New research shows that convenience is the main factor when Europeans choose which mode of transport to take, and that they are overwhelmingly choosing cars.
The European Commission’s 2014 Quality of Transport survey quizzed nearly 28 000 citizens to understand their habits, hear their opinions and analyse their perceptions on transport.
The survey showed that 54 per cent of people chose cars as the preferred mode of transport. Urban public transport, which 19 per cent of respondents said they used daily, was the second most popular form of transport. Behind convenience (61 per cent), respondents said that speed (31 per cent) was more important than available facilities (16 per cent) and price (12 per cent).
Frequent services (27 per cent), better coverage (26 per cent) and cheaper or seasonal tickets (25 per cent) were identified as ways to get people to use more public transport. At least one in five said that nothing would encourage them to use public transport more often.
Walking (14 per cent) and cycling (8 per cent) were the third and fourth most common modes of transport, respectively. Only 2 per cent of respondents said that they used the train on a typical day.
For more information, visit the EU Public Opinion website.
Original author: Alexia
