Two out of five Britons say they are reliant on their cars to get to work after the Prime Minster admitted it is ‘extremely hard’ to be a driver ‘on a modest income’ in the face of escalating motoring costs.
The RAC, which commissioned the poll of 2,691 UK residents, said that despite the Government’s ‘focus on improving public transport’ the research proves that the car ‘remains central to so many people’s lives’.
This is especially the case for those living in rural locations, with its survey finding that seven in ten have no other option but to use their cars to commute to workplaces.
In contrast, taking the bus to work was only seen as a viable option for 31 per cent of people polled, rising to half for residents of town and city centres where public transport provision is generally much better.
Just a quarter of drivers living in suburbs said they could commute by bus.
In fact, 81 per cent of respondents said they would find it very difficult to adjust their lifestyle to being without a vehicle as Britain’s requirement for private cars remains fundamental.
Two out of five Britons are reliant on their cars to get to work after the Prime Minster admitted it is ‘extremely hard’ to be a driver ‘on a modest income’ in the face of escalating motoring costs
Despite continuous promises of boosting public transport provisions, the RAC said that the breakdown of four in five people saying they wouldn’t want to be without their own motor has remained ‘remarkably constant’ since it began asking drivers that question in 1989.
The poll results come after Kier Starmer said earlier in the week that the Government ‘needs to drive down the cost of motoring’, which acts as a ‘lifeline’ for many people.
And the RAC’s research found that this is more so the case for older people.
The proportion of drivers saying they would struggle to adjust to life without a vehicle rose from 65 per cent for under-25s, to 77 per cent of those aged 25 to 44, 84 per cent for those between 45 and 64, and a whopping 86 per cent for licence holders over the age of 65.
More than half of drivers (53 per cent) said they would use their vehicle less if public transport was more convenient, reliable and affordable.
Just half of those living in city and town centres say they use the bus to get to work, the RAC’s poll found
Looking at some of the most common journey types, nearly two-thirds (63 per cent) of drivers always commute by car, while 57 per cent always drive when shopping for groceries.
Two in five said they always drive when taking their children to school, nursery or clubs while the same proportion always do so to get to or from an airport.
A quarter always use the car when travelling to a mainline railway station.
In comparison, the proportion of drivers that walk, cycle or use public transport instead is tiny.
Just 8 per cent of commuters do, while the proportion of those who do so when grocery shopping is just 3 per cent.
The poll results come after Kier Starmer said earlier in the week that the Government ‘needs to drive down the cost of motoring’, which acts as a ‘lifeline’ for many people
RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: ‘Our research shows that the car remains central to so many people’s lives.
‘While those in more rural areas are most car dependent, half of those in urban centres also don’t see public transport as a viable alternative for their daily commute.
‘Young people clearly have a desire and, in many cases, a need to drive, but the convenience and freedom it brings seems to become more important as the decades pass.
‘While the current Government is very focused on improving public transport across the board, we suspect the car will always be essential to many people’s lives.’
