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April 2021 - Automotive

Cars will continue to be first transport choice for around half journeys post-Covid: A survey of UK adults has found that people in the UK largely expect to return to the mode of travel they used before the pandemic when life returns to 'normal', with cars the preferred choice for around half journeys.

The research by Campaign for Better Transport was conducted in March 2021 and asked 2,129 UK respondents about the transport they typically used before Covid-19 for a range of different activities, as well as what they plan to use in the future.

Private cars were revealed to be the preferred mode of transport for around half shopping trips made post-Covid, with half the respondents polled (50%) saying this would be their first choice, compared to 49% before the pandemic. When it comes to leisure, 54% said they would prefer to travel by car when restrictions are lifted, versus 52% pre-pandemic. The proportion of people saying they would use a car for 'personal matters' post-Covid has also increased to 53%, compared to 52% before the crisis.

Respondents were asked about their plans for work in the coming months, finding that whilst nearly two-thirds (65%) conducted their work from an office or similar, just 53% plan to do so when restrictions are eased

The survey also found that the proportion of people who are looking to use the car for the school run post-Covid has increased slightly from 19% before the outbreak, to 22% at the time of the survey.

Public transport

To encourage the use of public transport post-Covid, the survey found that people want to see 'less crowding' (30%), cheaper tickets (29%), better routes (29%) and more frequent (26%) and punctual services (22%) as well as simpler payment options (15%) and better 'real-time' information about services (12%).

However, 20% said that nothing would encourage them to travel by public transport, rising to 29% of people aged 55+.

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