The 2010 National Travel Survey (NTS) is the latest in an established series of household surveys of personal travel in Great Britain.
The NTS has been running continuously since 1988, following previous ad hoc surveys.
The survey is primarily designed to track long term development of trends in travel, although short term changes can also be detected.
In 2010, diary data was collected from 8,100 households, covering over 19,000 individuals.
Rail travel (surface rail and London underground) accounted for 9% of all distance travelled in 2010.
The average number of trips and distance travelled by surface rail has increased overall between 1995/97 and 2010, by 61% and 58% respectively.
The latest year shows a rise in surface rail travel, reversing the downward trend of recent years.
Trips by London underground increased by 12% between 1995/97 and 2010, while the average distance travelled has increased by 23%.
In 2010, there was an average of 960 trips per person per year – the lowest level since the mid-1970s. There were 1,061 stages, 6,726 miles travelled, and an average trip length of 7.0 miles.
Between 1995/97 and 2010, overall trips rates fell by 12%. Trips by private modes of transport fell by 14% while public transport modes increased by 8%.
Between 1995/97 and 2010 trips by private modes of transport fell by 14% while public transport modes increased by 8%.
In 2010, commuting and business trips accounted for 19% of all trips made, and represented 29% of all distance travelled. Shopping accounted for 20% of all trips but only 12% of distance travelled.
