Public transport use down 45% on 2019 levels
The average number of trips made by people living in England in 2021 remained considerably lower than pre-pandemic levels. That is the headline finding from the 2021 National Travel Survey (NTS), an annual household survey of personal travel, published by the DfT.
The survey shows that the overall number of trips made by people last year was similar to 2020, but 21% lower than in 2019, with 757 trips made on average in 2021. In terms of average miles travelled (4,329 miles per person) this remained at a similar level to 2020 – but 33% lower than 2019.
The 2021 figure is the lowest on record. While the number of trips made by public transport increased by 19% compared to 2020, it remains 45% lower than the 2019 average. Walking and car driver average trips remained similar to 2020, while the number of cycling trips fell significantly.
Most of the increase in overall average trips was due to a 10% increase in the number of car passenger trips.
