NTS 2024: Factsheet
Published 27 August 2025
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-travel-survey-2024/nts-2024-factsheet
Travel trends since 2002
Chart 1: Trends in trips taken, England (2002 to 2024) (NTS0101)
People made 922 trips on average in 2024, or 18 trips a week. This was similar to 2023 (915 trips on average), but slightly lower than 2019 prior to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, when people made an average of 953 trips per person.
Chart 2: Trends in miles travelled, England (2002 to 2024) (NTS0101)
People travelled an average of 6,082 miles in 2024, this was a slight increase compared to 2023 (5,974 miles on average) and a 6% decrease from 6,500 miles in 2019.
Chart 3: Trends in hours spent travelling, England (2002 to 2024) (NTS0101)
On average, people spent around 362 hours travelling in 2024 (around 60 minutes per day), a slight increase compared to 2023 but slightly lower than the 370 hours of travelling in 2019.
How we travel
Chart 4: Proportion of trips and distance by mode, England (2024) (NTS0303)
| Measure | Car or van | Walk | Local bus | Other | Pedal cycle | Surface rail | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trip | 59% | 29% | 4% | 3% | 2% | 2% | 100% |
| Distance | 76% | 4% | 3% | 6% | 1% | 11% | 100% |
Rows may not sum to 100% due to rounding
Cars remained the most popular mode of travel, making up 59% of all trips in 2024 (a decrease of 2 percentage points from 2019), and 76% of all miles travelled (a decrease of 1 percentage point from 2019). The proportion of trips that were walked was higher in 2024 than in 2019, with a 3 percentage point increase to 29% of all trips in 2024.
Why we travel
Chart 5: Top 3 most common trip purposes, England (2024) (NTS0403)
| Purpose | Percentage of trips |
|---|---|
| Shopping | 18% |
| Commuting | 12% |
| Just walk | 9% |
Percentages have been rounded to the closest whole number
The most common trip purpose in 2024 was shopping, with 18% of journeys being made for this purpose. Journeys for the purpose of commuting represented 12% of average trips in this year. ‘Just walk’ was the third most common trip purpose in 2024, accounting for 9% of all trips. These 3 were also the most popular purposes in each of the past 4 years. Similarly, in 2019 the 2 most common trip purposes were shopping and commuting, while the third most common trip purpose was personal business.
From this statistical release, we have separated out ‘just walk,’ which in previous releases was grouped along with ‘other’
Cycling
Chart 6: Trends in cycling trips taken, England (2002 to 2024) (NTS0303)
People made 15 cycling trips on average in 2024. This was similar to 2023, and slightly lower than in 2019 prior to the coronavirus pandemic, when people made an average of 16 trips per person.
Chart 7: Trends in miles travelled by pedal cycle, England (2002 to 2024) (NTS0303)
People travelled an average of 53 miles by pedal cycle in 2024, this was a 12% increase compared to 2023 (47 miles per person) but similar to 2019 (54 miles per person).
Chart 8: Percentage of people with access to a pedal cycle, by age, England (2023 to 2024) (NTS0608)
| Age | Percentage of individuals who own or have access to a pedal cycle |
|---|---|
| 60 and over | 25% |
| 50 to 59 | 46% |
| 40 to 49 | 45% |
| 30 to 39 | 36% |
| 21 to 29 | 30% |
| 17 to 20 | 41% |
| 11 to 16 | 65% |
| 5 to 10 | 76% |
Percentages have been rounded to the closest whole number
In 2023 to 2024, people aged between 5 and 10 were most likely to own or have access to a pedal cycle (76%). People aged 60 and over were least likely to own or have access to a pedal cycle, with 25%.
Travel by sex
Chart 9: Average trips and distance per person per year, by the sex of the respondent, England (2024) (NTS0601)
| Measure | Males | Females |
|---|---|---|
| Trips | 904 | 939 |
| Distance | 6,549 | 5,633 |
In 2024, males made 4% fewer trips (904 trips per person) than females (939 trips per person) but travelled 16% further (6,549 miles per person by males, compared to 5,633 miles per person by females).
Chart 10: Commuting trips per person per year, by age and sex, England (2024) (NTS0611)
| Age | Males | Females |
|---|---|---|
| All ages | 125 | 98 |
| 0 to 16 | 3 | 3 |
| 17 to 20 | 118 | 120 |
| 21 to 29 | 221 | 191 |
| 30 to 39 | 228 | 151 |
| 40 to 49 | 196 | 155 |
| 50 to 59 | 192 | 160 |
| 60 to 69 | 99 | 75 |
| 70 and over | 11 | 9 |
In 2024, males made an average of 125 commuting trips per person (a decrease of 23% on 2019), while females made an average of 98 commuting trips per person (a decrease of 17% on 2019). Females aged 21 to 29 and males aged 30 to 39 made the most commuting trips with 191 and 228 trips per person respectively.
Licence holding
Chart 11: Proportion of adults holding a full car driving licence by sex, aged 17 and over, England (2024) (NTS0201)
| Sex | Proportion of full car driving licence holders |
|---|---|
| All individuals | 75% |
| Males | 80% |
| Females | 71% |
Percentages have been rounded to the closest whole number
In 2024, 75% of English residents aged 17 and over held a driving licence. Around 80% of males and 71% of females held a licence. For males, this percentage is unchanged since 2002, but for females, driving licence holding has increased by 9 percentage points in the same period.
Car ownership
Chart 12: Household car availability, England (2024) (NTS0205)
| Household car availability | Percentage of households |
|---|---|
| No car or van | 22% |
| One car or van | 44% |
| 2 or more cars or vans | 34% |
Percentages may sum to more than 100% due to rounding
Looking at households in England, 78% own at least one car, an increase of 4 percentage points since 2002. In households which own at least one car or van, 64% of adult males are the main driver of a personal vehicle in their household, a figure which has remained unchanged since the 1990s. In comparison, 53% of adult females are the main driver of a personal vehicle in their household, an increase of 8 percentage points since 2002, and an increase of 40 percentage points since 1975.
Trips to and from school
Chart 13: Trips to and from school by main mode and age, England (2024) (NTS0613)
| Year and age | Walk | Car or van | Local bus | Private bus | Pedal cycle | Other transport | Surface rail | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 aged 5 to 10 | 51% | 43% | 2% | 2% | 1% | 1% | 0% | 100% |
| 2024 aged 11 to 16 | 37% | 30% | 18% | 9% | 2% | 3% | 1% | 100% |
| 2019 aged 5 to 10 | 46 % | 47% | 3% | 2% | 1% | 1% | 0% | 100% |
| 2019 aged 11 to 16 | 39% | 26% | 23% | 6% | 3% | 2% | 2% | 100% |
In 2024, the proportion of trips to and from school by walking made by children aged 5 to 10 was 5 percentage points higher than in 2019. The proportion of trips to and from school made by car decreased by 4 percentage points for children aged 5 to 10 but increased by 5 percentage points for children aged 11 to 16.
Background information
The 2024 National Travel Survey (NTS) is the latest in a series of household surveys of personal travel by residents of England travelling within Great Britain, from data collected via interviews and a 7-day travel diary. The NTS is part of a continuous survey that began in 1988, following ad-hoc surveys from the 1960s, which enables analysis of patterns and trends.
Some key uses of the data include describing patterns, for example how different groups of people travel, monitoring trends in travel, including sustainable modes; assessing the potential equality impacts of different groups; and contributing to the evaluation of policies.
We always welcome feedback to help ensure that the survey meets the needs of users, and any feedback provided will help inform the future design and development of the survey. If you have any feedback, please email National Travel Survey statistics.
These official statistics were independently reviewed by the Office for Statistics Regulation in September 2018. They comply with the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics and are labelled ‘Accredited Official Statistics’.
Further information is available, including:
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