 5% of people’s trips in every ethnic group
8. Number of trips 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 | 30 | 2 | 19 | 3 | 26 | 2 | 20 | 3 | 31 | 3 | 26 |
| Commuting | 15 | 143 | 19 | 154 | 19 | 143 | 12 | 106 | 15 | 143 | 18 | 148 |
| Education/escort | 13 | 121 | 21 | 173 | 23 | 175 | 24 | 225 | 11 | 111 | 23 | 192 |
| Leisure | 26 | 248 | 17 | 140 | 17 | 129 | 24 | 225 | 27 | 265 | 17 | 142 |
| Personal business | 9 | 91 | 11 | 86 | 13 | 102 | 8 | 70 | 9 | 92 | 8 | 65 |
| Shopping | 19 | 184 | 17 | 137 | 15 | 116 | 14 | 131 | 20 | 193 | 17 | 146 |
| Other escort | 9 | 85 | 9 | 73 | 9 | 66 | 10 | 96 | 9 | 87 | 10 | 88 |
| Other including just walk | 6 | 56 | 3 | 27 | 2 | 15 | 5 | 45 | 6 | 61 | 4 | 32 |
Download table data for ‘Number of trips by ethnicity and purpose of journey’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Number of trips by ethnicity and purpose of journey’ (CSV)
Summary of Travel by distance, trips, type of transport and purpose Number of trips by ethnicity and purpose of journey Summary
The data shows that, on average in the 5 years from 2015 to 2019:
- 26% of trips were for leisure, making it the most common reason for travelling
- 27% of trips made by White people were for leisure, the highest percentage out of all ethnic groups – the lowest percentage was for each of the Black, Asian and Other ethnic groups (17%)
- 11% of trips made by White people were for education (including taking children to school) – the percentage for every other ethnic group was between 21% and 24%
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 the main source of data on personal travel by people living in 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)