The National Travel Attitudes Study (NTAS) covers responses from individuals aged 16 and over in England. This release centres around travel attitudes in relation to the coronavirus pandemic and travel restrictions. The survey was conducted between May and July 2020 and had a sample size of 2,688 individuals. 

Of all respondents in wave 4, 86% expressed concerns for their health when thinking about using public modes of transport (e.g. bus, plane, train), compared to 19% regarding private modes (e.g. walking, cycling, private car). Shared modes (e.g. taxi, shared bicycle schemes) were a concern for 68% of respondents.

When asked about how their use of different travel modes had changed from before the first confirmed case of the coronavirus in the UK, to their time in lockdown (which was when the questions were asked), respondents reported travelling less by modes of transport which required sitting or standing with other people. When considering these modes, namely buses, taxi/minicabs, trains and trams, and correcting for respondents who said that they never used these modes anyway, an average of 84% of respondents reported a fall in use. This contrasts strongly with walking and cycling, where an average of 22% of respondents reported walking or cycling less, compared to 38% who walked or cycled more than before lockdown. These respondents were further asked how likely it was that they would continue to walk or cycle once travel restrictions and social distancing were available, with 94% stating it was likely.

The lack of confidence in the use of public transport looks likely to remain after travel restrictions and social distancing measures have been removed. Nearly two-thirds of respondents say it is very likely (38%) or fairly likely (27%) that they will avoid using public transport if it is crowded once travel restrictions have been removed. 19% consider this not very likely (13%) or not at all likely (6%). The remaining 16% stated that they never use public transport.

Read the full report here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-travel-attitudes-study-wave-4-provisional

Source: www.gov.uk