Official Statistics

NTS combined authority factsheet 2023

Updated 8 May 2025

Applies to England

© Crown copyright 2025

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-travel-survey-mid-year-estimates-year-ending-june-2024/nts-combined-authority-factsheet-2023

About this release

This factsheet presents a high-level summary of National Travel Survey (NTS) estimates for combined authorities, showing their residents’ travel behaviours within Great Britain. This NTS combined authorities’ factsheet, including a small set of tables based on the most widely used annual tables, is intended to provide data for more granular analysis at this geographic level.

A combined authority (CA) is a legal body set up using national legislation that enables a group of 2 or more councils to collaborate and take collective decisions across council boundaries. More information on English devolution and combined authorities is available.

NTS combined authorities data is categorised across 11 administrative geographical areas, based on the Office for National Statistics (ONS) lookup released in May 2024 and accessed in April 2025:

  •   Greater Manchester

  •   South Yorkshire

  •   West Yorkshire

  •   Liverpool City Region

  •   Tees Valley

  •   West Midlands

  •   Cambridgeshire and Peterborough

  •   West of England

  •   York and North Yorkshire

  •   East Midlands

  •   North East

Greater London Authority is included for comparison to combined authorities. The total for all combined authorities excludes Greater London Authority.

ONS released an updated list of 15 combined authorities on 1 May 2025. A further release of National Travel Survey (NTS) estimates based on the updated list and 2024 data is planned for summer 2025, alongside the annual NTS release.

As new combined authorities are established over time, some charts and tables will display trends covering both the periods prior to and following their formation.

Quality of the data

The NTS is a sample survey, and as such, all estimates will have a margin of error. Users are encouraged to note that where sample sizes are smaller, this can affect the robustness and representativeness of the results. This means that year-on-year changes can appear larger than those observed in NTS estimates for the whole of England, with a larger margin of error. To maintain data reliability, survey estimates for combined authorities are supressed if the unweighted individual sample size is below 300 or if the number of unweighted trips or stages is less than 1,000. These statistics are published as official statistics in development and we would welcome feedback on the quality and value of these estimates.

Survey years are combined up to 2019 in order to increase sample sizes per authority. However, due to changes in the methodology of data collection, changes in travel behaviour and a reduction of data collected during 2020, 2021 and 2022, as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, combining data from these years with any other is not recommended. Therefore, 2020 onwards are presented as single years.

The 2023 survey was the first since 2019 to return to fully face-to-face data collection. However, due to the factors mentioned above, 2023 data cannot be combined with previous years. While more households were invited to participate in the 2023 survey, leading to an overall increase in sample size, the samples for some combined authorities remain too small to produce reliable statistics. With the release of the NTS 2024 annual statistics, it will be possible to combine recent years, increasing sample sizes for more robust analysis.

Chart 1: Trends in trips taken and distance travelled, selected[footnote 1]  combined authorities of residence: England, 2018 to 2019 and 2023 NTS0303_CA

Residents of all combined authorities on average made 926 trips per person in 2023. This was 5% lower than 2018 to 2019 (973 trips per person), but 1% higher than the 2023 England average (915 trips per person).

Residents of all combined authorities travelled 5,582 miles per person in 2023. This was 7% lower compared to both 2018 to 2019 (5,979 miles per person) and the 2023 average in England (5,974 miles per person).

Residents of all combined authorities have seen a drop in average trips made compared with 2018 to 2019, same as distance travelled, except West Midlands where miles travelled per person per year increased by 6% (4,732 miles per person) between 2018 to 2019 and 2023.

Compared with pre-pandemic levels, the largest decreases in the average number of trips and distance travelled were in York and North Yorkshire, East Midlands and North East. Average number of trips decreased similarly in all 3 regions by 10 to 11% and average distance travelled decreased by 13 to 25%, with the highest drop of 25% seen in North East.

In 2023, the highest number of trips were made by residents of West Yorkshire (967 trips per person). Residents of York and North Yorkshire made 965 trips per person, a similar number, and travelled the longest distance on average (7,092 miles per person) compared with other combined authorities.

Greater London residents made 748 trips per person, 19% fewer trips than the average across all combined authorities, and travelled 26% less miles on average (4,125 miles per person).

Chart 2: Average walking trips and miles travelled, selected combined authorities of residence: England, 2018 to 2019 and 2023 NTS0303_CA

In 2023, the average walking trips made by residents of all combined authorities increased by 10% (272 trips per person) compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2018 to 2019 (247 trips per person) and by 4% compared to the 2023 England average (263 trips per person). Walking trips increased among most of the combined authorities’ residents in 2023, with the North East showing the largest rise of 21%. Walking trips by West Midlands residents declined by 21%, dropping to 187 trips per person in 2023.

The average walking distance travelled was 228 miles for all combined authorities in 2023, 18% higher than 2018 to 2019 (194 miles per person) but similar to the 2023 England average (225 miles per person). In 2023, people living in West Yorkshire (268 miles per person) and York and North Yorkshire (248 miles per person) walked the longest distances, a 27% increase in both combined authorities compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2018 to 2019.

In 2023, Greater London residents made 257 walking trips, 6% fewer than the average across all combined authorities, but walked 8% more miles (245 miles per person).

Chart 3: Average pedal cycle trips and miles travelled, selected combined authorities of residence: England, 2018 to 2019 and 2023 NTS0303_CA

In 2023, there were 13 cycling trips per person on average in all combined authorities. This is a decrease of 21% compared to the period 2018 to 2019 (16 trips per person) and 16% less than the 2023 England average (15 trips per person). The highest drop was made by residents of Greater Manchester, 31% lower than 2018 to 2019, where cycling trips decreased from 11 to 8 trips per person. However, more cycle trips were made by residents of West Yorkshire and North East, increasing by 57% and 18% respectively.

There were 41 cycling miles per person travelled in all combined authorities, 28% lower than 2018 to 2019 (58 miles per person) and 12% lower than the 2023 England average (47 miles per person). Whilst residents of West Midlands and Greater Manchester average cycling distance dropped by 51% and 45% respectively. North East residents cycled 37 miles per person, an increase of 70% compared to the period 2018 to 2019 (22 miles per person). York and North Yorkshire residents cycled the longest distance per person out of all combined authorities (130 miles per person), this is 25% higher than in 2018 to 2019 (104 miles per person).

In 2023, Greater London residents made 24 cycling trips, 84% more than the average across all combined authorities, and travelled 94% more cycling miles (80 miles per person).

It should be noted that the relatively small sample sizes for these authorities mean that the confidence intervals around estimates for less widely used modes such as pedal cycle will be larger. This means the average number of trips and mileage may show greater year-on-year fluctuation, thus percentage comparisons and changes over time should be interpreted with caution.

Chart 4: Average car (as driver or passenger) trips and miles travelled, selected combined authorities of residence: England, 2018 to 2019 and 2023 NTS0303_CA

In 2023, there were 370 car driver trips per person and 189 car passenger trips per person by residents of all combined authorities, lower than 2018 to 2019 by 7% and 12% respectively. The drop in average car trips both as driver and passenger can be seen among residents of most combined authorities.

Average distances travelled by car by all combined authorities’ residents were 2,905 miles per person as a driver and 1,559 miles as a passenger. These were lower than 2018 to 2019 by 5% and 8% respectively. While car passenger distance travelled dropped by residents of all combined authorities, car driver distance travelled has seen more fluctuations across the residents of most combined authorities. Car driver miles increased by residents of West Midlands and West Yorkshire by 14% and 5% respectively, while North East and York and North Yorkshire decreased by 33% and 24% respectively.

In 2023, Greater London residents made 163 car driver and 95 car passenger trips per person, 56% and 50% less respectively than the averages across all combined authorities. Similarly, in terms of distance travelled, Greater London residents recorded 1,170 car driver miles and 905 car passenger miles per person, representing 60% and 42% less respectively than the averages across all combined authorities.

Chart 5: Average surface rail trips and miles travelled, selected combined authorities of residence: England, 2018 to 2019 and 2023 NTS0303_CA

Surface rail trips remained similar in 2023 compared to the period 2018 to 2019, with 11 trips per person made by residents of all combined authorities. However, this is 39% less than the 2023 England average (18 trips per person). Surface rail distance travelled decreased by 8% to 397 miles per person compared with pre-pandemic levels (432 miles per person). This is 21% less than the 2023 England average (504 miles per person).

In 2023, residents of East Midlands made the largest decrease in average trips and distance travelled to 5 trips per person and travelled 227 miles per person using surface rail, this was a reduction of 49% in trips and 43% in distance compared to the period 2018 to 2019 (9 trips per person and 400 miles per person).

In contrast, surface rail use by York and North Yorkshire residents saw an increase, with a 54% rise in trips and a 71% increase in distance travelled. Residents made 13 trips and travelled 526 miles per person in 2023, compared to 8 trips and 307 miles per person in 2018 to 2019.

In 2023, Greater London residents made 43 surface rail trips, 286% more than the average across all combined authorities and travelled 81% more miles (716 miles per person).

Chart 6: Trips per person per year by selected purposes and combined authorities of residence: England, 2002 to 2023 NTS0403_CA

In 2023, shopping was the most common trip purpose among residents of all combined authorities, with an average of 180 trips per person. This was 5% lower than pre-pandemic levels in 2018 to 2019 (190 trips per person). The highest number of shopping trips were made by residents of East Midlands (203 trips per person) and York and North Yorkshire (199 trips per person).

Commuting was the second most common trip purpose with 109 trips per person made by residents of all combined authorities in 2023. This was 20% lower than pre-pandemic levels in 2018 to 2019 (136 trips per person). The most commuting trips on average were made by residents of West Yorkshire (117 trips per person), however, it was 16% less than in 2018 to 2019 (138 trips per person). East  Midlands residents made 94 commuting trips per person in 2023, 36% less than in 2018 to 2019 (147 trips per person). This was the largest decrease in commuting trips compared to other combined authorities.

The third most common trip purpose by all combined authorities residents was for other including just walk with an average of 86 trips per person in 2023. The number of trips for this purpose has seen the largest increase, 41% more compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2018 to 2019 (61 trips per person).

Driving licences

Chart 7: Proportion of adults holding a full car driving licence by age, selected combined authorities of residence: England, 2023 NTS0201_CA

In 2023, 72% of adults in all combined authorities held a full car driving licence, 9 percentage points higher than in Greater London. The highest proportion was in York and North Yorkshire, where 84% of adults had a full driving licence. Young people aged 17 to 20 in that area were also more likely to hold a full driving licence than in any other combined authority, with 59% of this age group having a driving licence. In comparison, 31% of 17 to 20 year olds across all combined authorities and only 15% in Greater London held a full driving licence.

About the data

The NTS estimates for combined authorities provide a detailed breakdown of travel data, including average trips and distances by mode of transport, purpose, sex, and age, as well as the number of full car driving licence holders by sex and age.

These statistics are released under the ‘official statistics in development’ label – formerly called Experimental Statistics. Official statistics in development are official statistics that are temporarily undergoing development, in line with the standards of trustworthiness, quality, and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics.

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.

Further information about these statistics

Further information is available, including:

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  1. All charts include only combined authorities with an unweighted sample size of at least 300 individuals and 1,000 trips. “All combined authorities” includes data from residents of all 11 combined authorities. ↩

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