People living in England made more trips, on average, in 2023 compared to 2022, the latest National Travel Survey (NTS) has revealed.

Average trips increased by 6%, but rates remained 4% lower than pre-COVID in 2019.

Undertaken for the Department for Transport, the NTS is a household survey of personal travel by residents of England, with data collected via interviews and travel diaries, enabling analysis of patterns and trends.

The survey’s main findings for 2023 included:

• People in England made 915 trips on average in 2023, about 18 trips per week;
• There were increases in trip rates amongst private transport modes and public transport modes in 2023 compared to 2022, apart from London buses and active travel, which remained at a similar level;
• Walking trips remained similar in 2023 with 263 trips per person, 5% higher than in 2019;
• Trip rates for buses outside London saw an increase of 8% in 2023 compared to 2022, but remained below pre-pandemic (2019) levels;
• The 5,974 miles people travelled on average in 2023 was 11% higher than in 2022, but 8% less compared to 2019;
• On average people spent 353 hours travelling in 2023, around 58 minutes a day;
• On average people spent 22 minutes per cycling trip, 21 minutes per car trip and 18 minutes per walking trip in 2023;
• Rail made up 2% of all trips made, equating to 8% of total distance travelled. Cars remained the most popular mode of travel, making up 60% of all trips made in 2023 (a decrease of 1% from 2019), and 78% of total distance travelled (an increase of 1% from 2019).

You can read the main NTS results factsheet here, and access all data tables via the DfT here.