High Level Summary of Statistics Trend Last update: Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Travel to School
In 2007, 53 per cent of pupils walked to school, 21 per cent went by bus and 22 per cent by car/van, according to the Scottish Household Survey (SHS). One per cent cycled, 1 per cent went by rail and 2 per cent used other modes of transport.
Pupils aged 4-11 (broadly, primary school ages) were more likely to walk (59 per cent against 46 per cent for 12-18 year olds) or go by car (28 per cent against 13 per cent). Pupils aged 12-18 were three times more likely to go by bus (35 per cent against 11 per cent). The chart shows how the use of the different modes changes with age (the apparent year-to-year fluctuations may reflect sampling variability).
The percentage travelling by car rose with the income of the household: from 13 per cent for pupils from low-income households (annual net household income of up to £10,000) to 30 per cent of those from high-income households (annual net household income over £40,000). The percentage walking fell from 55 per cent in low-income households to 45 per cent in high-income households; the percentage using the bus did not vary greatly with income (18 - 23 per cent), except in low-income households where bus use was higher (29 per cent).
Around half of pupils living in remote rural areas went by bus, and just under a third walked. Fifty-six per cent of pupils in large urban areas walked to school, and 17 per cent went by bus. The percentage travelling by car did not vary greatly with area type.
Since the SHS started in 1999, the percentage of pupils travelling by car has risen, the percentage who walk and go by bus has fallen slightly. Sampling variability may cause some apparent year-to-year fluctuations.
Over the longer term, National Travel Survey results (reported in Scottish Transport Statistics) show that the percentage walking to school has fallen (it was around 69 per cent in 1985/86), that travel by car has risen (from about 6 per cent in 1985/86), and that there has been little change in the use of the bus.
Source: Scottish Household Survey
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