Sustainable School Travel in Scotland 2024: Nearly 66% of Pupils Use Eco-Friendly Means of Commuting to School
In the latest Hands Up Scotland Survey, the national dataset on school travel in Scotland, it has been revealed that active travel among school students has seen a decline since 2023. The survey, funded by the Scottish Government through Transport Scotland and conducted jointly with all 32 Scottish local authorities, examines how pupils across Scotland travel to school.
The increase in private motorized transport use appears to be a significant factor in this decline. The survey shows that the percentage of pupils traveling to school by private motorized transport rose from 24.0% in 2023 to 25.6% in 2024, reaching the highest level since the survey began. This increase in car use directly correlates with the decline in active travel modes like walking and cycling.
Worsening transport disruptions and costs are another contributing factor. According to broader transport studies in Scotland, frequent travel disruptions and rising prices have made travel more difficult or costly. People may be opting for more convenient but less active options such as private cars due to cancellations and expensive fuel costs.
National traffic data indicates that pedal cycle traffic fell by 2.4% in 2024 compared to 2023 and remains below pre-pandemic levels, while bus and coach traffic increased slightly but is still significantly under pre-pandemic levels. This suggests that public and active transport modes are struggling to recover or grow, possibly discouraging active travel among pupils.
Urban transport network limitations also play a role. Reports highlight that major urban centers like Glasgow suffer from inadequate public transport networks, leading to longer travel times and difficulties accessing key destinations. This can indirectly influence families to use private transport for convenience and time-saving, affecting children's travel habits to school.
Despite the decline, active travel remains the most popular way for pupils to get to school in Scotland, with walking still the most common mode of transport, representing 39.8% of journeys. However, this figure has decreased by 1.5 percentage points since 2023. In 2024, almost 2 in 3 pupils (63.7%) travelled sustainably to school, either by active travel or by bus.
Programmes like I Bike, Bikeability, the Big Walk and Wheel, and WOW Travel Tracker make a real difference in encouraging active travel among young people. Safer routes and infrastructure, along with targeted work within schools, are critical in supporting pupils to build the skills and confidence to walk, wheel, and cycle.
Establishing positive habits is a long-term process, and continuous improvement is necessary within the work of the Hands Up Scotland Survey. The survey cannot provide exact answers about what's helping or stopping more young people from walking, wheeling, or cycling to school. The recent picture of Scotland's public finances has been challenging, and investment which supports active travel has not been immune from this pressure.
The upward trend in bus travel may suggest the under 22s free bus travel scheme, introduced in 2022, is continuing to impact positively on school journeys. The majority of young people in Scotland want more active travel routes away from traffic. Building sustainable travel habits at an early age offers a pathway for young people to make impactful change in addressing the climate crisis. Sustained investment is needed to make active school runs safe, accessible, and viable choices for more families.
- The decline in active travel among school students could potentially be addressed through educational programs in environmental science, teaching about the importance of sustainable lifestyle choices and the benefits of active travel.
- Pursuing further education and self-development in urban planning and transportation studies could provide insights into improving urban transport networks, helping to make active travel modes more viable and convenient, thereby encouraging their use among school students.
