travel-in-london-understanding-our-diverse-communities

Transport for London 1

Travel in London: understanding our diverse communities 

2015 

A summary of existing research 

Contents 

How to use this document ........................................................................... 5 

Setting the scene ........................................................................................ 7 

Summary ................................................................................................... 13 

Summary: Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) Londoners ................ 22 

Summary: Women .................................................................................... 68 

Summary: Older people ........................................................................... 114 

Summary: Younger people ....................................................................... 156 

Summary: Disabled People ..................................................................... 200 

Summary: People on lower income ......................................................... 267 

Summary: Lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) Londoners ............................ 308 

Bibliography ............................................................................................ 317 

Glossary .................................................................................................. 320 

Appendix A: Equality groups in London boroughs ................................... 324 


Confidentiality 

Please note that the copyright in the attached report is owned by Transport for 

London (TfL) and the provision of information under the Freedom of Information 

Act does not give the recipient a right to reuse the information in a way that would 

infringe copyright (for example, by publishing and issuing copies to the public). 

Brief extracts of the material may be reproduced under the fair dealing provisions 

of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 for the purposes of research for 

non-commercial purposes, private study, criticism, review and news reporting. 

Details of the arrangements for reusing the material owned by TfL for any other 

purpose can be obtained by contacting enquire@tfl.gov.uk. 


Preface 

The Equality Act 2010 requires that TfL and other public bodies have due regard 

for all of London’s communities when developing services. 

In this document we set out in detail a collection of research that we have 

undertaken or commissioned to identify the different barriers faced by London’s 

communities when accessing transport. We also describe travel patterns, the 

behaviour of different groups, and attitudes towards issues such as fares, personal 

safety and security and satisfaction with the services we offer. 

We intend for this to be a source document for TfL, to help staff to fulfil their 

responsibilities to London’s diverse communities when designing and delivering 

our services. 

The document also provides information for stakeholders, including those from 

different communities, to inform their engagement with TfL. 


How to use this document 

This document is a collection of research data focusing on travel in London among 

equality groups. 

The data that we have used comes from a number of sources, including qualitative 

and quantitative research that TfL has commissioned, published third party 

reports and external sources such as the 2011 Census and other information from 

the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The London Travel Demand Survey 

(LTDS) is our own survey of transport use among Londoners and we have used this 

extensively throughout this report. 

We have identified seven groups of Londoners who experience a variety of barriers 

when accessing public transport: 

1. Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups (referred to as BAME throughout) 

2. Women 

3. Older Londoners (aged 65 and over) 

4. Younger Londoners (aged 24 and under) 

5. Disabled Londoners 

6. Londoners on lower incomes (with household income of less than £20,000 per 

year) 

7. Lesbian, gay and bisexual Londoners (referred to as LGB throughout) – We 

recognise that there may be barriers to transport faced by some transgender 

women and men, however TfL does not yet have sufficient data to provide a 

detailed analysis 

We have presented data from the perspective of the equality group in question. 

Each chapter follows a similar structure. Here is a brief description of each section: 

 

 

 

 

 

Profile – covers the demographic profile of each group 

Transport behaviour – addresses modes of transport used; journey purpose 

and tickets used 

Barriers – looks at what prevents Londoners in equality groups from using 

public transport more often. This section also covers issues related to safety 

and security when travelling in London 

Customer satisfaction – considers how satisfied users of each type of 

transport are overall, perceptions of value for money and what drives 

satisfaction levels 

Access to information – addresses the information needs of each group, 

access to the internet and internet behaviour, use of the TfL website and 

smartphone use 

We have used a numbering system to reference the sources of information in this 

report, with the number cited in square brackets [x]. You can find the 

corresponding number and information source in the bibliography at the end of 

this report. This report uses a variety of data, including qualitative and 

quantitative research commissioned by TfL, and published third party reports. 


We have also included a glossary for unfamiliar terminology at the end of the 

report. 

You can find further data on borough comparisons in Appendix A. 

You may also wish to refer to TfL’s Single Equality Scheme (SES) and SES Action 

Plan, both of which you can find on the TfL website. 


Setting the scene 

Understanding the travel needs of London’s diverse ccommunities: a summary of 

existing research 

Context 

The Mayor published his Transport Strategy (MTS) in 2010. The strategy describes 

how we should develop London’s transport system if we are to deliver the best 

possible service for all people living in, working in and visiting London [1]. 

Our Capital’s transport system should excel among world cities, providing access 

and opportunities for all of its people and enterprises, achieving the highest 

environmental standards and leading the world in tackling the urban transport 

challenges of the 21st century [1]. 

The current MTS sets out the priorities for London over a 20 year period to 2030. 

TfL publishes an Accessibility Implementation Plan alongside the MTS which 

explains how and when we will carry out improvements, along with the expected 

outcomes. We monitor this closely to ensure that TfL is delivering the best for our 

diverse communities. 

London: a growing city 

London is growing rapidly, and at a rate faster than previously estimated. The 

2011 Census showed that London had grown by one million people in 10 years [2]. 

The 2011 London Plan predicted that London would grow to a population of 8.6 

million by 2026 [3], but the population is already approaching this number [4]. 

We now expect London’s population to reach 10 million by 2030 (2m people more 

than in 2013) – equivalent to the populations of Manchester, Bristol and 

Birmingham all moving to the capital [4]. 

London: a diverse, changing city 

London is hugely diverse, and this diversity is increasing with the growing 

population. 

One of the changes is an increasing proportion of BAME Londoners, which is 

projected to reach 50 per cent of the Greater London population by 2038 and is 

projected to increase from 3.3 million in 2011 to 5.2 million in 2041 [5]. 


Changing proportion of Londoners of White / BAME ethnicity [5] 

The growth in London’s BAME population is not expected to be even across each 

group. Far greater growth is predicted in Chinese and Asian communities than 

black Caribbean and Indian. The percentage growth for each of the communities is 

shown in the table below [5]. 

Changing proportion of Londoners by ethnicity [5] 

Community 

% increase 

2011-2041 

White 4.4 

Black Caribbean 7.2 

Indian 38.5 

Black African 52.4 

Bangladeshi 54.7 

Pakistani 57.2 

Chinese 59.9 

Other 74.4 

Other Asian 87.9 

Black other 94.1 

Although international immigration into London is falling, previously higher levels 

now mean that over half (55 per cent) of live births in London in 2012 were to 

mothers born overseas [6]. 

The population is ageing, with a predicted increase in London’s population aged 

over 65 increasing by 75 per cent between 2011 and 2041 compared with a 26 per 

cent increase of the Greater London population as a whole [4]. 

The geographic distribution of age groups across London varies, and therefore the 

transport challenges in each area will vary. The map below demonstrates that 


outer London has a higher proportion of people over 75 years of age. Demand for 

accessible transport in these areas may be higher as a result of this population 

composition [5]. 

Predicted geographic distribution of over 75s in 2031 [5] 

The proportion of younger Londoners (under 25) is predicted to increase at a 

slower rate than the rest of the population with a 13 per cent increase between 

2011 and 2041 [5]. 

Increasing challenges 

As London’s population growth outstrips increases in housing supply, prices within 

inner London are rising. In time, those with lower incomes will be priced out of the 

inner London area, resulting in a move towards outer London. It is vital, therefore, 

to ensure that access to transport services continues to improve, linking people to 

higher paid jobs. 

Since 2006 the average number of jobs available within 45 minutes travel time by 

public transport has increased by 6.2% for London residents [7]. This trend needs 

to continue in order to increase access for our diverse communities. 


Predicted employment growth 2011 – 2036 (measurement: number of additional jobs) [11] 

The number of trips made each day on public transport by disabled Londoners has 

increased from 0.50 per person per day to 0.57 in 10 years since 2001. However, 

this is still lower than 0.86 per day for the whole population. Of these trips, the bus 

is more popular than for the general population (0.44 trips per day compared with 

0.40) [8]. 

Many Londoners suffer health problems from lack of physical activity. The number 

of walking trips per day for people under 20 between 2001 and 2011 has decreased 

as shown below [7]. Similarly, in the period 2013-14 obesity in children in London 

was over 18% higher than across the rest of England [9]. 

Conversely, walking trips have increased among some of the older age groups 

since 2011, particularly for men. The pattern for women changes significantly 

through their lifetime. The number of trips between the age of 30 and 54 for 

women increased between 2001 and 2011 and at age 35-39 women’s walk trips are 

almost double that of men [7]. 


Walking trip rates (average weekday) for London residents, by age and gender, for the 

years 2001 and 2011 [7] 

Men in 2001 

Men in 2011 

Women in 2001 

Women in 2011 

Addressing these challenges through transport 

An accessible transport system is vital to help address these challenges, to provide 

opportunities for all of our diverse communities and to make life in London better. 

Access to a range of transport modes improves access to employment, health, 

education and leisure services for Londoners. Enabling walking and cycling for as 

many as possible as part of a journey, or as the entire journey will be an important 

aspect of reducing emissions and improving Londoners’ health. 

We are committed to providing accessible transport and supporting Londoners 

and those visiting the capital to travel irrespective of physical abilities or perceived 

barriers. 

In order to understand what the barriers to travel are and what can be done to 

address them, we conduct and commission extensive surveys, research and 

consultation. As well as listening to our customers and stakeholders including 

specific independent advisory boards such as the IDAG (Independent Disability 

Advisory Group), we have developed our Single Equality Scheme (SES). The SES 

sets out our goals and activity to remove barriers to travel in London. 

TfL invests funds across the entire network to improve our service. Recent 

improvements include: 

Increasing the number of pedestrian crossings with Countdown timers to 340 

sites across London 


Expansion of the Travel Better campaign, which includes raising awareness of 

the need to be considerate on the Tube, particularly ensuring seats are 

provided for those that may need them 

39 additional pedestrian crossings have been upgraded to provide tactile 

paving and rotating cones/audible alerts. We are aiming to have upgraded all 

crossings to this standard by 2016 

Additional step free access at stations, with works continuing at Bond Street, 

Greenford, Tottenham Court Road, Vauxhall, Victoria and Finsbury Park 

45 per cent of Tube and rail stations are now step-free 

Tactile paving has been installed on 696 of 711 Tube platforms 

Successfully trialled ‘zero tolerance’ areas for advertising boards to reduce 

street clutter where demand for footways and pavement widths are 

constrained, providing a more accessible environment to all 

New trains on the District line, Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan 

lines. These trains provide level access, wide doors, a ‘walk-through’ design to 

reduce overcrowding, dedicated wheelchair spaces, advanced audio and visual 

announcements and low floors 

Modification of the Emirates Air Line cable car cabins to allow motorised 

scooters on board (to a particular size) 

Hosting the first accessible transport exhibition, Access all Areas, to provide 

people with a range of transport information and give first-hand experience 

with full-scale mock-ups of Tube stations equipped with ramps and ‘talking’ 

bollards which give directions to visually-impaired people. The event was free 

to attendees and following its success will now be held biannually. 

These are some of the recent improvements that TfL has made. However there is 

more that we can and must do to respond to the needs of London’s diverse and 

growing population. We provide an annual progress report measured against the 

Single Equality Scheme, demonstrating what we have achieved so far and the 

ways in which we continue to develop our equality activities. The SES is updated 

every three to four years to ensure that it continues to align with customer and 

stakeholder requirements. It will next be published in 2016. 


Summary 

Profile of equality groups in London 

The 2011 Census recorded that there are 8,173,941 people who usually live in 

London and this is set to grow in the coming decades. London’s population is 

extremely diverse and ever-changing [2]. 

BAME Londoners make up 40 per cent of the population [2] 

Half of Londoners are women (51 per cent) [2] 

Thirty-two per cent of Londoners are under the age of 25 and 11 per cent are 

aged 65 or over [2] 

Disabled Londoners make up 14 per cent of the population [2] 

Thirty-seven per cent of Londoners are living in a household with an annual 

income of less than £20,000 [12] 

The percentage of Londoners who consider themselves to be lesbian, gay or 

bisexual is 2. 5 per cent [13]. 

There are differences in the profile of Londoners who make up each equality 

group: 

 

 

 

Londoners living in a lower income household (less than £20,000 per year) and 

older Londoners (aged 65 or over) are more likely to be women [12] 

BAME Londoners are more likely to be younger, while women and those living 

in lower income households are more likely to be older [2] 

Men are more likely than women, and white Londoners are more likely than 

BAME Londoners to be working, this may be linked in part to the different age 

profile of these equality groups [12] 

Note on data sources 

There are two main sources of demographic data used in this document: the Office for 

National Statistics Census indicated with reference [2] and the London Travel Demand 

Survey indicated with reference [12]. Where two sources exist, this report generally refers 

to the Census as this is considered the most robust source of profile data due to the large 

sample size. There may be small differences observed in the specific proportions recorded. 


Please note that many of the groups in this report are interrelated and therefore 

some of the differences observed are affected by differences in their demographic 

profile. For instance, those people on low incomes are also more likely to be older 

people (23 per cent of those on low income are also 65+; as shown in column D) 

and therefore they are less likely to use technology but are more likely to own a 

freedom pass. Another example is that BAME are more likely to be younger (36 

per cent of BAME Londoners are also aged 24 & under; as shown in column A) and 

are therefore more likely to use technology and to travel for education and are less 

likely to own a freedom pass. Disabled people are another example, as they are 

more likely to be older (44 per cent of disabled people are also over 65; as shown in 

column E) and are also more likely to be on a low income (69 per cent of disabled 

people are also on low incomes, as shown in column E). 

Overlap between groups: table showing the proportion of each group across the top, 

made up by each group at the side 

Bold numbers are where a group has a higher proportion compared to other groups (For 

instance 19% of 65+ are also BAME). (2013/14) [12] 

% 

A B C D E F 

BAME 65+ Aged 24 

& under 

Less 

than 

£20,000 

Disable 

d 

Women 

Base (5,563) (2,475) (4,220) (5,510) (1,821) (8,182) 

BAME 19% 47% 45% 30% 37% 

65+ 7% 23% 44% 13% 

Aged 24 & under 36% 31% 9% 28% 

Less than £20,000 43% 65% 41% 69% 40% 

Disabled 9% 37% 4% 20% 11% 

Women 51% 55% 49% 56% 56% 

*Note that LTDS data in this report excludes children aged under five 


The following table provides LTDS demographic data as this has the most directly comparable travel data by demographic profile 

of equality groups (2013/14) [12] 

Gender 

Age 

Ethnicity 

Household 

income 

Working status 

(16+) 

Disabled 

(limiting daily 

activity/ ability 

to travel) 

% All Men Women White BAME Aged 24 & 

under 

65+ Less than 

£20,000 

Disabled 

Nondisabled 

Base (15,700) (7,518) (8,182) (10,044) (5,563) (4,220) (2,475) (5,510) (1,821) (13,879) 

Men 49 - - 49 49 51 45 44 44 50 

Women 51 - - 51 51 49 55 56 56 50 

5-10 8 8 8 6 11 - - 9 2 9 

11-15 6 6 6 5 8 - - 7 2 6 

16-24 14 14 14 12 17 - - 15 5 15 

25-59 55 55 55 55 55 - - 41 38 57 

60-64 5 5 5 5 4 - - 4 9 4 

65-70 5 5 5 7 3 - - 8 11 5 

71-80 5 4 5 6 3 - - 9 17 3 

81+ 3 2 3 4 1 - - 6 16 1 

White 62 62 62 - - 52 81 55 69 61 

BAME 37 37 37 - - 47 19 45 30 38 

Less than £10,000 17 15 20 15 21 20 34 - 41 15 

£10,000–£19,999 19 17 20 17 22 21 31 - 28 18 

£20,000–£34,999 20 20 19 19 21 20 17 - 15 20 

£35,000–£49,999 13 14 13 14 13 12 7 - 6 14 

£50,000–£74,999 15 16 14 17 12 14 6 - 5 16 

£75,000+ 16 18 14 19 11 13 6 - 6 17 

Working full-time 40 45 32 50 42 24 5 15 8 52 

Working part-time 10 5 12 11 12 8 6 10 5 12 

Student 9 11 10 8 16 54 - 12 3 11 

Retired 13 13 17 18 9 - 86 24 48 11 

Not working 14 11 21 13 21 12 3 23 35 13 

Yes 11 9 11 12 9 4 37 20 - - 

*Note that LTDS data in this report excludes children aged under five and working status does not include under 16s. 


Travel behaviour 

Walking is the most common form of public transport for all Londoners. Almost all 

Londoners walk every week (96 per cent). Disabled Londoners are less likely to walk at least 

weekly (78 per cent); almost all younger Londoners walk at least once a week in London (99 

per cent) [12]. 

The bus is the next most commonly used type of transport in London: 61 per cent of 

Londoners use the bus at least once a week. Younger Londoners are the most likely equality 

group to use the bus at least weekly; 7 in 10 Londoners aged under 25 do so (71 per cent). 

Men and white Londoners are slightly less likely than average to use the bus once a week 

(58 per cent and 57 per cent respectively) [12]. 

Disabled Londoners and Londoners over 65 years old use the UndergroundTube less than 

other groups on a weekly basis (16 per cent of disabled Londoners and 23 per cent of 

Londoners over 65; compared with 39 per cent of all Londoners) [12]. 


Proportion of Londoners using modes of transport at least once a week (2013/14) [12] 

% All Men Women White BAME Aged 24 

& under 

65+ All less 

than 

£20,000 

Disabled 

Nondisabled 

Base (15,700) (7,518) (8,182) (10,044) (5,563) (4,220) (2,475) (5,510) (1,821) (14,114) 

Walking 96 97 96 95 97 99 86 94 78 98 

Bus 61 58 65 57 68 71 61 70 56 62 

Car as passenger 48 42 55 47 50 66 45 44 47 48 

Car as driver 39 44 35 43 33 8 45 26 26 41 

Tube 39 42 35 40 37 33 23 31 16 41 

National Rail 17 19 15 19 14 13 11 11 8 18 

Overground 9 10 8 9 10 8 4 8 4 10 

Other taxi/minicab 

6 6 6 6 

5 

8 6 

6 

6 

6 

(PHV) 

London taxi/ black cab 5 6 4 6 2 2 5 3 3 5 

DLR 4 5 4 3 6 4 2 4 4 5 

Tram 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 2 1 2 

Motorcycle 1 2 - 2 - - - 1 1 1 

*Note that LTDS data in this report excludes children aged under five. 


Tickets and passes 

Oyster card ownership is related to age: 

 

 

Younger Londoners are the most likely equality group to hold an Oyster card: 75 per 

cent of 16 to 24-year-olds have one [12] 

Older people are least likely to hold an Oyster card: only six per cent of Londoners 

aged 65 or over have one. Most older Londoners (aged 65 or over) hold an older 

person’s Freedom Pass (92 per cent) and this accounts for the lower proportion of 

Oyster cards held in this group [12] 


Possession of an Oyster card or Freedom Pass (2013/14) [12] 

% 

All Men Women White BAME 16-24 65+ Income Disabled Nondisabled 

Barriers to public transport use 

The most commonly mentioned barrier to using public transport more often across all 

Londoners is overcrowded services, which is mentioned by 59 per cent of Londoners. 16 

to 24 year olds (65 per cent), BAME Londoners (64 per cent) and women (60 per cent) are 

the most likely equality groups to cite this barrier [14]. 

Cost of tickets, safety and security issues and slow journey times are more commonly 

mentioned as barriers by some equality groups than across all Londoners. 

 

 

 

Cost of tickets is more often mentioned as a barrier to public transport use by BAME 

Londoners (53 per cent) and younger Londoners (49 per cent aged between 16 and 

24) [14] 

Slow journey times is also one of the main barriers to public transport use mentioned 

(41 per cent of all Londoners). This is a particularly big barrier for younger Londoners 

aged between 16 and 24 and BAME Londoners (both 50 per cent) 

Concerns about antisocial behaviour and crime are particularly mentioned as barriers 

to public transport use by Londoners living in DE households (social grade D refers to 

semi- and un-skilled manual workers and E refers to state pensioners, casual/lowest 

grade workers and unemployed Londoners) of whom 41 per cent say that concerns 

about antisocial behaviour affect their travel frequency, BAME Londoners (40 per 

cent), disabled Londoners (38 per cent) and women (38 per cent). The average among 

all Londoners is 34 per cent [14] 


Safety and security 

TfL uses a typology of worry to monitor the perceptions of Londoners with regard to 

their personal security while using public transport in London. The typology classifies 

people into: 

 

 

 

 

 

Unworried – reports no general worry and no episodes of recent worry 

Unexpressed fear – reports no general worry, but specific recent episodes 

Anxious – reports general worry, but no specific recent episodes 

Worried – reports general worry and specific recent episodes 

Don’t know 

Three-quarters of Londoners (75 per cent) fall into the ‘unworried’ category. Londoners 

aged 65 or over are the most likely to be ‘unworried’ (83 per cent). LGB Londoners (69 per 

cent), BAME Londoners (70 per cent) and women (70 per cent) are the least likely to be 

‘unworried’ [14]. 

Younger Londoners (65 per cent), BAME Londoners (62 per cent) and women (61 per 

cent) are the most likely to say that that their frequency of travel is affected ‘a lot’ or ‘a 

little’ because of concerns over crime or antisocial behaviour [14]. 

The relationship between concerns around safety and security and equality groups is 

complex. For example, age, ethnicity, income and whether a person is disabled are all 

likely to be interrelated. Likewise the travel patterns, preferences and area in which 

someone lives also play a part. 

Access to information 

Ninety-two per cent of Londoners have access to the internet. Older Londoners who are 

aged 65 or over and disabled Londoners are least likely to have access to the internet (64 

per cent and 76 per cent access the internet respectively). Almost all young Londoners 

aged between 16 and 24 have internet access (99 per cent) [15]. 

Nearly 4 out of 5 Londoners use a smartphone (77 per cent). Older Londoners (25 per 

cent) and disabled Londoners (44 per cent) are least likely to use smartphone. In 

comparison, almost all 16 to 24 year olds own or use a smartphone (96 per cent) [15]. 

Nearly 4 in 5 Londoners (78 per cent) use the TfL website. This figure is lower among 

those over 65 and disabled Londoners (47 per cent and 54 per cent respectively). 

Younger Londoners are most likely to access the TfL website, with eighty-three per cent 

of Londoners aged 16-24 using it [15]. 

Use of technology continues to grow across all equality groups in terms of internet 

access, smartphone use and use of the TfL website. However, it is worth noting that 

although there has been growth in technology use amongst older and disabled 

Londoners, use remains lower than for the overall population [15]. 


Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) people 

Summary: Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) 

Londoners 

Key findings 

BAME Londoners account for 40 per cent of the London population [2] 

Walking is the most commonly used type of transport by BAME Londoners (97 per cent 

of BAME Londoners walk at least once a week compared with 95 per cent of white 

Londoners) 

After walking, the most commonly used type of transport by BAME Londoners is the 

bus (68 per cent BAME compared with 57 per cent white) [12] 

BAME Londoners cite a greater number of barriers to increased public transport use 

than white Londoners [14] 

BAME Londoners are more likely to be classified as ‘worried’ and also slightly more 

likely to take precautions against crime when travelling [14] 

In general BAME Londoners give slightly lower overall satisfaction ratings than white 

Londoners for most transport types. This is likely to be related to the younger age 

profile [16] 

Internet access is higher for BAME Londoners than white Londoners (96 per cent BAME 

compared with 91 per cent white). However, this difference is driven by the younger age 

profile of BAME Londoners. When looking only at Londoners aged 16-64, there is no 

discernible difference in internet access between BAME and white Londoners [15] 

Profile of BAME Londoners 

BAME Londoners account for 40 per cent of the London population. There are 

some demographic differences between BAME Londoners and white Londoners. 

Most notably, BAME Londoners have a much younger age profile than white 

Londoners. Forty-one per cent of BAME Londoners are aged 24 and under 

compared to 26 per cent of white Londoners [2]. 

BAME Londoners are less likely than white Londoners to be in employment (57 per 

cent BAME compared with 64 per cent white) [2]. They are also more likely to live 

in households with an average annual income below £20,000 (43 per cent BAME 

compared with 32 per cent white) [12]. 

The majority of Londoners have English as their main language (78 per cent). 

However, four per cent do not speak English well [2]. 

Transport behaviour 

Walking is the most commonly used form of transport by BAME Londoners (97 per 

cent BAME compared with 95 per cent white). After walking, the bus is the most 

common type of transport used by BAME Londoners: 68 per cent of BAME 

Londoners use the bus at least once a week compared to 57 per cent of white 

Londoners. 

Among different BAME groups bus use varies: 77 per cent of black, 72 per cent of 

Londoners from an ‘other’ ethnic group, 70 per cent of mixed ethnic group 

Transport for London – Women 22


Londoners and 61 per cent of Asian Londoners use the bus at least once a week 

[12]. 

The use of cars among BAME Londoners is lower than for white Londoners; 33 per cent of 

BAME Londoners drive a car at least once a week compared to 43 per cent of white 

Londoners [12]. 

Driving a car is higher among Asian Londoners compared to other BAME groups 

(39 per cent of Asian Londoners drive a car at least once a week compared with 28 

per cent of black Londoners) [12]. 

Cycling levels of BAME Londoners and white Londoners are very similar. Eighteen 

per cent of BAME Londoners cycle in London at least sometimes compared to 17 

per cent of white Londoners [17]. 

Barriers 

Compared to white Londoners, BAME Londoners are more likely to mention a 

larger number of potential barriers that prevent them from increasing their use of 

public transport [14]. 

Cost is more of a barrier to increased public transport use among BAME 

Londoners than white Londoners (53 per cent BAME compared with 40 per cent 

white) [14]. 

Alongside cost, the barriers to greater public transport use most commonly 

mentioned by BAME Londoners are overcrowding (64 per cent), slow journey 

times (50 per cent), unreliable services (43 per cent), concerns about antisocial 

behaviour (40 per cent) and dirty environments on the bus or train (39 per cent) 

[14]. 

We use a typology of worry to assess Londoners’ attitudes to safety and security 

when using the public transport network. Most Londoners are classified as 

‘unworried’. BAME Londoners are less likely than white Londoners to be 

‘unworried’ (70 per cent BAME compared with 80 per cent white) and also more 

likely to be classified as ‘worried’ (seven per cent BAME compared with four per 

cent white) [14]. 

A slightly higher proportion of BAME Londoners than white Londoners take 

precautions against crime when using public transport (40 per cent BAME 

compared with 38 per cent white). The most common precaution for BAME 

Londoners is to sit by other people (44 per cent), whereas for white Londoners it is 

to look after their belongings (36 per cent). [14]. 

BAME Londoners, both adults and children, are almost twice as likely as white 

Londoners to be injured on the roads [18]. BAME Londoners are less likely than 

white Londoners to say that they feel safe from road accidents when walking 

around London at night (60 per cent BAME compared with 74 per cent white) [19]. 



Customer satisfaction 

BAME customers are slightly less satisfied with the transport they use than white 

customers. This applies to overall satisfaction, satisfaction with value for money 

and other attributes, and is relevant across most types of transport. This is likely to 

be related to the younger age profile of BAME Londoners. 

 

 

 

BAME customers using the bus are slightly less satisfied overall than white 

customers (83 out of 100 BAME compared with 86 out of 100 white) [16] 

Satisfaction with value for money of bus travel among BAME customers has 

risen again in 2014/2015 to 70 out of 100 from 67 out of 100 in 2013/14, having 

risen from 64 to 67 in 2012/ 2013. However, this remains slightly lower than 

among white customers (70 out 100 BAME compared with 74 out of 100 white) 

[16] 

Overall satisfaction with the Tube among BAME customers is also slightly 

lower than among white customers (83 out of 100 BAME compared with 85 out 

of 100 white) [16] 


A higher proportion of BAME Londoners have access to the internet than white 

Londoners (96 per cent BAME compared with 91 per cent white). This is almost 

entirely due to the older age profile of white Londoners, as the proportion of 

BAME and white Londoners aged between 16 and 64 who access the internet is 

very similar (98 per cent BAME 16-64 year olds compared with 96 per cent white 

16-64 year olds) [15]. 

Both BAME and white 16 to 64-year-old Londoners tend to access the internet in 

similar places. 

 

 

 

Ninety-four per cent of BAME and 95 per cent of white Londoners aged 

between 16 and 64 access the internet at home 

Sixty-eight per cent of BAME 16-64 year olds access the internet ‘on the move’ 

compared with 70 per cent of white Londoners of this age 

Sixty-three per cent of BAME 16 to 64year olds access the internet at work, 

compared with sixty-six per cent of white Londoners [36]. 



Introduction 

London is one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse cities in the world with 

black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) people making up 40 per cent of the city’s 

population [2]. More than 300 languages are spoken and multiple faiths are 

practised here [20]. 

The age structure of BAME Londoners tends to be younger than white Londoners, 

and it is estimated that, by 2031, more than half of London’s 15 to 19 year olds will 

belong to a BAME group and the proportion of all Londoners from a BAME ethnic 

group will reach 51 per cent by 2041 [21]. 

Our Single Equality Scheme addresses many of the issues identified in the 

research presented in this document [22]. 

This chapter focuses on transport issues relevant to BAME Londoners. For the 

purposes of this section, Londoners are grouped according to their reported 

ethnicity as follows: 

Breakdown of ethnic groups used in this report [12] 

Ethnic groups 

White English/Welsh/Scottish/Northern Irish 

White Irish 

Other white British 

Other white 

Black or black British – Caribbean 

Black or black British – African 

Black or black British – other black background 

Asian or Asian British – Indian 

Asian or Asian British – Pakistani 

Asian or Asian British – Bangladeshi 

Asian or Asian British – Chinese 

Asian or Asian British – other Asian background 

Mixed or multiple ethnic groups – white and black 

Caribbean 

Mixed or multiple ethnic groups – white and black 

African 

Mixed or multiple ethnic groups – white and Asian 

Other mixed or multiple ethnic background 

Other ethnic group – Arab 

Other ethnic group – any other 

White 

Black 

Asian 

Mixed 

Other 

White 

Black, Asian 

and minority 

ethnic (BAME) 



Profile of BAME Londoners 

Forty per cent of Londoners are from a BAME group [2]. This has increased 

significantly since 2001 when the comparative figure was 29 per cent and the 

proportion is forecast to increase further in future [23]. Population projections 

suggest that the proportion of BAME Londoners will rise to 51 per cent by 2041 

[21]. 

Ethnic groups in London from the ONS Census [2] 

% 2011 Census 2001 Census 1 

White 60 71 

BAME 40 29 

Black/African/Caribbean/black British 13 11 

Asian/Asian British 18 12 

Mixed/other 8 6 

We survey Londoners on an ongoing basis as part of the London Travel Demand Survey. 

LTDS is a sample survey of Londoners and the equivalent figure from this survey is 62 per 

cent white and 37 per cent BAME [12]. 

LTDS ethnic groups in London (2013/14) [12] 

% LTDS 

Base (15,700) 

White 62 

BAME 37 

Black 13 

Asian 18 

Mixed/other 6 


Where percentages do not add up to 100, this is due to rounding and refused codes. 

1 There is a slight change in the definition of ethnic groups between the 2001 and 2011 Census. See 

www.ons.gov.uk for details. 



LTDS demographic profile of ethnic groups in London (2013/14) [12] 

% All White BAME Black Asian Mixed Other 

Base (15,700) (10,044) (5,563) (1,903) (2,785) (488) (387) 

Gender 

Men 49 49 49 47 51 47 47 

Women 51 51 51 53 49 53 53 

Age 

5-10 8 6 11 13 9 23 8 

11-15 6 5 8 8 6 13 7 

16-24 14 12 17 17 15 24 19 

25-59 55 55 55 53 59 37 55 

60-64 5 5 4 3 5 2 4 

65-70 5 7 3 2 3 1 4 

71-80 5 6 3 3 3 1 2 

81+ 3 4 1 1 1 - 1 

Household income 

Less than £10,000 17 15 21 26 16 16 31 

£10,000–£19,999 19 17 22 27 18 23 27 

£20,000–£34,999 20 19 21 21 23 18 17 

£35,000–£49,999 13 14 13 12 14 11 12 

£50,000–£74,999 15 17 12 8 14 18 5 

£75,000+ 16 19 11 6 15 14 7 

Working status* 

Working full-time 47 50 42 39 45 41 31 

Working part-time 11 11 12 13 11 11 13 

Student 10 8 16 17 13 22 16 

Retired 15 18 9 9 10 3 7 

Not working 16 13 21 21 20 22 32 

Disabled 

Yes 11 12 9 10 8 5 11 

No 89 88 91 90 92 95 89 

Impairment affects travel 

Yes 10 11 8 9 7 5 10 

No 90 89 92 91 93 95 90 

*Note that LTDS data in this report excludes children aged under five and working status does not include under 16s. All TfL surveys use the 

Equality Act 2010 to define ‘disabled people’ as: ‘those who define themselves as having a long-term physical or mental disability or health 

issue that impacts on their daily activities, the work they can do or limits their ability to travel’. 



BAME Londoners tend to have a younger age profile than white Londoners. Fortyone 

per cent of BAME Londoners are under 25, compared to 26 per cent of white 


Number of Londoners by ethnic group 2011 [2] 

This younger age profile of BAME Londoners has an impact on many of the travel 

behaviours covered in this chapter and should be kept in mind when using the results. 



Employment and income 

The Census data and LTDS show similar patterns in terms of employment and 

income levels although the exact percentages do differ slightly. According to the 

Census, 57 per cent of BAME Londoners are in employment compared with 64 per 

cent of white Londoners aged 16 or over [2]. 

More BAME Londoners are in education than white Londoners (the Census 

records 12 per cent BAME compared with five per cent white) [2]. 

Reflecting the older age profile, more white Londoners are retired than BAME 

Londoners (the Census records 8 per cent BAME compared with 17 per cent white) 

[2]. 

2011 Census – Economic activity of Londoners (16 years old and over) [2] 

% White BAME 

Employed 64 57 

Unemployed 4 7 

Students (economically inactive) 5 12 

Retired 17 8 

Long-term sick/disabled/other 6 8 

Looking after home/family 4 7 

Students fall into employed, unemployed and economically inactive categories. 

Higher proportions of BAME Londoners have an annual household income of 

below £20,000 (43 per cent) than white Londoners (32 per cent) [12]. 



Languages spoken 

Twenty-two per cent of Londoners have a language other than English as their 

first language, with Polish (two per cent), Bengali (one per cent), Gujarati (one per 

cent), French (one per cent) and Urdu (one per cent) being the top five main 

languages spoken [2]. This shows the wide range of languages used in London, 

and according to the Greater London Authority (GLA) 300 languages are spoken 

across the city [24]. 

European languages are spoken by 42 per cent of residents whose main language 

is not English, making them the largest language group in London. South Asian 

languages are spoken by 29 per cent of people whose main language is not 

English. The remaining 29 per cent are split relatively equally among African (eight 

per cent), Middle Eastern which includes Turkish and Arabic (eight per cent), East 

Asian (seven per cent) and West/Central Asian languages (five per cent). 

Languages outside these groups, such as Caribbean Creole and sign language, 

account for the remaining one per cent [25]. 

The 2011 Census revealed that four per cent of Londoners have difficulty speaking 

English. Difficulties speaking English are more common among older Londoners. 

Two per cent of those aged between three and 15 do not speak English well 

compared with six per cent of 65 year olds and over. 

2011 Census – Londoners’ ability to speak English [2] 

% English is main 

language 

English not main 

language but spoken 

well 

English not spoken 

well 

All 78 18 4 

Age 

3-15 85 13 2 

16-24 79 19 2 

25-34 69 27 4 

35-49 74 21 5 

50-64 81 13 5 

65+ 86 8 6 



Religion and beliefs 

The 2011 Census shows that the representation of religion and beliefs of 

Londoners has changed over the last 10 years. There has been a decline in the 

proportion of Londoners considering themselves to be Christian (58 per cent to 48 

per cent), and there has also been an increase in the proportion who do not 

identify with any religion (16 per cent to 21 per cent) [2]. 

The largest religious and faith groups in London are: 

Religions and faith groups in London [23, AB] 

% 2011 2001 

Christianity 48 58 

Islam 12 9 

Hinduism 5 4 

Judaism 2 2 

Sikhism 2 2 

Buddhism 1 1 

Other 1 1 

Not religious 21 16 

Undeclared 8 9 

Religion varies considerably between ethnic groups: 

 

 

 

While 28 per cent of white and 27 per cent of mixed Londoners report they 

have no religion, only seven per cent of black and eight per cent of Asian 

Londoners report this 

More than half of black (68 per cent) and white (57 per cent) Londoners report 

that they are Christian 

Asian Londoners and Londoners who have selected ‘other’ to describe their 

ethnic group are most likely to be Muslims (36 per cent of Asian Londoners and 

50 per cent of Londoners selecting ‘other’ ethnic group are Muslims) 

Religion by ethnic group [2] 

% White BAME Black Asian Mixed Other 

Christian 57 36 68 12 47 22 

Buddhist - 2 - 4 1 1 

Hindu - 12 - 26 1 2 

Jewish 3 - - - 1 3 

Muslim 3 27 15 36 10 50 

Sikh - 4 - 7 - 4 

Other religion - 1 - 1 1 1 

No religion 28 10 7 8 27 10 

Religion not stated 9 8 9 6 12 9 



London boroughs 

Some London boroughs have a higher proportion of BAME residents than others. 

Those with the largest proportion of BAME residents are: 

London boroughs with highest proportion of BAME residents [2] 

Borough 

% of BAME 

residents 

Newham 71 

Brent 64 

Harrow 58 

Redbridge 57 

Tower Hamlets 55 

The boroughs with the smallest proportion of BAME residents are: 

London boroughs with lowest proportion of BAME residents [2] 

Borough 

% of BAME 

residents 

Havering 12 

Richmond upon Thames 14 

Bromley 16 

Bexley 18 

Sutton 21 

There is a high concentration of BAME residents in the most deprived boroughs in London. 

According to Indices of Deprivation released by the ONS, the most deprived boroughs in 

London are Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets and Islington [26], all of which have large 

proportions of BAME residents. 




The average number of trips completed per weekday (among those travelling on 

any weekday) varies slightly according to ethnicity. On average, BAME Londoners 

make 2.5 trips per weekday, compared to 2.8 trips made by white Londoners. 

Transport types used 

Walking at least once a week is almost universal across all ethnic groups. After 

walking, the most commonly used types of transport for all Londoners are buses, 

cars (as both drivers and passengers) and the Tube [12]. 

The proportion of Londoners using each type of transport at least once a week 

varies according to ethnicity. BAME Londoners are more likely than white 

Londoners to use the bus at least once a week (68 per cent BAME compared with 

57 per cent white). In contrast, lower proportions of BAME Londoners travel at 

least once a week by car (as the driver), black cab and National Rail than white 

Londoners. Few differences are seen between white and BAME Londoners for 

their frequency of use of minicabs, the Overground, trams and the Tube [12]. 

Looking specifically at the differences between ethnic minority groups, the use of 

buses is particularly high among black Londoners, with 77 per cent using this type 

of transport at least once a week, compared to 68 per cent of all BAME Londoners 

and 57 per cent of white Londoners) [12]. Research among BAME Londoners 

suggests this is because buses are seen to be cheaper than other transport options 

and have a more comprehensive route network [27]. 

The use of cars (as the driver) tends to be higher among Asian Londoners than 

other BAME groups [12]. 



Proportion of Londoners using types of transport at least once a week (2013/14) [12] 


Base (15,700) (10,044) (5,563) (1,903) (2,785) (488) (387) 

Walking 96 95 97 97 97 98 97 

Bus 61 57 68 77 61 70 72 

Car (as a passenger) 48 47 50 45 53 58 51 

Car (as a driver) 39 43 33 28 39 22 33 

Tube 39 40 37 34 37 35 46 

National Rail 17 19 14 16 12 18 9 

Overground 9 9 10 13 7 13 13 

Other taxi/minicab 

6 6 6 

(PHV) 

8 4 6 5 

London taxi/black cab 5 6 2 1 3 3 5 

DLR 4 3 6 7 6 4 4 

Tram 2 2 2 3 1 2 - 

Motorbike 1 2 - - - - 1 


Where there is more detailed information on the use of individual types of 

transport, we have included a sub-section below. 

Walking 

There is little difference between the frequency of walking among BAME and 

white Londoners. Ninety-seven per cent of BAME Londoners walk at least once a 

week, which is very similar to white Londoners where 95 per cent walk at least 

once a week [12]. 

BAME Londoners are slightly more likely than white Londoners to walk on a daily 

basis (85 per cent of BAME Londoners walk five or more days a week compared 

with 81 per cent of white Londoners) [12]. 

Frequency of walking (2013/14) [12] 


Base (15,700) (10,044) (5,563) (1,903) (2,785) (488) (387) 

5 or more days a 

week 

83 81 85 88 83 88 86 

3 or 4 days a week 6 7 5 4 6 4 6 

2 days a week 4 4 4 3 5 3 4 

1 day a week 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 

At least once a 

fortnight 

1 1 1 - 1 1 1 


month 

1 1 1 - 1 1 - 

At least once a year 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 

Not used in last year 1 2 1 1 1 - - 

Never used - - - - - - - 






The purpose of journeys made by walking varies between BAME and white 

Londoners: 

BAME Londoners are more likely than white Londoners to walk (at least once a 

week) to get to/from work, school or college (66 per cent BAME compared 

with 44 per cent white) and to take a child to school (29 per cent BAME 

compared with 12 per cent white) 

White Londoners are more likely than BAME Londoners to walk (at least once 

a week) to visit pubs/restaurants/cinemas and other social places (44 per cent 

BAME compared with 59 per cent white) 

BAME Londoners are slightly more likely to walk as part of a longer journey (79 

per cent BAME compared with 75 per cent white) [19] 

Walking at least once a week by purpose of journey (2015) [19] 

% who walk at least once a week All White BAME 

Base (1,000) (731) (232) 

Walk… 

To complete small errands such as getting a 86 88 84 

newspaper or posting a letter 

As part of a longer journey 77 75 79 

To visit pubs/restaurants/cinemas and other 53 59 44 

social places 

To get to work/school/college 52 44 66 

To visit friends and relatives 49 50 48 

To take a child to school 18 12 29 

Bus 

Bus use among BAME Londoners is higher than among white Londoners (68 per 

cent BAME compared with 57 per cent white Londoners using the bus at least once 

per week). The proportion of black Londoners using the bus at least once a week is 

77 per cent which is considerably higher than any other ethnic group (70 per cent 

of mixed Londoners and 61 per cent of Asian Londoners use the bus at least once a 

week) [12]. 

The greater use of buses by BAME Londoners is also shown by comparing data 

from the Bus User Survey (2014) against the proportion of BAME Londoners in the 

population. Forty-seven per cent of day bus users and 46 per cent of night bus 

users are BAME customers, whereas BAME Londoners account for only 40 per 

cent of the total London population [28]. 

Comparison of day and night bus users with London population (2014) [28, AB] 

% White BAME Black Asian Mixed 

All Londoners* [2] 60 40 8 18 13 



Day bus users 52 47 20 14 4 

Night bus users 54 46 17 13 5 

Table excludes under 16s. 

*Please note that figures for ‘All Londoners’ come from the 2011 Census. 

BAME bus users are as likely as white customers to take the bus to or from work 

during the day (54 per cent of BAME bus users travel to or from work during the 

day compared with 53 per cent of white bus users, and 52 per cent of BAME 

Londoners compared with 51 per cent white Londoners at night). A higher 

proportion of white Londoners travelling by bus at night are doing so for leisure 

purposes compared to BAME bus users (17 per cent BAME compared with 27 per 

cent white). White bus users are also more likely to be travelling for leisure 

purposes during the day (6 per cent BAME compared with 12 per cent white) 

although the difference is less marked than at night. 

Purpose of bus journey by ethnic group and time of day (2014) [28] 

During the day 

At night 

% White BAME White BAME 

Base (weighted) (17,221) (15,109) (4,192) (3,550) 

To/from or for work 53 54 51 52 

To/from 

4 10 2 5 

school/education 

To/from shopping 12 9 1 2 

Visiting 

9 9 13 15 

friends/relatives 

Leisure 12 6 27 17 

Personal business 6 8 2 2 

Other purpose 3 4 5 6 



Black Londoners are the most likely ethnic group to use a bus on a daily basis: 46 

per cent of black Londoners do so compared with 28 per cent of all Londoners 

[12]. 

Frequency of travelling by bus (2013/14) [12] 


Base (15,700) (10,044) (5,563) (1,903) (2,785) (488) (387) 

5 or more days a week 28 23 36 46 29 37 39 

3 or 4 days a week 12 12 13 13 12 12 16 

2 days a week 11 11 11 10 10 12 10 

1 day a week 10 10 9 8 9 9 7 


fortnight 

5 6 4 3 5 3 5 

At least once a month 10 10 8 6 10 8 8 


Not used in last year 7 9 5 3 7 4 4 

Never used 2 2 2 1 3 2 4 


Car 

BAME Londoners are less likely to hold a driving licence than white Londoners (54 

per cent BAME aged 17 years or over compared with 69 per cent white). Asian 

Londoners are slightly more likely than other BAME groups to hold a driving 

licence (58 per cent). 

The frequency with which people drive a car varies across BAME groups – 39 per 

cent of Asian Londoners aged 17 years or over drive at least once a week 

compared to 28 per cent of black Londoners and 22 per cent of mixed Londoners 

[12]. 

Proportion of Londoners (aged 17+) with a full car driving licence (2013/14) [12] 


Base (13,127) (8,742) (4,315) (1,456) (2,277) (274) (308) 

Holds a full car driving 64 69 54 49 58 55 54 

licence 

Note that this table includes all Londoners aged 17 and over. 



BAME Londoners are less likely than white Londoners to live in a household that 

owns or has access to a car (63 per cent BAME compared with 67 per cent white). 

There are some big differences between BAME groups, with Asian Londoners 

being the most likely to own or have access to a car (72 per cent) compared with 52 

per cent of black Londoners and 60 per cent of mixed Londoners [12]. 

Proportion of Londoners in a household with access to a car (2013/14) [12] 


Base (15,700) (10,044) (5,563) (1,903) (2,785) (488) (387) 

0 cars 35 33 37 48 28 40 37 

1 car 46 46 45 41 47 45 54 

2+ cars 20 21 18 11 25 15 10 


Tube 

Tube use among BAME Londoners is slightly lower than among white Londoners 

(37 per cent of BAME Londoners use the Tube at least once a week compared to 

40 per cent white). When looking at individual BAME groups there is very little 

difference [12]. 

Frequency of travelling by Tube (2013/14) [12] 


Base (15,700) (10,044) (5,563) (1,903) (2,785) (488) (387) 

5 or more days a week 15 16 14 12 16 11 14 

3 or 4 days a week 7 7 6 6 6 5 11 

2 days a week 8 8 7 6 8 7 12 

1 day a week 9 9 9 10 8 12 10 

At least once a fortnight 8 8 8 7 8 9 6 

At least once a month 15 14 15 16 15 13 14 


Not used in last year 11 12 9 10 9 8 8 

Never used 3 3 4 4 4 2 5 




Cycling 

Cycling levels among BAME Londoners and white Londoners are very similar. 

Eighteen per cent of BAME Londoners cycle in London at least sometimes, 

compared with 17 per cent of white Londoners. 

Proportion of Londoners who cycle (November 2014) [17] 

% All White BAME 

Base (2,192) (1,521) (671) 

Cyclist (sometimes uses a bike to get 

17 17 18 

around London) 

Non-cyclist (never uses a bike to get 


83 83 82 

There is also very little difference between white and BAME Londoners in 

frequency of cycling (at least once a week) in London (14 per cent BAME 


Frequency of travelling by bicycle (November 2014) [17] 


Base (2,192) (1,521) (671) 

5 or more days a week 4 4 3 

3 or 4 days a week 5 4 5 

2 days a week 3 3 3 

1 day a week 2 2 3 

At least once a fortnight 1 1 1 

At least once a month 1 1 - 

At least once a year 2 2 2 

Not used in last year - - - 

Never used 83 83 82 

Most Londoners, regardless of whether they cycle currently, know how to ride a 

bike. There is little difference between white and BAME Londoners in their ability 

to ride a bike (83 per cent BAME compared with 84 per cent white) [17]. 

Proportion of Londoners able to ride a bike (November 2014) [17] 


Base (2,192) (1,521) (671) 

Can ride a bike 83 84 83 

Cannot ride a bike 17 16 17 



TfL has developed a behavioural change model to look at Londoners’ readiness to 

cycle or cycle more if they already cycle around the city. According to this model, 

white Londoners are more likely to be in the pre-contemplation stage, meaning 

that they haven’t thought about cycling (more) or that they have thought about it, 

but do not intend to do so (63 per cent of BAME and 72 per cent of white 

Londoners) [17]. 

Behaviour change model of cycling (November 2014) [17] 


Base (2,192) (1,521) (671) 

Pre-contemplation: 

69 72 63 

’You have thought about it but would be unlikely 

to start in the future’ 

‘You have thought about it but don’t intend 

starting in the future’ 

‘You have never thought of starting but could be 

open to it in the future’ 

Contemplation: 

10 8 12 

‘You are thinking about starting in the future’ 

Preparation: 

3 2 4 

‘You have decided to start soon’ 

Change: 

2 1 3 

‘You have tried to start recently but are finding it 

difficult’ 

‘You have started recently and are finding it quite 

easy so far’ 

Sustained change: 

10 11 9 

‘You started a while ago and are still doing it 

occasionally’ 

You started a while ago and are still doing it 

regularly’ 

Lapsed: 

‘You had started doing this but couldn’t stick to it’ 

6 5 8 

Cycling schemes 

Awareness of Cycle Hire is relatively high among all Londoners. However, BAME 

Londoners are less likely than white Londoners to be aware (88 per cent BAME 

compared with 93 per cent white). 

Twenty one per cent of BAME Londoners have hired a bicycle through the scheme 

compared with 15 per cent of white Londoners [17]. 

Seventeen per cent of casual Cycle Hire users (defined as not having a Cycle Hire 

membership key) are BAME customers and 7 per cent of Cycle Hire members are 

BAME customers [29]. 



Thirty seven per cent of BAME Londoners report that they will definitely/ probably 

use the scheme in the next year compared with 22 per cent of white Londoners. 

[17] 

Expected use of Cycle Hire in the future (November 2014) [17] 


Base (1,180) (833) (347) 

Yes, definitely/probably 27 22 37 

Yes, definitely 9 7 13 

Yes, probably 18 15 24 

No, probably not 30 33 22 

No, definitely not 33 36 27 

Not sure 10 9 13 

Across all ethnic groups, awareness of Cycle Superhighways is lower than for Cycle 

Hire. In particular, BAME Londoners are less likely to be aware of Cycle 

Superhighways: 53 per cent are aware compared to 65 per cent of white 


The same proportion of BAME Londoners and white Londoners report that they 

have used a Cycle Superhighway (10 per cent). BAME Londoners are again more 

likely than white Londoners to say they will definitely/ probably use the 

Superhighways in the future (28 per cent BAME compared with 21 per cent) [17]. 

Expected use of Cycle Superhighways in the future (November 2014) [17] 


Base (1,180) (833) (347) 

Yes, definitely/ probably 23 21 28 

Yes, definitely 6 6 7 

Yes, probably 17 15 21 

No, probably not 28 29 26 

No, definitely not 31 34 26 

Not sure 17 16 20 



Dial-a-Ride 

Thirty-five per cent of Dial-a-Ride members are BAME compared with 65 per cent 

who are white. The proportion of BAME Dial-a-Ride members decreases as the 

age of the member increases: 18 per cent of Dial-a-Ride members who are aged 

90 or over are BAME [30]. 

Dial-a-Ride (DaR) membership by ethnicity (2014) [2,30] 

% All disabled DaR 65-79 years 80-89 years 90+ years old 

Londoners members 

old 

old- 

Base (excludes 

- (41,270) (10,312) (15,117) (8,144) 

unknown data) 

White 66 65 55 71 82 

BAME 34 35 45 29 18 

English is spoken by 94 per cent of Dial-a-Ride members. Gujarati and Punjabi are 

the most common languages spoken by non-English speaking members [30]. 

Journey purpose 

Across all travel in London, the purpose of journeys varies slightly by ethnicity, 

especially between the ethnicity groups which make up BAME Londoners. BAME 

Londoners are generally more likely than white Londoners to travel by public 

transport for reasons relating to education, including escorting children to school 

(26 per cent BAME compared with 15 per cent white). BAME Londoners are less 

likely than white Londoners to use public transport during the week for leisure 

purposes (18 per cent BAME compared with 26 per cent white); this may be 

related to the younger age profile of BAME Londoners, as younger people tend to 

make fewer leisure trips on weekdays [12]. 

Weekday journey purpose (2013/14) [12] 


Base – all trips by (40,159) (27,071) (12,900) (4,492) (6,355) (1,245) (808) 

Londoners 

Shopping/personal 24 25 24 25 22 23 31 

business 

Usual workplace 20 20 20 17 25 9 12 

Leisure 23 26 18 17 16 22 22 

Education 19 15 26 26 24 32 26 

Other work-related 8 9 6 8 4 7 6 

Other 6 6 7 6 8 8 3 


Asian Londoners are the most likely of all ethnic groups to be making weekday 

journeys to their usual workplace (25 per cent) and least likely to be making 

journeys for leisure (16 per cent) [12]. 



Ticket types 

Oyster pay as you go (PAYG) is the most common ticket type used by Londoners 

on all types of public transport, regardless of ethnic group. Oyster PAYG is used by 

a higher proportion of BAME Londoners than white Londoners. Sixty-five per cent 

of BAME Londoners use Oyster PAYG, compared to 55 per cent of white 

Londoners. This pattern is the same for Oyster season tickets, which are used by a 

higher proportion of BAME Londoners than white Londoners (27 per cent for 

BAME Londoners compared with 15 per cent for white Londoners) [32]. 

BAME Londoners are much less likely to use a Freedom Pass to travel on public 

transport than white Londoners [32]. 

These findings are likely to be related to the younger age profile of BAME 

Londoners. 

Tickets and passes used on public transport (January 2015) [32] 

% 

Base: Public transport users: 

All 

(975) 

White 

(687) 

BAME 

(239) 

Freedom Pass 21 29 7 

Oyster PAYG 58 55 65 

Oyster Season ticket 20 15 27 

Contactless payment 16 16 17 

Cash/single/return 10 10 12 

Any other Travelcard 7 7 7 

Oyster card 

A slightly higher proportion of BAME Londoners hold an Oyster card than white 

Londoners. Mixed Londoners are the least likely to hold an Oyster card (52 per 

cent) [12]. 

Possession of an Oyster card (2013/14) [12] 


Base (15,700) (10,044) (5,563) (1,903) (2,785) (488) (387) 

Have an Oyster 

60 59 61 61 63 52 62 

card 

Do not have an 

Oyster card 

40 41 39 39 37 48 38 


Note that Oyster card ownership excludes Freedom Passes, Oyster photocards and Zip cards. 



Freedom Pass 

Nineteen per cent of white Londoners have Freedom Passes compared with nine 

per cent of BAME Londoners. These differences are largely linked to the differing 

age profile of BAME and white Londoners. The proportion of BAME and white 

Londoners aged 65 and over who hold a Freedom Pass is the same: 92 per cent of 

both BAME and white Londoners aged 65 or over hold a Freedom Pass [12]. 

Freedom Passes held (2013/14) [12] 


Base (15,700) (10,044) (5,563) (1,903) (2,785) (488) (387) 

Older person’s 

Freedom pass 

15 19 9 8 10 3 8 

Disabled person’s 

Freedom pass 

2 2 2 3 2 2 3 




Barriers 

Barriers to greater public transport use 

We have carried out several research programmes to investigate the barriers that 

Londoners face when using public transport. The findings from each of these 

studies are in general agreement. However, it is worth noting that the issue of 

barriers is complex and the specific questions that Londoners were asked may 

have had an impact upon the responses that people gave. The impact of specific 

barriers may also be much more significant for some Londoners than others. 

BAME Londoners cite a greater number of barriers to increased public transport 

use than white Londoners. The barriers to greater public transport use that are 

most commonly mentioned by BAME Londoners are overcrowded services (64 per 

cent BAME compared with 56 per cent white), cost of tickets (53 per cent BAME 

compared with 40 per cent white), slow journey times (50 per cent BAME 

compared with 36 per cent white), and unreliable services (43 per cent BAME 


For all potential barriers put to Londoners (including concerns about antisocial 

behaviour, fear of crime and a lack of information on how to use public transport) 

a greater proportion of BAME Londoners than white Londoners cite these as 

potentially stopping them from using public transport more often [14]. 

Barriers to using public transport more often (prompted) (Jan/ Apr/ Jul/ Oct 2014) [14] 


Base (4,005) (3,039) (791) 

Overcrowded services 59 56 64 

Cost of tickets 45 40 53 

Slow journey times 41 36 50 

Unreliable services 37 33 43 

Concern about antisocial behaviour 34 31 40 

Dirty environment on the bus/train 28 21 39 

Fear of crime getting to/ waiting for the 

bus/train 

24 19 32 

Fear of crime on the bus/train 23 18 30 

Fear about knife crime 20 16 27 

Dirty environment getting to the bus/train 18 12 27 

Fear of terrorist attacks 12 9 17 

Graffiti 10 8 13 

Lack of information on how to use public 

transport 

10 9 12 

Risk of accidents 9 6 12 

Don’t understand how to buy bus tickets 5 5 6 

None of these 17 20 12 




TfL uses a typology of worry to monitor the perceptions of Londoners with regard 

to their personal security while using public transport in London. The typology 

classifies people into: 

 

 

 

 

 




Worried – reports general worry, and specific recent episodes 

Don’t know 

The majority of Londoners fall into the ‘unworried’ category which means that 

they are generally unworried about their personal security in London and have 

experienced no incidents to make them feel worried in the last three months. A 

significantly lower proportion of BAME Londoners are considered ‘unworried’ than 

white Londoners (70 per cent of BAME Londoners are ‘unworried’ compared with 

80 per cent of white Londoners). As with many other findings in this report, this 

may be related to the younger age profile of BAME Londoners [14]. 

Typology of worry (Jan/ Apr/ Jul/ Oct 2014) [14] 

% White BAME 

Base (3,039) (791) 

Unworried 80 70 

Unexpressed 10 14 

Anxious 4 8 

Worried 4 7 

Don’t know 2 2 



BAME Londoners are also considerably less likely than white Londoners to say 

that they are ‘not at all worried’ about personal security while using public 

transport in London (35 per cent BAME compared with 47 per cent white) and are 

more likely to report that they are ‘very worried’ (four per cent BAME compared 

with two per cent white) [14]. 

Levels of concern about personal security when using public transport in London (Jan/ 

Apr/ Jul/ Oct 2014) [14] 

% White BAME 

Base (3,039) (791) 

Not at all worried 47 35 

A little bit worried 43 49 

Quite a bit worried 7 10 

Very worried 2 4 


Among Londoners who are worried about their personal security when using 

public transport in London, BAME Londoners are more likely than white 

Londoners to say that this worry reduces their quality of life ‘very much’ (15 per 

cent BAME Londoners experience this level of worry compared with 11 per cent 

white Londoners) [14]. 

Extent to which worry about personal security when using public transport reduces quality 

of life (Jan/ Apr/ Jul/ Oct 2014) [14] 

% White BAME 

Base (all worried about personal safety) (301) (127) 

Not at all 20 17 

A little 30 28 

Moderately 18 19 

Quite a bit 19 20 

Very much 11 15 

Don’t know 2 - 

Net: Quite a bit/very much 30 35 

A slightly higher proportion of BAME Londoners than white Londoners take 

precautions against crime when using public transport (40 per cent BAME 

compared with 38 per cent white). The most common precaution for BAME 

Londoners is to sit by other people, whereas for white Londoners it is to look after 

their belongings. For BAME Londoners the next most common precaution is to 

travel with someone else, while for white Londoners the second most common 

precaution is to sit near other people [14]. 



Precautions taken (Jan/ Apr/ Jul/ Oct 2014) [14] 


Base (all who take precautions) (1,507) (1,130) (322) 

Sat near to other people 34 29 44 

Looked after my belongings 29 36 18 

Travelled with someone else 23 20 29 

Travelled at a different time of day 16 13 21 

Used a different route 15 11 22 

Stayed aware/vigilant 15 15 15 

Avoided using that transport type 12 11 15 

Only took necessities with me 3 3 3 

Carried a personal alarm 3 3 3 

Note responses 2% or below among all Londoners not shown. 

In terms of actual experiences, the proportion of BAME Londoners who have felt 

worried about their personal security when using public transport in London in the 

past three months is higher than white Londoners (20 per cent BAME compared 

with 14 per cent white). There is little difference as to whether the last worrying 

episode was during the day or at night between BAME and white Londoners: 38 

per cent of the most recent worrying episodes mentioned by BAME Londoners 

occurred during the day compared with 42 per cent of episodes mentioned by 

white Londoners (this difference is not statistically significant) [14]. 

We asked those who have felt worried about their personal security when using 

public transport in the last three months on which type of transport they 

experienced this event. There is little difference in the proportion of worrying 

events by transport type between BAME and white Londoners. Buses were the 

most likely type of transport on which theses events occurred (52 per cent of 

BAME Londoners who have felt worried in the last three months were on the bus) 

[14]. 

Crime and antisocial behaviour concerns affect the frequency of travel on the 

Tube, bus and National Rail ‘a little’ or ‘a lot’ for slightly more than half of 

Londoners (53 per cent). BAME Londoners are affected to a greater extent than 

white Londoners: 62 per cent of BAME Londoners report that the frequency with 

which they use public transport is affected ‘a lot’ or ‘a little’ because of concerns 

over crime or antisocial behaviour compared with 47 per cent of white Londoners 

[14]. 



A higher proportion of BAME Londoners are affected in terms of their public 

transport travel frequency because of these concerns across all three forms of 

transport (Tube, bus, National Rail) both during the day and at night [14]. 

Proportion of Londoners for whom concerns over crime/antisocial behaviour affect the 

frequency of their public transport use ‘a lot/a little’ (Jan/ Apr/ Jul/ Oct 2014) [14] 


Base (4,005) (3,039) (791) 

Overall: During the day/after dark 

Underground/buses/National Rail 53 48 62 

During the day: 


Underground 16 11 23 

Buses 17 13 24 

National Rail 11 8 15 

After dark: 



Buses 42 38 50 


We recently conducted a trial on the number 25 bus route which showed that 

intervention can make customers feel safer. This intervention (which included 

regular patrols on the route by the Safer Transport Team, by community officers 

and Revenue Protection Inspectors) led to an increase in the proportion of 

customers who felt ‘unworried’ when travelling on the route (87 per cent 

compared with 77 per cent before the intervention). BAME customers were more 

likely to feel ‘unworried’ than white customers as a result of the intervention (88 

per cent BAME compared with 85 per cent white) [33] 



Road traffic injuries 

BAME Londoners are less likely than white Londoners to say that they feel safe 

from road accidents when walking around London either during the day or at 

night. Thirty-seven per cent of white Londoners compared to 31 per cent of BAME 

Londoners consider themselves very safe from road accidents when walking 

around London during the day, and 23 per cent of white Londoners compared to 

20 per cent of BAME Londoners consider themselves very safe from road 

accidents when walking around London at night [19]. 

Feelings of safety from road accidents when walking around London (2015) [19] 


Base (1,000) (731) (232) 


Very safe 34 37 31 

Quite safe 51 50 54 

Not very safe 9 9 11 

Not at all safe 2 2 3 

During the night: 

Very safe 22 23 20 

Quite safe 46 51 40 

Not very safe 17 13 25 

Not at all safe 8 6 11 



Differences exist between ethnic groups in terms of injury rates from road traffic 

accidents (this refers to injuries sustained by any road users, so it includes 

pedestrians, cyclists and car occupants). For both children and adults, road traffic 

injury rates are higher among black Londoners compared to white and Asian 

Londoners. Black adults are 1.36 times more likely to be injured on the roads than 

white adults and 1.32 times more likely to be injured than Asian adults. A similar 

pattern is seen for children [31]. 

Average annual injury rates per 100,000 for all transportation types (2007–2011) [31] 

Average rate/100,000 people White BAME 

Adults 237 460 

Children 84 154 

There is some uncertainty as to why these differences in injury rates exist. Some of 

the variation is thought to be explained by the association between injury rates 

and deprivation. However, this explanation is not thought to account for all of the 

variation seen, especially among black Londoners, where research from 2007 

found the relationship between injury rates and deprivation to be unclear [31]. 

Child pedestrian injuries 

BAME children, especially children from black backgrounds, are more likely than 

white children to be injured or killed in road accidents in London [23]. Black boys in 

particular have higher pedestrian injury rates than black girls [31]. 

Average annual pedestrian injury rates in London per 100,000 people (1996–2006) [31] 

Average 

Gender White Black Asian 

rate/100,000 people 

Age group 

0-4 Boys 45 95 68 

Girls 29 52 41 

5-9 Boys 125 235 141 

Girls 72 135 69 

10-14 Boys 254 313 136 

Girls 179 255 97 

15-24 Boys/Men 144 164 84 

Girls/Women 122 148 69 




Overall satisfaction 

We measure overall satisfaction with various transport types in London on an 11- 

point scale, with 10 representing extremely satisfied and zero representing 

extremely dissatisfied. We then scale this up to 100. 

We have standardised satisfaction ratings, which are shown in the table below. 

This allows us to apply consistent analysis across a wide range of satisfaction 

research. 

Average rating Level of satisfaction 

Under 50 

Very low/weak/poor 

50-54 Low/weak/poor 

55-64 

Fairly/relatively/quite 

low/weak/poor 

65-69 Fair/reasonable 

70-79 Fairly/relatively/quite good 

80-84 Good or fairly high 

85-90 Very good or high 

90+ Excellent or very high 

All the transport types receive fairly good/high overall satisfaction mean ratings, 

and this is true across all ethnic groups. 

While still good, BAME Londoners give lower overall satisfaction ratings compared 

to white Londoners. In general, older Londoners tend to be more satisfied with 

public transport. The greater proportion of older white Londoners than older 

BAME Londoners may explain some of the differential in ratings. However, for the 

transport types where sufficient data exists, younger BAME respondents still 

provide lower satisfaction ratings than younger white respondents, indicating that 

there is more to the differences than just age. 

In particular, BAME Londoners rate the Woolwich ferry, taxis, the Victoria coach 

station and DaR lower than white Londoners [16]. 



Overall satisfaction with transport types – all customers (2014/15) [16] 

Satisfaction score All White BAME Black Asian Mixed 

(0-100) 

Bus services 

Base (14,155) (9,401) (4,622) (1,990) (1,840) (792) 

Satisfaction score 85 86 83 83 83 83 

Bus stations 

Base (3,626) (1,850) (1,136) (509) (412) (215) 


Night buses 

Base (910) (550) (350) (169) (131) (50) 


Underground 

Base (17,634) (13,381) (4,186) (975) (2,101) (1,110) 


Overground 

Base (5,397) (3,531) (1,580) (558) (730) (292) 


DLR 

Base (13,398) (8,232) (4,563) (1,532) (1,995) (1,036) 


Dial-a-Ride 

Base (2,572) (1,937) (578) (218) (289) (71) 


London River Services 

Base (2,106) (1,787) (261) (35)* (111) (115) 

Satisfaction score 90 90 89 - 87 90 

Private Hire Vehicles 

Base (439) (330) (102) (24)* (45)* (33)* 

Satisfaction score 80 80 82 - - - 

Taxis 

Base (569) (449) (110) (17)* (58) (35)* 

Satisfaction score 83 85 78 - 78 - 

Trams 

Base (4,329) (2,986) (1,175) (566) (406) (203) 


Victoria Coach Station 

Base (1,204) (911) (290) (113) (106) (71) 


Woolwich Ferry 

Base (1,056) (633) (349) (223) (90) (36)* 

Satisfaction score 79 84 74 76 68 - 

* Denotes small base size (data not shown in this report for base sizes of less than 50). 


Score out of 100 


Bus 

Overall, Londoners’ satisfaction with buses is fairly high at 85 out of 100. BAME 

bus users are slightly less satisfied with the service overall compared to white 

Londoners (83 out of 100 BAME; 86 out of 100 white). Satisfaction with buses has 

seen a steady increase over time among both BAME and white Londoners [16]. 

Overall satisfaction with buses over time [16] 

100 

90 

80 

70 

60 

50 

40 

30 

20 

10 

0 

78 79 80 80 79 81 82 81 81 82 84 84 86 

74 74 75 76 76 78 78 78 78 79 80 81 83 

White customers 

BAME customers 




Satisfaction with value for money on buses, as with other types of transport, is 

lower than overall satisfaction. BAME customers rate value for money slightly 

lower than white customers (70 out of 100 BAME compared with 74 out of 100 

white). Looking at the trend over time, satisfaction with value for money does 

fluctuate, but the long-term trend is relatively flat [16]. 

Value for money satisfaction with buses over time [16] 

100 

90 

80 

70 

60 

50 

40 

30 

20 

10 

0 

79 78 

73 73 72 74 75 75 

76 74 71 73 

69 

72 

69 

71 

70 69 70 

68 

64 64 

73 74 

67 

70 



Drivers of satisfaction 

The main drivers of satisfaction with buses are similar for both BAME and white 

customers and tend to relate to journey times, the ease of making the journey and 

satisfaction with information on delays both at stops (more for white Londoners) 

and on the bus (more for BAME Londoners). Satisfaction ratings given by BAME 

customers are also likely to be driven by the time that they waited to catch the bus 

[16]. 

Drivers of satisfaction for bus users [16] 


Journey time 

Ease of making journey 

Satisfaction with info on delays at stop 

Comfort inside the bus 

Satisfaction with live bus info - TfL website 

on tablet\laptop\PC 



Time waited to catch bus 


Satisfaction with info on delays on bus 





Tube 

Overall satisfaction with the Tube is fairly high among all customers (84 out of 

100). BAME Tube users are slightly less satisfied than white customers (83 out of 

100 BAME compared with 85 out of 100 white) [16]. 

The long-term trend of overall satisfaction with the Tube has increased for both 

BAME and white customers, but is still slightly lower overall for BAME customers 

than for white customers [16]. 

Overall satisfaction with the Tube over time [16] 

100 

90 

80 

70 

60 

75 77 78 79 78 78 

71 72 74 76 

73 75 

80 81 80 81 

77 77 77 78 

84 83 85 

81 81 83 

50 

40 

30 

20 

10 

0 

White customers BAME customers 




Satisfaction with value for money on the Tube is fair/reasonable among customers 

overall (69 out of 100). Levels of satisfaction with value for money on the Tube are 

lower for BAME customers than white customers (66 out of 100 BAME compared 

with 70 out of 100 white) [16]. 

Value for money satisfaction with the Tube over time [16] 

100 

90 

80 

70 

60 

50 

40 

30 

20 

10 

0 

63 64 63 62 62 63 

66 68 66 64 

61 62 61 62 

60 

62 64 

66 

63 

58 

67 68 70 

63 64 66 

White customers BAME customers 




The top three drivers of satisfaction with the Tube are ease of making journeys, 

comfort on the journey and length of the journey. These top three reasons are the 

same for BAME and white Londoners [16]. 

Drivers of satisfaction for Tube users [16] 



Comfort of journey 

Length of journey time 

Length of time waiting for train 

Train crowding 





Smoothness of journey 

Personal safety on train 

Overground 

Overall satisfaction among all customers using the Overground is fairly high at 83 

out of 100. Among BAME customers of the Overground, overall satisfaction is 

slightly lower at 81 out of 100 [16]. 

Overall satisfaction with London Overground over time – all customers [16] 


(0-100) 

Base 2014/15 (5,397) (3,531) (1,580) (558) (730) (292) 

2009/10 73 74 72 71 73 70 

2010/11 80 82 79 78 78 80 

2011/12 82 83 80 78 80 80 

2012/13 82 83 80 79 81 79 

2013/14 82 83 79 77 80 79 

2014/15 83 84 81 79 82 84 

Overall satisfaction with value for money on the Overground is 73 out of 100. 

BAME Londoners are as satisfied as white Londoners (72 out of 100 white) [16]. 

Satisfaction with value for money with London Overground over time – all customers [16] 


(0-100) 

Base 2014/15 (5,182) (3,482) (1,575) (557) (730) (288) 

2011/12 72 73 69 67 70 70 

2012/13 71 79 69 69 71 65 

2013/14 70 71 68 67 69 68 

2014/15 73 72 73 73 73 74 




Ease of making a journey, the condition of trains and feeling valued as a customer 

are the main drivers of satisfaction for white and BAME customers in relation to 

overall satisfaction with London Overground. 

Drivers of satisfaction for Overground users [16] 



Condition and state of repair of the train 

Feel valued as a customer 

How well the information or assistance met 

needs 

Comfort of train 



Ease of making your journey 


General information about train times and 

routes at the station 

Information about service disruptions on the 

train 

Docklands Light Railway (DLR) 

Overall satisfaction with the DLR is high among customers using the network at 

89 out of 100. There is little difference between BAME and white users of the DLR 

(88 out of 100 BAME compared to 89 out of 100 white) [16]. 

Overall satisfaction with DLR over time – all customers [16] 


(0-100) 

Base 2014/15 (13,398) (8,232) (4,563) (1,532) (1,995) (1,036) 

2009/10 81 82 79 79 80 78 

2010/11 81 83 80 80 79 81 

2011/12 82 84 81 81 81 82 

2012/13 87 87 86 85 87 86 

2013/14 87 88 85 85 86 85 

2014/15 89 89 88 87 88 87 

Overall satisfaction with value for money on the DLR is quite good (77 out of 100), 

but it is slightly lower for BAME customers than white customers (76 out of 100 

BAME compared to 78 out of 100 white) [16]. 

Satisfaction with value for money with DLR over time – all customers [16] 


(0-100) 

Base 2014/15 (12,839) (8,060) (4,527) (1,510) (1,989) (1,028) 

2011/12 72 74 70 70 70 70 

2012/13 74 75 72 73 71 71 

2013/14 75 76 73 74 74 70 

2014/15 77 78 76 76 76 76 




Among both BAME and white DLR customers the drivers of satisfaction are very 

similar. BAME customer satisfaction is slightly more related to feeling valued 

rather than the length of time the journey took [16]. 

Drivers of satisfaction for DLR users [16] 



Comfort inside the train 

Length of time journey took 

Reliability of trains 







Length of time you waited for the train 

Trams 

Overall satisfaction with trams is high among customers at 89 out of 100. This is 

slightly lower among BAME users than white tram customers (88 out of 100 BAME 

compared with 90 out of 100 white) [16]. 

Overall satisfaction with trams over time – all customers [16] 


(0-100) 

Base 2014/15 (4,329) (2,986) (1,175) (566) (406) (203) 

2009/10 86 87 86 84 * * 

2010/11 85 86 84 83 83 87 

2011/12 86 87 84 83 84 * 

2012/13 89 90 87 87 88 87 

2013/14 89 90 88 88 89 89 

2014/15 89 90 88 88 89 88 

* Denotes small base size (percentages not shown in this report for base sizes of less than 50). 

Overall satisfaction with value for money on the tram network is quite good (78 

out of 100) but it is slightly lower for BAME customers than white customers (77 

out of 100 BAME compared to 79 out of 100 white) [16]. 

Satisfaction with value for money with trams over time – all customers [16] 


(0-100) 

Base 2014/15 (2,824) (1,801) (1,002) (487) (337) (178) 

2011/12 73 75 70 69 73 * 

2012/13 77 79 75 77 73 73 

2013/14 78 79 77 77 77 79 

2014/15 78 79 77 77 77 77 




Streets 

There is little difference in the satisfaction ratings given by BAME and white 

Londoners in terms of the use of London’s streets. Overall satisfaction with streets 

and pavements is higher for people making a journey on foot than by car [34]. 

Overall satisfaction with streets and pavement after last journey over time – walking 

journey [34] 

Net fairly 

All White BAME 

satisfied/very 

satisfied (%) 

Base 2014/15 (957) (732) (184) 

2011 64 61 74 

2012 68 65 77 

2013 69 67 75 

2014 68 67 72 

2015 68 69 69 

Overall satisfaction with streets and pavements after last journey over time - car journey 

[34] 

Net fairly 

All White BAME 


satisfied (%) 

Base 2014/15 (830) (630) (163) 

2011 54 52 61 

2012 62 60 68 

2013 57 54 65 

2014 61 59 64 

2015 60 60 61 

Please note that satisfaction for streets is calculated as a combination of ‘very 

satisfied’ and ‘fairly satisfied’ rather than the 11-point scale used for other 

customer satisfaction survey (CSS) results [34]. 



Transport for London Road Network (TRLN) 

Satisfaction with the TLRN is reasonable to fairly good. BAME users of the TLRN 

give a score of 68 out of 100 for walking, 71 out of 100 for travelling by bus on red 

routes and 66 out of 100 for driving. There are very few differences by ethnicity 

[16]. 

Overall satisfaction – general impression of red routes over time [16] 

Satisfaction score (0-100) All White BAME Black Asian Mixed 


Base 2014-15 (1,254) (936) (318) (74) (130) (114) 

2013/14 70 70 70 74 73 63 

2014/15 68 68 68 65 71 65 

Travelling by bus 

Base 2014-15 (4,620) (3,392) (1,228) (396) (423) (409) 

2013/14 69 69 72 74 71 69 

2014/15 71 70 71 73 72 68 

Driving 

Base 2014-15 (3,605) (3,029) (576) (156) (253) (167) 

2013/14 67 67 66 70 66 65 

2014/15 67 67 66 70 65 63 


Base 2014-15 (1,838) (1,405) (433) (76) (195) (162) 

2013/14 69 68 72 * * * 

2014/15 70 70 72 75 74 66 

* Denotes small base size (data not shown in this report for base sizes of less than 50). 




Information needs 

For some BAME Londoners language can be a significant barrier to public 

transport use, especially among people who were not born in the UK. While this is 

less of an issue for familiar journeys, it can limit the extent to which people make 

unfamiliar journeys [27]. 

Access to the internet 

A higher proportion of BAME Londoners have access to the internet than white 

Londoners (96 per cent BAME compared with 91 per cent white). This is almost 

entirely due to the older age profile of white Londoners, as the proportion of 

BAME and white Londoners aged between 16 and 64 who access the internet is 

very similar (98 per cent BAME 16-64 year olds compared with 96 per cent white 

16-64 year olds) [15]. 

Both BAME and white 16 to 64-year-old Londoners tend to access the internet in 

similar places: 

 

 

 

Ninety-four per cent of BAME and 95 per cent of white Londoners aged 

between 16 and 64 access the internet at home 

Sixty-eight per cent of BAME 16-64 year olds access the internet ‘on the move’ 

compared with 70 per cent of white Londoners of this age 

Sixty-three per cent of BAME 16 to 64year olds access the internet at work, 

which is slightly lower than the proportion of white Londoners in this age 

group accessing the internet at work (66 per cent) [15] 



Access to the internet among ethnic groups (Apr/ Oct 2014) [15] 

% All White BAME White BAME White BAME 

16-64 16-64 65+ 65+ 

Base (2,001) (1,483) (394) (932) (343) (551) (51) 

Any access 92 91 96 96 98 66 49 

Access at home 89 89 92 95 94 65 49 

Access ‘on the 

61 59 66 70 68 16 10 

move’ 

Access at work 56 54 61 66 63 5 6 

Across all ethnic groups in London there is a wide range of different uses for the 

internet. While most uses of the internet are common across ethnic groups, there 

are several differences in the proportion of Londoners in each ethnic group 

undertaking specific tasks. 

From our research of travel-related internet use, we found that the main 

difference is in using the internet for day-to-day travel plans (61 per cent BAME 

compared with 71 per cent white). 



Mobile device usage and online behaviour 

BAME Londoners are more likely than white Londoners to use smartphones (90 

per cent BAME compared with 71 per cent white). This pattern is evident even 

when accounting for the younger average age of BAME Londoners compared to 

white Londoners [15]. 

Proportion of Londoners who use a smartphone (iPhone, BlackBerry, Android, other) 

(Apr/ Oct 2014) [15] 

% Base Smartphone ownership 

All Londoners (2,001) 77 

White Londoners (1,483) 71 

BAME Londoners (394) 90 

16-24-year-old white 

Londoners 

16-24-year-old BAME 

Londoners 

16-64-year-old white 

Londoners 

16-64-year-old BAME 

Londoners 

(70) 94 

(64) 100 

(932) 82 

(343) 92 

65+-year-old white Londoners (551) 25 

65+-year-old BAME Londoner (51) 27 



We have found a number of differences among BAME and white Londoners in 

terms of the social media channels that they use: 

 

 

 

 

A greater proportion of white than BAME Londoners use Facebook (80 per 

cent BAME social media users compared with 85 per cent white) 

A higher proportion of BAME than white Londoners use YouTube (44 per cent 

BAME social media users compared with 38 per cent white) 

A larger proportion of BAME than white Londoners use Instagram (31 per cent 

BAME social media users compared with 17 per cent white) 

More BAME Londoners use Google+ compared with white Londoners (17 per 

cent BAME compared with 10 per cent white) 

Use of Twitter is more even between BAME and white Londoners (32 per cent for 

BAME compared with 33 per cent for White Londoners) [15]. 

Use of the TfL website 

The proportion of both BAME and white Londoners who have used the TfL 

website is very similar (80 per cent BAME compared to 79 per cent white). 

However, when looking solely at 16-64year olds, slightly fewer BAME Londoners 

access the TfL website than white Londoners (82 per cent BAME compared to 86 

per cent white) [15]. 

Proportion of Londoners who visit www.tfl.gov.uk (Apr/ Oct 2014) [15] 


Base (2,001) (1,483) (394) 

Any 78 79 80 

Daily 10 9 12 

Up to 3-4 times a week 21 21 22 

Up to 3-4 times a month 20 23 16 

About once a month 17 16 18 

Less than once a month 11 11 12 

Never 20 20 19 

Don’t know/ refused 2 1 1 

Accessing information in the event of travel disruption 

The proportion of internet users stating that they obtain real-time travel 

information from the TfL website is similar between BAME and white Londoners 

(71 per cent BAME compared to 70 per cent white). Most other channels (such as 

other websites, apps, and Twitter feeds) are used relatively evenly by both BAME 

and white Londoners [15]. 


Women 

Summary: Women 


According to the 2011 Census, 51 per cent of Londoners are women [2] 

Women tend to complete more weekday trips on average than men (2.8 for women 

compared to 2.6 for men) [12] 

Walking is the most commonly used type of transport by women (96 per cent walk at 

least once a week). Women are more likely to use buses than men (65 per cent women 

compared with 58 per cent men), but are less likely to use other types of transport 

including the Tube (35 per cent women compared with 42 per cent men) [12] 

Women are more likely than men to be travelling with buggies and/or shopping, and 

this can affect transport choices [35] 

Satisfaction with transport among women and men is very similar and is mainly driven 

by the ease of making the journey [16] 

Women are more likely than men to experience episodes of worry when travelling on 

public transport and this is more likely to reduce their frequency of travel than for men 

[14] 

Use of the TfL website is equally high among women and men (both 78 per cent) [15] 

We recognise that there may be barriers to transport faced by some transgender 

women and men. However, we do not yet have sufficient data to provide a detailed 

analysis 


Women 

Profile of women in London 

In line with the rest of England and the UK, 51 per cent of Londoners are women. 

There is little variation across the London boroughs in terms of the split between 

women and men; only the City of London, Newham and Tower Hamlets see any 

sizeable difference from the average across the Capital (45 per cent of City of 

London residents and 48 per cent of Newham and Tower Hamlets residents are 

women) [2]. 

The key demographic differences between women and men are employment 

status and household income. Thirty-eight per cent of women are not working or 

are retired, with a further 15 per cent employed part-time (compared to 24 per 

cent and seven per cent of men respectively) [12]. Women are also more likely to 

be the primary carer of children at home. Both of these factors appear to influence 

the travel behaviour and attitudes of women in London. 


Women make a greater number of journeys per weekday than men. Trips made by women 

tend to be shorter [12]. 

 

 

 

 

Women are more likely than men to use the bus at least once a week (65 per 

cent of women do so, compared with 58 per cent of men) and are less likely to 

travel by Tube at least once a week (35 per cent of women compared with 42 

per cent of men) [12]. Women are also less likely to ever cycle in London (10 

per cent of women compared with 16 per cent men) [17] 

Women are less likely to drive at least once a week (35 per cent of women do 

so compared with 44 per cent of men). However, they are more likely to be a 

car passenger (55 per cent compared with 42 per cent of men) [12] 

Women are less likely to be employed full or part-time, and this is reflected in 

the smaller proportion of journeys that are made by women for work purposes 

than men (22 per cent compared with 34 per cent of journeys made by men). A 

higher proportion of journeys made by women are for shopping/personal 

business (27 per cent of women’s journeys compared with 21 per cent of 

journeys made by men) [12] 

Women are equally likely as men to use Oyster PAYG to travel around London 

(59 per cent of women compared with 58 per cent of men) [32] 


Women 

Barriers 

The reasons that men and women give as barriers to using public transport are 

often similar. The most commonly mentioned barriers for both women and men 

are overcrowded services and the cost of tickets. There are some differences, 

however, particularly around fear of crime where women are more likely to 

experience barriers [14]. 

Personal safety is a concern for some women. While 81 per cent of men are 

considered to be ‘unworried’ according to our typology of worry on public 

transport, only 70 per cent of women are considered ‘unworried’. Likewise, seven 

per cent of women are considered ‘worried’ compared with four per cent of men 

[14]. 

 

 

 

 

 

Women are more likely than men to take precautions against crime when 

using public transport (42 per cent of women compared with per cent of men) 

[14] 

The most common precaution taken by women is to sit next to other people 

(39 per cent of women who take precautions when travelling on public 

transport do this). Travelling with someone else and looking after their 

belongings are the other main precautions taken by women (both 28 per cent) 

[14] 

Concerns around crime and antisocial behaviour also have an impact upon 

women’s frequency of public transport use: 61 per cent report that the 

frequency with which they travel is affected ‘a lot’ or ‘a little’ because of these 

concerns, compared with 43 per cent of men [14] 

Women (of all ages) are less likely to use unbooked minicabs, with 13 per cent 

claiming they are likely to do so in future compared to 26 per cent of men [36] 

Among Londoners who are willing to answer the question, 11 per cent of 

women report experiencing some form of unwanted sexual behaviour while 

travelling in London in the previous year (the equivalent figure for men is two 

per cent) [14] 


Women are generally satisfied with public transport in London and report very 

similar satisfaction levels to men [16]. 

Among women using the bus, overall satisfaction is fairly high (85 out of 100) 

and is mainly linked to the ease of making a journey and journey time 

Overall satisfaction with the Tube is also fairly high at 85 out of 100. This is 

linked to the ease of making journeys, comfort and journey time issues 

Overall satisfaction with both the Tube and bus has increased significantly 

from 2002/03 to 2014/15. Satisfaction among women who use the bus has 

increased from 76 to 85 out of 100 and for the Tube from 75 to 85 [16] 


Women 


Use of the TfL website is high among women and men (both 78 per cent) [15] 

For both women and men, the main reason for using the TfL website is to use 

Journey Planner. However, women are significantly more likely to use it than 

men (71 per cent women compared with 62 per cent men). Women are less 

likely to make use of live travel updates (27 per cent women compared with 34 

per cent men) [37] 


Women 

Introduction 

In line with the demographic profile of the UK in general, women make up 51 per 

cent of the London population [2]. On the whole, women and men have similar 

experiences and requirements from the transport network. However, there are 

some key differences, particularly relating to age, employment status and safety 

and security issues. 

TfL’s Single Equality Scheme addresses many of the issues that we have identified 

in the research presented in this document. We have introduced a number of 

initiatives, such as the ‘Safer Travel at Night’ scheme, which aims to increase 

awareness of the risks posed by using unbooked minicabs [22]. 

This chapter focuses on the transport issues that are relevant to women in 

London. It is important to note that the differences highlighted between women 

and men in this chapter may well be influenced by a number of factors other than 

gender, with age, income, working status and education all affecting perceptions 

towards travel in London and travel behaviour. 


Women 

Profile of women in London 

Fifty-one per cent of Londoners are women, which is the same split as across 

England as a whole [2]. 

Gender profile of Londoners 2011 Census [2] 

% Proportion of Londoners 

Men 49 

Women 51 

London has a much younger age profile than England as a whole, with 52 per cent 

of the London population aged under 34, compared to 44 per cent across England. 

This younger age profile is seen for both women and men [2]. 

Age profile of women and men in London and England (2011) [2] 

% of total London/England 

population 

Age groups All Men Women 

London 

0-34 52 26 26 

35-54 28 14 14 

55+ 20 9 11 

England 

0-34 44 22 22 

35-54 28 14 14 

55+ 28 13 15 

Base size not shown, as data are based on ONS Census data. 


Women 

Women and men make up a roughly equal proportion of each age group until 

around 80 years of age. Londoners over 80 are much more likely to be women 

than men (see population pyramid) [2]. 

2014 

9 0-4 

80+ 

75- 

70- 79 

65- 74 

60- 

0-4 69 

55- 

0-4 

64 

0-4 

50- 59 

45- 

0-4 54 

0-4 

40- 49 

0-4 35-39 44 

0-4 30- 

25- 34 

20- 29 

0-4 

15- 24 

0-4 

10- 19 

0-4 14 5- 

0-4 

10-14 

10-14 

10-14 

10-14 

10-14 

10-14 

Reflecting the fact that more older Londoners are women than men, women are 

marginally more likely than men to be disabled (11 per cent of London’s women 

are disabled, compared with nine per cent for London’s men, and 56 per cent of 

disabled Londoners are women). Similarly, women are more likely than men to be 

retired (17 per cent of women are retired compared with 13 per cent of men, and 

58 per cent of retired Londoners are women) [12]. 

Within this document there are two main sources of demographic data: the Office 

for National Statistics Census and the London Travel Demand Survey. The 

following table shows the demographic breakdown of Londoners recorded in the 

LTDS. 


Women 

LTDS demographic profile of women and men in London (2013/14) [12] 

% Men Women Proportion of 

category that are 

women 

Base (7,518) (8,182) (varies) 

Age 

5-10 8 8 48 

11-15 6 6 48 

16-24 14 14 50 

25-59 55 55 50 

60-64 5 5 52 

65-70 5 5 52 

71-80 4 5 57 

81+ 2 3 59 

Ethnicity 

White 62 62 51 

BAME 37 37 51 


Less than £10,000 15 20 58 

£10,000–£19,999 17 20 54 

£20,000–£34,999 20 19 50 

£35,000–£49,999 14 13 49 

£50,000–£74,999 16 14 47 

£75,000+ 18 14 46 


Working full-time 58 36 39 

Working part-time 7 15 70 

Student 11 10 50 

Retired 13 17 58 

Not working 11 21 68 

Disabled 

Yes 10 12 56 

No 90 88 50 


Yes 8 11 57 

No 92 89 50 

*Note that LTDS data in this report excludes children aged under five and working status does not include under 16s. All TfL surveys use the 

Equality Act 2010 to define disabled people as those who define themselves as having a long-term physical or mental disability or health issue 

that impacts on their daily activities, the work they can do, or limits their ability to travel. 


Women 

The proportion of Londoners who are white and who are BAME is very similar for 

women and men. However, looking at specific ethnic groups in London, there are 

some differences by gender. For example, 51 per cent of white Londoners are 

women compared to 43 per cent of Arab Londoners [2]. 

Proportion of women living in London by detailed ethnic group [2] 

Ethnic group 

% Women 

All 51 

White: Total 51 

English/Welsh/Scottish/Northern Irish/British 50 

Irish 52 

Gypsy or Irish Traveller 52 

Other white 52 

Mixed/multiple ethnic group: Total 51 

White and black Caribbean 52 

White and black African 51 

White and Asian 49 

Other mixed 52 

Asian/Asian British: Total 50 

Indian 49 

Pakistani 47 

Bangladeshi 49 

Chinese 54 

Other Asian 51 

Black/African/Caribbean/black British: Total 53 

African 53 

Caribbean 56 

Other black 50 

Other ethnic group: Total 47 

Arab 43 

Any other ethnic group 49 


Women 


Differences exist between women and men in terms of employment and 

household income. Higher proportions of women say that they are currently not 

employed (21 per cent of women compared with 11 per cent of men) and 68 per 

cent of Londoners aged 16 or over and not employed are women. More women 

than men are employed part-time (12 per cent of women compared with five per 

cent of of men) and 70 per cent of Londoners working part-time are women [12]. 

Women are more likely than men to have a low household income. Forty per cent 

of women have an income of less than £20,000 per year compared with 32 per 

cent of men. This may be linked to the higher proportion of women being in parttime 

employment, retired or not working [12]. 

Women get paid less than men on average. The median salary in 2013 for a 

woman in London was £25,411 compared with £35,894 for men. This is due in part 

to the increased number of part-time positions occupied by women. Women 

occupy 71 per cent of part-time positions in the Capital. However, even when 

looking solely at full-time salaries there is still a discrepancy in the average annual 

pay for women and men; the median full-time annual pay for a woman in London 

is £31,100, compared to £38,606 for a man [38]. 

The employment rate of women is affected by child dependency. Employment 

rates (noted in 2010) decline steadily from 78 per cent of women with no 

dependent children to 22 per cent of women with four or more dependent children 

[39]. These family commitments also change the way in which women use public 

transport, affecting their travel patterns and behaviour. 


We found few differences in the split between women and men across London’s 

boroughs. The City of London has the lowest proportion of women; within the City 

only 45 per cent of residents are women. Newham and Tower Hamlets also have a 

lower than average proportion of women, both with 48 per cent. All other 

boroughs lie within two percentage points of the London average [2]. 


Women 


On average, women in London take a greater number of trips on a weekday than 

men (2.8 women compared with 2.6 men) [12]. 

The difference in the number of trips made by women and men changes with age. 

Women aged 65 and older take as many trips as men of the same age [12]. 

Average number of weekday trips (2013/14) [12] 

Age groups Men Women Difference 

All 2.6 2.8 0.2 

Under 16s 2.3 2.4 0.1 

16-24 2.3 2.5 0.2 

25-64 2.7 3.1 0.4 

65+ 2.3 2.3 - 

Base: Men all 5,231; under 16, 844; 16-24,606; 25-64, 2,947; 65+, 834; Women all 5,787; under 16, 812; 16-24, 650; 25-64, 

3,329;; 65+,996. 



The three most common transport types used by women at least once a week are 

walking (96 per cent), bus (65 per cent) and car as a passenger (55 per cent). The 

most common transport types used at least once a week by men are also walking 

(97 per cent) and bus (58 per cent). However, the third most commonly used type 

of transport for men is the car as a driver (44 per cent) rather than as a passenger 

(42 per cent), or the Tube (42 per cent) [12]. 

There are some marked differences in the types of transport that women and men 

living in London use at least once a week. Women are more likely than men to 

travel by bus at least once a week (65 per cent of women compared with 58 per 

cent of men), which is a pattern that we see across age groups. 

 

 

Eighty-two per cent of women aged 16-24 use the bus at least once a week 

compared with 77 per cent of men 

Although the proportion of women and men aged 65 and over that use the bus 

at least once a week is relatively similar (63 per cent of women compared to 60 

per cent of men) the higher number of women in this age group increases the 

proportion of bus users that are women aged 65 or over [12] 

Women living in London are less likely than men to use the Tube at least once a 

week (35 per cent women compared with 42 per cent men). This is mainly driven 

by the reduced use of the Tube by older women. Women aged 65 and over are 

considerably less likely to use the Tube at least once a week than men of the same 

age group (19 per cent women compared with 29 per cent of men) [12]. 


Women 

Women aged 17 or over who are living in London are less likely than men to have a 

full driving licence (56 per cent of women aged 17 or over compared with 72 per 

cent of men aged 17 or over) or have access to a car (65 per cent of all women 

compared with 69 per cent of all men). These factors are likely to be related to the 

frequency of car use as a driver that we have observed. Women are more likely to 

travel by car at least once a week as a passenger than men (55 per cent of women 

compared with 42 per cent of men) and in turn are less likely to travel by car as a 

driver at least once a week than men (35 per cent of women compared with 44 per 

cent of men) [12]. 

The likelihood of using a number of modes of transport is very similar between 

women and men. This includes the likelihood of walking (96 per cent of women 

compared with 97 per cent of men), use of the Overground (eight per cent of 

women compared with ten per cent of men), the DLR (four per cent of women 

compared with five per cent of men), black cabs (four per cent of women 

compared with six per cent of men), minicabs (both six per cent) and the tram 

(both two per cent) [12]. 


% Men Women 16-24 25-64 65+ 

M W M W M W 

Walking 97 96 98 98 97 97 89 84 

Bus 58 65 77 82 52 61 60 63 

Car (as a driver) 44 35 19 15 59 47 59 34 

Tube 42 35 51 53 50 39 29 19 

Car (as a passenger) 42 55 54 55 32 49 32 54 

National Rail 19 15 22 20 24 17 14 10 

Overground 10 8 11 13 12 10 5 3 

London taxi/black cab 6 4 4 4 7 5 3 3 

Other taxi/minicab (PHV) 6 6 7 9 7 6 5 6 

DLR 5 4 8 6 6 4 2 1 

Motorbike 2 - 1 - 3 - 1 - 

Tram (London Tramlink) 2 2 2 2 1 2 2 1 

Base size: Men 7,518; women 8,182; men 16-24, 906; men 25-64, 4,275; men 65+, 1,116; women 16-24, 943; women 25-64, 

4,730; women 65+, 1,359. 


Where there is more detailed information on individual types of transport, we 

have included a sub-section below. 


Women 


Ninety-six per cent of women walk at least once a week and 83 per cent walk five 

or more days a week. Walking frequency is very similar for women and men [12]. 


% Men Women 

Base (7,518) (8,182) 

5 or more days a week 83 83 

3 or 4 days a week 6 6 

2 days a week 4 4 

1 day a week 3 3 

At least once a fortnight 1 1 

At least once a month 1 1 

At least once a year 1 1 

Not used in last year 1 2 

Never used - - 

*Note that LTDS in this report data in this report excludes children aged under five. 

Women are more likely than men to walk a child to school at least once a week (21 

per cent compared with 15 per cent of men) and less likely than men to walk as 

part of a longer journey at least once a week (73 per cent of women compared to 

80 per cent of men). Women are also less likely than men to visit 

pubs/restaurants/cinemas and other social places on foot at least once a week (45 

per cent of women compared to 61 per cent of men) [19]. 


% who walk at least once a week Men Women 

Base (418) (582) 

Walk… 

To complete small errands such as getting a newspaper 85 87 

or posting a letter 

As part of a longer journey 80 73 

To get to work/school/college 52 52 

To visit friends and relatives 50 48 

To visit pubs/restaurants/cinemas and other social 

61 45 

places 

To take a child to school 15 21 


Women 

Bus 

The bus is the second most frequently used type of transport (after walking) 

among women with almost two thirds (65 per cent) using the bus at least once a 

week. This is higher than among men where 58 per cent use the bus at least once a 

week [12]. 


% Men Women 

Base (7,518) (8,182) 









Never used 3 2 


The most recent bus user research shows that daytime bus use among women is 

higher than that of men (57 per cent of bus users are women and 43 per cent are 

men). On night buses however, the majority of customers are men (64 per cent are 

men and 36 per cent are women) [28]. This may reflect concerns that women have 

about travelling on buses at night. Women are also less likely than men to travel at 

night for work [14]. 

Comparison of day and night bus users (2014) [28] 

% 

Base 

Men 

(21,084) 

Women 

(23,622) 

Men 

16-24 

(5,093) 

Women 

16-24 

(5,957) 

Men 

25+ 

(15,991) 

Women 

25+ 

(17,665) 

Day bus users 43 57 22 23 78 77 

Night bus users 64 36 30 41 70 59 


Women 

Work is the main purpose of travelling by bus among men and women, although 

even more so for men. Of women travelling by bus during the day, 13 per cent are 

travelling to or from shopping (this compares to 8 per cent of men)[28]. 

Purpose of bus journey by gender and time of day (2014) [28] 


At night 

% Men Women Men Women 

Base (14,982) (19,815) (5,525) (3,036) 



Visiting friends/relatives 9 9 13 14 

To/from school/education 8 9 4 4 

Leisure 10 9 18 26 



Car 

Women are more likely to have travelled as a car passenger than a driver in the last 

week. Fifty-five per cent of women travel as a passenger compared with 35 per 

cent travelling as a driver. These proportions are reversed for men, where 44 per 

cent travel as the driver and 42 per cent as a passenger [12]. 

Fifty-six per cent of women aged 17 or over hold a full driving licence, a lower 

proportion than among men (72 per cent of men hold a driving licence). The 

proportion of Londoners who hold a driving licence is highest among people in 

younger age groups, and decreases as age increases [12]. 

Proportion of Londoners aged 16 or over with a full car driving licence (2013/14) [12] 

% Men Women 

Base (6,185) (6,942) 

Holds a full car driving licence 72 56 

Women are less likely than men to have household access to a car. Thirty-six per 

cent of women do not have access to a car compared with 33 per cent of men [12]. 

*Note that data above excludes under 16s. 


Women 


% Men Women 

Base (7,518) (8,182) 

0 cars 33 36 

1 car 46 45 

2+ cars 21 19 


Tube 

Thirty-five per cent of women use the Underground at least once a week; a 

significantly smaller figure than men at 42 per cent. Men are also more likely than 

women to use the Tube on a daily basis [12]. 


% Men Women 

Base (7,518) (8,182) 












Women 


Women are less likely to cycle than men: 21 per cent of men cycle in London 

compared with 14 per cent of women [17]. 

Ten per cent of women cycle regularly (at least once a week) in London and a 

further four per cent cycle occasionally, with the remaining 86 per cent never using 

bikes as a way of getting around the Capital. [17]. 


% Men Women 

Base (1,003) (1,189) 





21 14 

79 86 

Men travel by bicycle more frequently than women (16 per cent of men compared 

with 10 per cent of women use a bicycle at least once a week) [17]. 


% Men Women 

Base (1,003) (1,189) 








Not used in last year - - 


Women are also less likely than men to be able to ride a bike. Seventy-nine per 

cent of women living in London can ride a bike, compared with 88 per cent of men 

[17]. 


% Men Women 

Base (1,003) (1,189) 

Can ride a bike 88 79 

Cannot ride a bike 12 21 


Women 

We have developed a behavioural change model to look at Londoners’ readiness 

to cycle or cycle more. Sixty-nine per cent of Londoners classified themselves as 

being in the pre-contemplation category (defined in the table). Women show a 

higher level of pre-contemplation about cycling than men (74 per cent of women 

are in this category compared with 64 per cent of men) [17]. 

Thirteen per cent of men compared with eight per cent of women are classified as 

being in the ‘sustained change’ category, meaning that they started cycling or 

cycling more a while ago and are still doing it occasionally or regularly [17]. 


% Men Women 

Base (all) (1,003) (1,189) 

Pre-contemplation 

‘You have never thought about it, but would be unlikely to start in the future’ 64 74 

‘You have thought about it, but don’t intend starting in the future’ 

‘You have never thought about it, but could be open to it in the future’ 

Contemplation 

‘You are thinking about starting soon’ 10 9 

Preparation 

‘You have decided to start soon’ 4 2 

Change 

‘You have tried to start recently, but are finding it difficult’ 

2 2 

‘You have started recently and are finding it quite easy so far’ 

Sustained change 

‘You started a while ago and are still doing it occasionally’ 

13 8 

‘You started a while ago and are still doing it regularly’ 

Lapsed 

‘You had started doing this but couldn’t stick to it’ 6 6 


Women 


A larger proportion of men than women have used Cycle Hire (15 per cent of 

women have used the scheme compared with 19 per cent of men) [17]. 

Twenty-nine per cent of casual Cycle Hire users (defined as not having a Cycle Hire 

key) are women and 23 per cent of members are women [58]. 

Among Londoners, a similar proportion of women and men say they intend to use 

the scheme in the next year (25 per cent of women compared with 30 per cent of 

men) [17]. 


% Men Women 

Base (536) (644) 

Yes, definitely/ probably 30 25 

Yes, definitely 10 8 

Yes, probably 20 16 

No, probably not 31 28 

No, definitely not 30 36 

Not sure 9 12 

For both women and men, levels of awareness of Cycle Superhighways are lower 

than for Cycle Hire. As with Cycle Hire, men are more likely than women to be 

aware; fifty-three per cent of women are aware of Cycle Superhighways compared 

to 70 per cent of men. We also observed a similar pattern with usage: 14 per cent 

of men have used a Cycle Superhighway compared with seven per cent of women 

[17]. 

Anticipated use of Cycle Superhighways among Londoners is lower than for Cycle 

Hire: 17 per cent of women and 29 per cent of men say that they are definitely/ 

probably likely to use the Superhighways in the future [17]. 

Expected use of Cycle Superhighways (November 2014) [17] 

% Men Women 

Base (536) (644) 






Not sure 15 19 


Women 

Dial-a-Ride 

Dial-a-Ride members are more likely to be women than men. Seventy-four per 

cent of Dial-a-Ride members are women and this proportion increases with age 

[30]. The 2011 Census also shows that disabled Londoners are more likely to be 

women than men and that the proportion of women tends to increase with age. 

However, this does not happen to the same extent as the profile of Dial-a-Ride 

members [2]. 

Dial-a-Ride (DaR) membership by gender (2014) [2, 30] 

% All disabled 

DaR members 

Londoners 

Base (excludes unknown data) - (41,639) 

Men 45 26 

Women 55 74 

Gender splits of Dial-a-Ride membership by age (2014) [2, 30] 2 

All disabled London 

residents 

All DaR members (%) 

(2011 Census %) 

Age Men Women Men Women 

Base - - (11,031) (30,608) 

Under 18 58 42 63 37 

18-34 49 51 47 53 

35-49 48 52 38 62 

50-64 47 53 35 65 

65-79 45 55 28 72 

80-89 34 66 23 77 

90+ 23 77 21 79 

2 Where data does not add up to 100 per cent, this is due to respondents not disclosing their gender. 


Women 


Weekday journey purpose varies between women and men in London. Women are 

less likely to be travelling for work than men (17 per cent of women compared with 

23 per cent of men). This may be linked to the higher proportion of women who 

are economically inactive. 

A greater proportion of journeys by women are for the purposes of 

shopping/personal business which accounts for 27 per cent of weekday journeys 

(compared with 21 per cent of those made by men). Women are also more likely 

than men to be making trips for education, which includes taking children to 

school (21 per cent of women compared with 16 per cent of men) [12]. 


% Men Women 

Base – all trips by Londoners 

Shopping/personal business 21 27 

Leisure 23 23 

Education 16 21 

Usual workplace 23 17 

Other work-related 11 5 

Other 6 7 



Women 

Ticket types 

There is little difference between how women and men use tickets and passes 

when travelling on public transport. For instance, women and men are just as 

likely to use Oyster PAYG on public transport (59 per cent of women compared 

with 58 per cent of men), which is by far the most popular payment method. 

Similarly, there is little difference between the use of other tickets and passes ong 

men and women [32]. 


% Men Women 

Base: Public transport users: (378) (597) 

Oyster PAYG 58 59 

Oyster Season ticket 19 21 

Contactless payment 15 17 

Cash/single/return 11 9 

Any other Travelcard 7 8 

Freedom Pass 21 21 

Travelcards 

Sixty per cent of women have an Oyster card, which is in line with the proportion 

of men who possess one (59 per cent) [12]. 

Ticket types held (2013/14) [12] 

% Men Women 

Base (7,518) (8,182) 

Oyster card 59 60 

Older person’s Freedom Pass 14 17 

Disabled person’s Freedom Pass 2 2 

Staff/police pass 2 1 


A slightly greater proportion of women than men hold an older person’s Freedom 

Pass (17 per cent of women compared with 14 per cent of men). The same 

proportion of women and men hold a disabled person’s Freedom Pass (two per 

cent each) [12]. 


Women 

Barriers 


There are a number of potential barriers that can prevent Londoners from using 

public transport more frequently. When presented with a list of these, women are 

more likely than men to say that at least one issue prevents them from increasing 

their use of public transport (84 per cent of women compared with 81 per cent of 

men mention at least one barrier) [14]. 

The most commonly cited barrier for women and men is overcrowding on 

transport services, which is a bigger issue for women (60 per cent of women 

compared with 56 per cent of men). The second most common barrier relates to 

the cost of tickets, which is also a bigger issue for women than men (47 per cent of 

women compared with 43 per cent of men) [14]. 

Women are more likely than men to mention barriers relating to crime and 

personal safety. In particular, they are more inclined to say that each of the 

following prevents them from using public transport more: 

Fear of crime on the bus/train and getting to the bus/train 

Concern about antisocial behaviour 

Concern about knife crime 

Fear of terrorist attacks 

Risk of accidents [14] 


% Men Women 

Base (1,619) (2,386) 

Overcrowded services 56 60 

Cost of tickets 43 47 

Slow journey times 40 41 

Unreliable services 34 39 

Concern about antisocial behaviour 30 38 

Dirty environment on the bus/train 25 30 

Fear of crime getting to/ waiting for the bus/train 17 30 

Fear of crime on the bus/train 16 28 

Concern about knife crime 16 24 

Dirty environment getting to the bus/train 16 20 

Fear of terrorist attacks 8 16 

Risk of accidents 5 12 

Lack of information on how to use public transport 9 11 

Graffiti 10 10 

Don’t understand how to buy bus tickets 4 6 

None of these 19 16 


Women 

Women are more likely than men to be travelling with buggies and/or shopping, 

and to be travelling with children. For this reason, the car is often seen as a 

convenient type of transport, presenting less of a challenge to travelling when 

laden down. However, our qualitative research indicates that the cost and stress 

associated with driving encourages some people to use public transport – 

particularly the bus, which is perceived to be more child-friendly and educational 

than other types of transport such as the Tube [35]. 

Tube 

Presently people make only a small number of trips on the Tube with buggies. We 

assume that people are put off because of accessibility issues [40]. In research that 

we carried out in 2012 with people travelling with restricted mobility (PRM), we 

found that not all disabled customers or customers travelling with children 3 or 

luggage made use of lifts available in Underground stations. Forty-eight per cent 

of women travelling with children planned their journey with access to a lift in 

mind, significantly higher than the PRM sample overall (29 per cent). When we 

asked people to rank the Tube for accessibility on a scale of 0–10, 28 per cent of 

women travelling as a PRM ranked it good to excellent (8-10), consistent with the 

overall result (29 per cent) [41]. 

Bus 

Travelling by bus with a buggy and/or children is often stressful for women and 

presents potential issues with other passengers and drivers. Some buggy users 

make use of the wheelchair priority area on buses. We have conducted research 

around this area in recent years as part of a communications programme relating 

to the use of this space [BP, 43]. 

3 Travelling with children is defined as those travelling with children aged under five or with 

a pram/buggy [38]. 


Women 

Case study: Travelling with buggies on the bus 4 

Travelling with children and buggies can present a stressful challenge at times for women. 

The experience of people travelling with buggies on the bus depends on a number of 

factors: how frequently they do so, the time of travel (and therefore how crowded the bus 

is), the bus design, the age of the child/children and the number of children travelling in the 

group [BP, 43]. 

Many customers have experienced difficulties when travelling with buggies on the bus. 

These difficulties include crowding on buses, negative attitudes of other passengers, 

negotiating getting on and off the bus and drivers refusing to allow buggies on the bus [43]. 

Additionally, women travelling with buggies mention practical issues that can be 

problematic, such as moving the buggy around the pole to reach the wheelchair priority 

area, and drivers parking too far away from the kerb [44]. 

‘I feel guilty standing there with the child in the pram. I’m always apologising, getting the 

pram, pulling it over to let people go past…I just feel like I shouldn’t be on [the bus]. I feel 

like it is a hindrance.’ (Woman, buggy user) [42] 

Buggy users’ concerns and anxieties [43] 

In terms of the travel experiences of buggy users, customers reported that inconsistent 

experiences surrounding the space and driver approaches are the major cause of stress for 

buggy and wheelchair users, and recommended clarification on 'the rules' for all customers 

and drivers [43]. This feedback helped to inform the information campaign that we 

launched. 

4 We have included more information in the disabled customer chapter about the experiences of wheelchair 

users. 


Women 


We use a typology of worry to monitor the perceptions of Londoners with regard 



 

 

 

 

 





Don’t know 

The majority of Londoners fall into the ‘unworried’ category, which means that 

they are generally unworried about their personal security in London and have 

experienced no incidents that made them feel worried in the last three months. 

However, a significantly lower proportion of London’s women are considered 

‘unworried’ than men (70 per cent of women are ‘unworried’ compared with 81 per 

cent of men) [14]. 


% Men Women 

Base (1,619) (2,386) 



Anxious 3 8 

Worried 4 7 


Women living in London are considerably less likely than men to say that they are 

‘not at all worried’ about personal security while using public transport. They are 

also more likely to report that they are ‘very worried’ [14]. 


Apr/ Jul/ Oct 2014) [14] 

% Men Women 

Base (1,619) (2,386) 







Women 

A higher proportion of women than men take precautions against crime when 

using public transport (42 per cent of women compared with 35 per cent of men). 

The most common precaution for women is to sit by other people (39 per cent), 

whereas for men it is to look after their belongings (31 per cent). For women, the 

next most common precautions are to travel with someone else and to look after 

their belongings (both 28 per cent), whereas for men it is to sit by other people (28 



% All Men Women 

Base (all who take precautions) (1,507) (536) (971) 

Sat near to other people 34 28 39 

Look after my belongings 29 31 28 

Travelled with someone else 23 18 28 

Travel at a different time of day 16 14 18 

Used a different route 15 15 15 

Stay aware/vigilant 15 21 10 

Avoided using that type of transport 12 9 15 

Only take necessities with me 3 2 5 

Carry a personal alarm 3 1 5 

Note that responses 2% or below among all Londoners are not shown. 

In terms of actual experiences, the proportion of women who have felt worried 

about their personal security when using public transport in London in the past 

three months is higher than men (19 per cent of women compared with 14 per 

cent of men). Women are also more likely than men to experience an episode of 

worry during the daytime. Women’s most recent experience of worry is roughly 

equally split between day and night-time events (45 per cent daytime compared 

with 54 per cent night-time) whereas when men experience an episode of worry, 

this is more likely to occur at night (33 per cent daytime compared with 65 per cent 

night-time) [14]. 

We asked people who have felt worried about their personal security when using 

public transport in the last three months which type of transport they were using 

when they experienced this event. For women and men who experienced a 

worrying event on public transport in the past three months, the most likely type 

of transport on which the event occurred was the bus (48 per cent of women and 

men who felt worried in the last three months were on the bus). It is important to 

note this reflects the higher use of buses by Londoners compared with Tube or 

train. Women and men were also just as likely to experience worry on the Tube 

(both 30 per cent in the past three months) [14]. 

Concerns about crime and antisocial behaviour affect how frequently people travel 

on the Tube, bus or National Rail ‘a little’ or ‘a lot’ for slightly more than half of 

Londoners (53 per cent). Women are affected to a greater extent than men: 61 per 


Women 

cent of women report that the frequency with which they use the Tube, buses or 

National Rail is affected ‘a little’ or ‘a lot’ because of concerns over crime or 

antisocial behaviour compared to 43 per cent of men [14]. 

A higher proportion of women are affected in terms of their public transport travel 

frequency because of these concerns across all three types of transport (Tube, bus, 

National Rail) both during the day and at night [14]. 




Base (4,005) (1619) (2386) 






Buses 17 13 21 


After dark: 



Buses 42 35 50 


Project Guardian 

In 2014 TfL, the Metropolitan Police Service and the British Transport Police launched 

Project Guardian to raise public awareness of unwanted sexual behaviour on the transport 

network. This initiative focuses on encouraging victims to report these types of crimes – 

which are historically significantly underreported - alongside more proactive police 

enforcement and engagement. We have been supported by stakeholders that include 

Everyday Sexism, End Violence Against Women Coalition and HollaBack UK, and the 

project has resulted in a 16 per cent increase in the reports of unwanted sexual behaviour 

on the transport network, and a 25 per cent increase in the detection of crimes of this 

nature. 

Among Londoners who are willing to answer questions about their experiences of 

unwanted sexual behaviour while travelling around the city, 11 per cent of women report 

experiencing some form of unwelcome sexual behaviour, including sexual harassment or 

sexual assault, while travelling on, waiting for, or heading to/from public transport in 

London in the previous year (the equivalent figure for men is two per cent). A range of 

unwanted sexual behaviours are reported by Londoners, the most common being groping 

or touching, sexual comments and staring [14]. 


Women 

A very low proportion of unwanted sexual behaviour is reported. There are a number of 

theories as to why, including a socio-cultural model that sees harassment as a wider 

manifestation of a system of asymmetrical power relationships between women and men. 

Research also suggests that men can mistakenly view unwanted sexual behaviour as 

harmless, thereby making it more commonplace, even though to women it is often 

threatening and therefore harmful. 

Women who experience unwanted sexual behaviour tend to employ the following coping 

strategies: 

 

 

Internal (psychological): endure, normalise/minimise – ‘you just have to put up with it’, 

deny, reinterpret, self-blame 

External (problem-solving): avoid, change behaviour (for example, walk to work a 

different way), appease (for example, humour), seek social support, assert, attack, 

make a formal complaint 

Four barriers appear to prevent Londoners reporting incidents of unwanted sexual 

behaviour while travelling in London to TfL or the police: 

 

 

 

 

Normalisation: unwanted sexual behaviours are normalised, experiences are generally 

ignored. They are viewed as a social nuisance and as part of a wider spectrum of 

antisocial behaviour 

Internalisation: the reporting process can be at odds with what someone who has 

experienced unwanted sexual behaviour may need. Firstly, there is often a need to 

internalise the situation, escape and forget about the incident as quickly as possible. 

Secondly, there is frequently a need to seek empathy, support and validation from 

someone who cares 

Lack of awareness: most people are unaware that a reporting process exists. They are 

unclear about what behaviours warrant action, who to tell and what the process will 

entail 

Credibility: very few people believe that reporting an unwanted sexual behaviour will 

result in any form of justice 

Our research has identified a number of key recommendations in this area which can help 

TfL and other organisations to encourage greater reporting [45]. 


Women 

Safer Travel at Night (STaN) campaign: the use of illegal (unbooked) minicabs 

TfL has run the Safer Travel at Night (STaN) campaign since 2003, with the aim of 

reducing the use of illegal (unbooked) minicabs. We have targeted our 

communication campaigns at young women aged between 16 and 34 in particular 

[36]. 

We conduct research on an annual basis to monitor the use of unbooked minicabs 

among our target audience, and we also evaluate our communications campaign 

to determine its effectiveness. 

STaN campaign posters 

Since we began to monitor the use of unbooked minicabs among users of late 

night venues in London, there has been a significant decline in their use. Among 

women aged 16-34, two per cent used an unbooked minicab to reach their onward 

destination on the night of the research in 2015, compared with 19 per cent in 

2003. In 2015 this was down to zero amongst women [36]. 

Women and men have different views on using unbooked minicabs. While 26 per 

cent of men say they are likely to use an illegal minicab in future, the figure is 

much lower at 13 per cent among women (also 13 per cent for women aged 16-34) 

[36]. 

Further to the reduction in the use of unbooked minicabs, initiatives by the TfLfunded 

Metropolitan Police Service's Safer Transport Command (STC) and City of 

London Police (CoLP) are helping to remove taxi touts from the streets. In a 

targeted initiative at the end of 2013, more than 170 arrests were made for cabrelated 

offences during two crackdowns as part of Operation Safer Travel at Night 

[46]. 

The use of illegal (unbooked) minicabs (2014) [36] 

% Use of illegal minicabs Men Women Women 

(all ages) (16-34) 

Base (324) (327) (288) 

Used an illegal minicab to reach onward destination 2 - - 

on night of interview 

Likely to use illegal minicab in future 26 13 13 

Unlikely to use illegal minicab in future 74 87 87 


Women 


We measure overall satisfaction with various transport types in London using an 

11-point scale, with 10 representing extremely satisfied and zero representing 

extremely dissatisfied. We then scale this up to 100. 

Our standardised satisfaction ratings are shown in the table below. This allows us 

to apply consistent analysis across a wide range of satisfaction research. 


Under 50 



55-64 Fairly/relatively/quite low/weak/poor 






Satisfaction levels are very similar between women and men. Only a few areas 

have differences of more than two points out of 100: 

 

 

Women are slightly more satisfied than men with Dial-a-Ride (92 per cent 

compared with 89 per cent) 

Women are slightly more satisfied than men with the Woolwich Ferry (83 per 

cent compared with 80 per cent) 


Women 

Overall satisfaction with transport types (2013/14) – all customers [16] 

Satisfaction score (0-100) All Men Women 

Bus services 

Base (14,155) (6,283) (7,872) 

Satisfaction score 85 85 85 

Bus stations 

Base (3,626) (1,544) (2,082) 


Night buses 

Base (910) (616) (294) 


Underground 

Base (17,634) (7,940) (9,694) 


Overground 

Base (5,397) (2,782) (2,615) 


DLR 

Base (13,398) (7,461) (5,937) 


Dial-a-Ride 

Base (2,572) (394) (2,175) 



Base (2,106) (1,131) (975) 


Private Hire Vehicles 

Base (439) (149) (290) 


Taxis 

Base (569) (275) (294) 


Trams 

Base (4,329) (2,069) (2,260) 



Base (1,204) (608) (596) 



Base (1,056) (732) (231) 




Women 

Bus 

Overall satisfaction among bus users is high at 85 out of 100, and both women and 

men give the same rating [16]. 

The long-term trend for bus users in London shows a consistent improvement in 

the ratings of overall satisfaction for both women and men [16]. 


100 

90 

80 

70 

76 77 78 78 78 80 80 80 80 80 82 83 

76 77 78 77 

79 80 

77 

79 79 80 

83 83 

85 

85 

60 

50 

40 

30 

20 

10 

0 

Men 

Women 



Women 

As we have found across all types of transport, satisfaction with value for money 

of the bus is lower than overall satisfaction. The satisfaction rating for value for 

money is 72 out of 100 for women and 73 out of 100 for men [16]. 

Satisfaction with value for money of buses has returned to a relatively flat longterm 

trend after a couple of lower ratings observed for women and men in recent 

years. There is no discernible difference with the satisfaction of value for money 

between women and men [16]. 

Satisfaction with value for money with buses over time [16] 

100 

90 

80 

70 

60 

78 77 

78 77 

72 71 71 

73 73 

71 

74 74 73 

73 74 73 

70 

66 

68 67 

68 

67 

71 

73 

71 72 

50 

40 

30 

20 

10 

0 


Men 

Women 

Journey time and ease of making a journey are key drivers of satisfaction with buses for 

women and men. Ease of making the journey is the main driver for women, whereas 

information on delays at the stop is the main driver for men [16]. 


Men 





Driver approachability and helpfulness 

Women 





Level of crowding 


Women 

Tube 

Overall satisfaction with the Tube among women in London is fairly high at 85 out 

of 100. This is in line with men’s satisfaction level (84 out of 100) [16]. 

Long-term trends for Tube satisfaction show that levels of overall satisfaction 

have risen ten points over the last twelve years. They have been fairly stable over 

the last three years [16]. 


100 

90 

80 

70 

60 

50 

40 

30 

20 

10 

0 

75 77 78 79 77 77 80 80 79 80 

74 76 77 77 76 76 79 79 78 80 

84 83 85 

83 82 84 

Men 

Women 


Women 

Satisfaction with value for money of the Tube is lower than overall satisfaction 

ratings. Women rate their satisfaction with value for money slightly lower than 

men do, giving a rating of 68 out of 100 compared with 70 out of 100 by men [16]. 

Satisfaction with value for money with the Tube over time [16] 

100 

90 

0 

1 

f 

o 

t 

u 

o 

re 

o 

c 

S 

80 

70 

60 

50 

40 

30 

20 

10 

0 

64 65 64 62 62 64 66 68 65 64 

63 63 61 61 60 62 

65 66 65 

61 

67 68 70 

66 66 68 

Men 

Women 

Satisfaction ratings are very similar between women and men for all measures 

covered in the research (for example, level of crowding, personal safety) [16]. 


Among women and men who use the Tube, overall satisfaction is related to the 

same main drivers: ease of making the journey, comfort of journey, length of 

journey time and length of time waiting for train. Men are slightly more likely to 

prioritise train crowding (the fourth most important driver of overall satisfaction), 

whereas women are more likely to prioritise personal safety on the train [16]. 


Men 






Women 







Women 

Overground 

Women on the whole are satisfied with the London Overground service at 83 out 

of 100. Men also give a similar overall rating (82 out of 100) [16]. 

Women and men give very similar satisfaction ratings for each of the service 

elements that we monitor. Women and men are fairly satisfied with their personal 

safety when using the Overground, both rating their satisfaction as 88 out of 100 

[16]. 


Satisfaction score All Men Women 

(0-100) 

Base 2014/15 (5,397) (2,782) (2,615) 

2009/10 73 73 73 

2010/11 80 80 82 

2011/12 82 81 82 

2012/13 82 82 82 

2013/14 82 82 83 

2014/15 83 82 83 

Satisfaction with value for money of London Overground is high at 73 out of 100 

among women who use the service (men give a rating of 72 out of 100) [16]. 



(0-100) 

Base 2014/15 (5,182) (2,678) (2,504) 

2011/12 72 72 71 

2012/13 71 71 70 

2013/14 70 70 71 

2014/15 73 72 73 


Ease of making a journey is the biggest driver of overall satisfaction for women 

when using London Overground, whereas feeling valued as a customer is the 

biggest driver for men. How well information meets needs is the second biggest 

driver for women, whereas for men it’s about the ease of making a journey [16]. 


Women 

The main drivers of overall satisfaction are: 


Men 



Condition and state of repair on train 




Women 


How well the information or assistance meet 

needs 

Ease of finding information at station 



DLR 

Overall satisfaction with the DLR is very good/high among women at 89 out of 100 

(compared with 88 out of 100 for men) [16]. 



(0-100) 

Base 2014/15 (13,398) (7,461) (5,937) 

2009/10 81 81 81 

2010/11 81 81 82 

2011/12 82 82 83 

2012/13 87 86 87 

2013/14 87 86 88 

2014/15 89 88 89 

As with other types of transport, we have observed no real differences in 

satisfaction ratings with the service between women and men using the DLR [16]. 

Satisfaction with value for money of the DLR among women is higher than other 

types of transport at 77 out of 100, and the same rating is given by men [16]. 



(0-100) 

Base 2014/15 (12,839) (7,165) (5,674) 

2011/12 72 72 72 

2013/14 75 75 75 

2014/15 77 77 77 


Women 


The top drivers of overall satisfaction with the DLR are similar for women and 

men, although women focus slightly more on how issues with using tickets were 

resolved, whereas men are more focused on the reliability of trains [16]. The main 

drivers of satisfaction are: 


Men 






Women 


How issues using ticket were resolved 




Trams 


slightly higher among women than men (90 out of 100 for women compared with 

89 out of 100 for men) [16]. 



(0-100) 

Base 2014/15 (4,329) (2,069) (2,260) 

2009/10 86 85 88 

2010/11 85 86 85 

2011/12 86 86 86 

2012/13 89 88 90 

2013/14 89 88 90 

2014/15 89 89 90 


Overall satisfaction with value for money on the tram network is quite good (78 

out of 100) but it is slightly lower for women than men (77 out of 100 for women 

compared with 79 out of 100 for men) [16]. 



(0-100) 

Base 2014/15 (2,824) (1,353) (1,471) 

2011/12 73 73 73 

2012/13 78 77 78 

2013/14 78 79 78 

2014/15 78 79 77 



Women 

Streets 

Women are significantly less likely than men to be satisfied with the streets and 

pavements after their last journey by foot (65 per cent of women were satisfied 

compared with 72 per cent of men) [34]. 

Fifty-nine per cent of women are satisfied with the streets for their last car journey 

(the equivalent figure for men is 61 per cent and the difference is not statistically 

significant) [34]. 

Forty-six per cent of all Londoners are satisfied with their last cycling journey. 

Women are less satisfied compared to men (39 per cent of women compared with 

50 per cent of men). 

Please note that satisfaction for streets is calculated as a combination of ‘very 

satisfied’ and ‘fairly satisfied’ rather than the 11 point scale that we have used for 

other transport types. 

Overall satisfaction with streets and pavement after last journey – walking journey [34] 

Net fairly 

All Men Women 


satisfied (%) 

Base 2014/15 (957) (379) (578) 

2011 64 66 62 

2012 68 71 65 

2013 69 72 67 

2014 68 73 63 

2015 68 72 65 

Overall satisfaction with streets and pavement after last journey over time - car journey [34] 

Net fairly 

All Men Women 


satisfied (%) 

Base 2014/15 (830) (333) (497) 

2011 54 57 52 

2012 62 60 64 

2013 57 58 56 

2014 61 62 59 

2015 60 61 59 


Women 

Overall satisfaction with streets and pavement after last journey over time - cycling journey [34] 

Net fairly 

All Men Women 


satisfied (%) 

Base 2014/15 (357) (187) (170) 

2011 49 49 49 

2012 55 55 56 

2013 51 51 52 

2014 54 57 51 

2015 46 50 39 

Seventeen per cent of women have walked in London with a pram or pushchair 

(compared to 11 per cent of men) and among these women 11 per cent think that 

it is easier to walk around London with a pram or pushchair this year than last 

(although 14 per cent think that it has become more difficult) [34]. 


Women 


Satisfaction with the TLRN is reasonable to fairly good. Women users of the TLRN 

give a score of 69 out of 100 for walking, 71 out of 100 for travelling by bus and 

cycling on red routes and 68 out of 100 for driving. There is very little difference 

between the ratings given by women and men [16]. 


Satisfaction score (0-100) All Men Women 


Base 2014-15 (1,254) (591) (663) 

2013/14 70 68 71 

2014/15 68 66 69 


Base 2014-15 (4,620) (1,808) (2,812) 

2013/14 69 67 72 

2014/15 71 70 71 


Base 2014-15 (3,605) (1,536) (2,069) 

2013/14 67 66 71 

2014/15 67 65 68 


Base 2014-15 (1,838) (1,022) (816) 

2013/14 69 68 68 

2014/15 70 70 71 


Women 


From our research, women are thought to be more cautious in their travel 

behaviour than men. Our customer segmentation studies (Touchpoints) suggest 

that women are more likely to fit into the categories of ‘travel shy’, ‘reassurance 

seeker’ and ‘cautious planner’. For all three categories, levels of confidence using 

the public transport network are relatively low (particularly so for people who are 

classed as ‘travel shy’). As a result, some women may choose to restrict 

themselves to familiar journeys where possible or seek advice and information to 

help plan and complete journeys [47]. 

We provide a wide range of information sources. While there are some specific 

differences in the use of particular information sources by women compared to 

men (for example, women are more likely than men to use the pocket Tube map - 

85 per cent compared with 73 per cent), on the whole, awareness and use of 

information sources is comparable between women and men [48]. 


Ninety-one per cent of women access the internet, with 88 per cent accessing it at 

home, 58 per cent ‘on the move’ and 52 per cent at work. The proportion of 

women accessing the internet is almost the same as men (93 per cent). However, 

men are more likely to access the internet in multiple places [15]. 

Accessing the internet [15] 

% Men Women 

Base (809) (1,192) 

Any access 93 91 

Access at home 91 88 

Access ‘on the move’ 63 58 

Access at work 60 52 

Women use the internet for a variety of reasons. The top reasons are: 

Email (94 per cent of women who access the internet) 

Finding and sourcing information (90 per cent) 

Maps and directions (84 per cent) 

Buying goods and services (78 per cent) 

Accessing live travel information (78 per cent) [15] 


Women 

Overall internet use is very similar between women and men. However, women 

are less likely than men to use the internet for: 

Watching video content (56 per cent women compared with 69 per cent men) 

Banking (62 per cent women compared with 74 per cent men) 

Work-related matters (60 per cent women compared with 70 per cent men) 

Contacting companies for customer service (48 per cent women compared 

with 57 per cent men) [15] 

Seventy per cent of women who access the internet use it for social networking 

(69 per cent of men). The most popular social networking site for both women and 

men is Facebook, which is used by 87 per cent of women who use social networks 

(and 77 per cent of men). 

There are some differences between the social media sites used by women and 

men. Men are more likely than women to use YouTube (36 per cent of women who 

use social networking compared with 45 per cent of men), Twitter (29 per cent of 

women who use social networking compared with 36 per cent of men) and 

LinkedIn (19 per cent of women who use social networking compared with 31 per 

cent of men). Women are more likely to use Instagram than men (29 per cent of 

women who use social networking compared with 16 per cent of men) [15]. 

Device usage and behaviour 

Women and men are equally likely to own a smartphone (76 per cent women 

compared with 78 per cent men). Smartphone use has significantly increased over 

the last few years (in 2010, 55 per cent of women owned a smartphone) [15]. 

Proportion of Londoners who own a smartphone (iPhone, BlackBerry, other) (April 2014) [15] 

% Men Women 

Base (809) (1,192) 

Uses a smartphone 78 76 


Women 

Using the TfL website 

Seventy-eight per cent of both women and men living in London access the TfL 

website. Twenty-eight per cent of women and 34 per cent of men access the TfL 

website three to four times a week or more [15]. 

Overall, 19 per cent of women in London never use the TfL website (compared 

with 20 per cent of men) [15]. 

Proportion of Londoners who use www.tfl.gov.uk [15] 

% Men Women 

Base (809) (1,192) 

Uses TfL website 78 78 

Daily 10 10 

3-4 times a week 24 18 

3-4 times a month 20 20 

Once a month 15 18 

Less than once a month 10 13 

Never 20 19 

Don’t know/refused 1 2 

Women who use the TfL website are more likely than men to use Journey Planner 

(71 per cent of women compared with 62 per cent of men). Women are less likely 

than men to visit the website for live travel updates (27 per cent of women 

compared with 34 per cent of men) or for information on planned works and 

closures (23 per cent of women compared with 25 per cent of men) [37]. 

Main purpose of today’s visit to the TfL website (2013) [37] 

% Men Women 

Base (12,060) (16,217) 

Using Journey Planner to plan a route 62 71 

Finding out live travel information 34 27 

Finding out about planned works or closures 25 23 

Doing something related to Oyster cards or other tickets 22 19 

Finding a map 16 14 

Doing something related to Congestion Charge 5 4 

Finding out about cycling 3 2 

Finding out about roads or driving 2 2 

Other 5 3 


Women 


Women are less likely than men to seek real-time travel information (80 per cent 

compared with 85 per cent of men). Fifty per cent of women obtain information 

from staff or announcements/displays about problems or delays on public 

transport (compared with 57 per cent of men). Forty-two per cent of women 

(compared with 45 per cent of men) get information from the TfL website and 

nine per cent from a non-TfL site that features London travel advice (13 per cent 

for men) [15]. 

Seventeen per cent of women use apps to seek real-time travel information on 

disruptions compared with 22 per cent of men. People also use social media; four 

per cent of women use TfL’s Twitter feed and three per cent use another Twitter 

feed (the figures for men are five per cent and three per cent respectively) [15]. 


Older People 

Summary: Older people 


Londoners aged 65 or over make up 11 per cent of London’s population [2] 

Older Londoners tend to make fewer weekday journeys (2.3 journeys on average 

compared with 2.7 for Londoners overall). This is especially the case among Londoners 

aged 70-79 (2.4 journeys) and those aged 80 and over (1.6 journeys) [12] 

Walking is the most frequently used type of transport by older Londoners aged 65 and 

over (86 per cent walk at least once a week). Sixty-one per cent travel by bus, 45 per 

cent travel by car as a passenger and 45 per cent drive a car at least once a week [12] 

Older Londoners tend to give higher overall satisfaction scores for each transport type 

than all Londoners [16] 

Older Londoners are less likely than Londoners overall to state that their travel 

frequency on buses, Tube or National Rail is affected ‘a lot’ or ‘a little’ by concerns over 

crime and antisocial behaviour (39 per cent of Londoners aged 65 and over compared 

with 53 per cent all Londoners) [14] 

Older Londoners are less likely to access the internet than Londoners overall (64 per 

cent of Londoners aged 65 and over compared with 92 per cent of all Londoners) [15] 

Older Londoners, aged 65 or over are less likely to use the TfL website than Londoners 

overall (47 per cent compared with 78 per cent of all Londoners) [15] 

Older Londoners are also less likely to use a smartphone (25 per cent compared with 77 

per cent) [15] 

Transport for London – Older People 114

Older People 

Profile of older Londoners 

Londoners aged 65 and over make up 11 per cent of the Capital’s population [2]. 

Older Londoners have a different demographic profile to the total London 

population in a number of ways. Compared with all Londoners, people aged 65 

and over are more likely to be women (55 per cent of Londoners aged 65 and over 

are women compared with 51 per cent of all Londoners), from a white ethnic 

group (81 per cent of Londoners aged 65 and over are white compared with 62 per 

cent of all Londoners), on an annual household income of less than £20,000 per 

year (65 per cent of Londoners aged 65 and over live in a lower income household 

compared with 36 per cent of all Londoners) and be disabled (37 per cent of 

Londoners aged 65 and over are disabled compared with 11 per cent of all 

Londoners) [12]. Each of these factors can affect the travel behaviour and 

attitudes of older people in London. 


Older people tend to travel less frequently. Walking is the most commonly used 

transport option by older Londoners; 86 per cent of Londoners aged 65 and over 

walk at least once a week. The bus is also a key form of transport for people aged 

65 and over, with 61 per cent saying they use the bus at least once a week (the 

same amount as for all Londoners) [12]. 

With the exception of driving and travelling by bus, older Londoners use all forms 

of transport less frequently than the total London population (for example, 

walking 86 per cent compared with 96 per cent overall; Tube 23 per cent 

compared with 39 per cent overall) [12]. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Forty-five per cent of Londoners aged 65 and over drive a car at least once a 

week and 45 per cent travel by car as a passenger [12] 

Around three-quarters of Londoners aged between 65 and 69 hold a full 

driving licence (74 per cent aged between 65 and 69 compared with 64 per cent 

all Londoners). This drops considerably for the older age groups (58 per cent 

for 70-79 year olds and 38 per cent for 80+) [12] 

A similar proportion have access to a car (73 per cent of Londoners aged 

between 65 and 69 compared with 65 per cent all Londoners). This drops 

considerably for the older age groups (63 per cent for 70-79 year olds and 43 

per cent for 80+) [12] 

Lower numbers of Londoners aged 65 and over cycle as a means of transport. 

Eight per cent sometimes use a bicycle to get around London compared with 

17 per cent of the wider London population [17] 

Dial-a-Ride members tend to have an older age profile than disabled 

Londoners overall; 83 per cent of Dial-a-Ride members are aged 65 or over 

compared with 41 per cent of all disabled Londoners [30, AB] 

Fifty-two per cent of weekday journeys made by Londoners aged 65 and over 

are for shopping/personal business, while 31 per cent are for leisure purposes 

[12] 


Older People 

Barriers 

Many of the barriers to greater public transport use that affect all Londoners are 

less likely to impact people aged 65 and over. For example, slow journey times are 

seen as a barrier to increased public transport use for 41 per cent of all Londoners, 

but only 18 per cent of Londoners aged 65 and over [14]. 

The most commonly mentioned barrier to increased public transport use among 

older Londoners is concern about overcrowded services (40 per cent of older 

Londoners mention overcrowding compared with 59 per cent of all Londoners) 

and concerns around antisocial behaviour (34 per cent for both Londoners aged 65 

and over and all Londoners) [14]. 

Londoners aged 65 or over are also more likely to be classified as ‘unworried’ (83 

per cent of Londoners aged 65 or over compared with 75 per cent of all Londoners) 

and less likely to take precautions against being a victim of crime or antisocial 

behaviour on public transport (32 per cent of Londoners aged 65 and over 

compared with 38 per cent of all Londoners). People in this age group are also less 

likely to say that concerns over crime or antisocial behaviour affect the frequency 

of their public transport use ‘a lot’ or ‘a little’ than all Londoners (39 per cent of 

Londoners aged 65 or over compared with 53 per cent of all Londoners) [14]. 


Older customers are more satisfied with all types of transport than customers 

overall [16]. 

 

 

 

 

Overall satisfaction with buses is high at 90 out of 100 (compared with 85 for 

customers overall) [16] 

Overall satisfaction with the Tube is also high at 89 out of 100 (compared with 

84 out of 100 for all customers) [16] 

Older Londoners are also more satisfied with value for money than customers 

overall [16] 

Londoners aged 65 and over are less satisfied with the streets and pavements 

on their last walking journey than Londoners overall (57 per cent compared 

with 68 per cent) [34] 


Older People 


Internet access is lower among Londoners aged 65 and over than Londoners 

overall (64 per cent compared with 92 per cent) [15]. 

 

 

Use of the TfL website declines with age: 47 per cent of Londoners aged 65 and 

over access the TfL website compared with 78 per cent of all Londoners [15]. 

Older Londoners who do visit the website do so less frequently than all 

Londoners [15] 

Similarly, a much lower proportion of older Londoners aged 65 and over use a 

smartphone than all Londoners (25 per cent compared with 77 per cent) [15] 


Older People 

Introduction 

People aged 65 and over make up 11 per cent of London’s population, and it is 

projected that this proportion will grow over time [2, 18]. 

For many people, the transition from working to retirement changes the way that 

they use public transport in London. Journey purposes shift away from the focus of 

work, and journeys tend to be made less frequently. 

The focus of this chapter is predominantly on Londoners aged 65 and over. Where 

possible, data is shown for the age bands of 65-69, 70-79 and 80+, though other 

similar age brackets are used where data is not available. 

Note that transport behaviour, attitudes and barriers in this chapter may well be 

influenced by a number of factors other than age, with disability, gender, income 

and education all affecting perceptions towards travel in London. 


Older People 

Profile of older people in London 

Eleven per cent of Londoners are aged 65 and over. Three per cent of the London 

population is aged 80 and over [2]. 

2011 Census – age profile of Londoners [2] 

Proportion of age group who are… 


15 and under 20 51 49 

16-24 12 50 50 

25-59 53 50 50 

60-64 4 48 52 

65-69 3 47 53 

70-79 5 46 54 

80+ 3 37 63 

Percentage change in population of London (1971–2011) [49, AB] 

% change 1971–1981 1981–1991 1991–2001 2001–2011 

All ages -10 0 +7 +12 

0-14 -22 +2 +8 +8 

15-64 -8 +2 +10 +17 

65+ +4 -8 -7 +1 

The proportion of older Londoners is set to grow. The GLA estimate is that by 

2040, 15 per cent of London’s population will be aged 65 or over [18]. 


Proportion of population 

in each age group 

0 ‒ 4 

5 ‒ 9 

10 ‒ 14 

15 ‒ 19 

20 ‒ 24 

25 ‒ 29 

30 ‒ 34 

35 ‒ 39 

40 ‒ 44 

45 ‒ 49 

50 ‒ 54 

55 ‒ 59 

60 ‒ 64 

65 ‒ 69 

70 ‒ 74 

75 ‒ 79 

80 ‒ 84 

85 ‒ 89 

90 ‒ 94 

95 ‒ 99 

100 and over 

Older People 

The chart below shows how, in comparison to the UK average, London has a 

smaller proportion of people aged 65 and over and a greater proportion of people 

aged between 20 and 44. Eighteen per cent of the total UK population are aged 65 

or over [2]. 

Population split by age (2011) [2] 

12% 

10% 

8% 

6% 

4% 

2% 

0% 

United Kingdom 

London 

Londoners aged 65 and over are more likely to be women (56 per cent) than all 

Londoners (51 per cent). The difference is particularly pronounced among 

Londoners aged 80 and over where 63 per cent are women [2]. 

Proportion of Londoners who are women by age (2011) [2] 


Older People 

In this document we use two primary sources of of demographic data: the Office 

for National Statistics Census and the London Travel Demand Survey. The 


LTDS. 

LTDS demographic profile of older people in London (2013/14) [12] 

% All 65+ 65-69 70-79 80+ 

Base (15,700) (2,475) (748) (1,113) (614) 

Gender 

Men 49 45 49 44 41 

Women 51 55 51 56 59 

Ethnicity 

White 62 81 80 78 88 

BAME 37 19 20 22 12 


Less than £10,000 17 34 23 34 48 

£10,000–£19,999 19 31 29 32 31 

£20,000–£34,999 20 17 22 17 12 

£35,000–£49,999 13 7 9 7 3 

£50,000–£74,999 15 6 7 6 3 

£75,000+ 16 6 9 5 3 


Working full-time 47 5 10 3 1 

Working part-time 11 6 11 6 1 

Student 10 - - - - 

Retired 15 86 76 87 97 

Not working 16 3 4 4 2 

Disabled 

Yes 11 37 20 34 64 

No 89 63 80 66 36 


Yes 10 34 19 31 60 

No 90 66 81 69 40 


All TfL surveys use the Equality Act 2010 to define disabled people as those who define themselves as having a long-term physical or mental 

disability or health issue that impacts on their daily activities, the work they can do, or limits their ability to travel. 


Older People 

White Londoners tend to have an older age profile than BAME Londoners. This is 

seen in Census data below, where 78 per cent of Londoners aged 65 and over are 

from a white ethnic group, compared with 60 per cent of all Londoners [2]. 

Proportion of older Londoners by detailed ethnic group [2] 

% All 65+ 

White: total 60 78 

English/Welsh/Scottish/Northern Irish/British 45 67 

Irish 2 5 

Gypsy or Irish Traveller - - 

Other white 13 6 

Mixed/multiple ethnic group: total 5 1 

White and black Caribbean 1 - 

White and black African 1 - 

White and Asian 1 - 

Other Mixed 1 - 

Asian/Asian British: total 18 11 

Indian 7 6 

Pakistani 3 1 

Bangladeshi 3 1 

Chinese 2 1 

Other Asian 5 2 

Black/African/Caribbean/black British: total 13 8 

African 7 2 

Caribbean 4 5 

Other black 2 1 

Other ethnic group: total 3 2 

Arab 1 - 

Any other ethnic group 2 1 


Eighty-six per cent of Londoners aged 65 and over are retired and 11 per cent are 

in full- or part-time work. The proportion of Londoners who are retired ranges 

from 76 per cent among Londoners aged 65-69 to 97 per cent among Londoners 

aged 80 or over [12]. 

With increasing age the proportion of Londoners who are working decreases and 

therefore a shift occurs towards increasing proportions in the lower bands for 

household income [12]. Please note that household income does not always 

reflect employment or household wealth. 

Average household incomes are substantially lower for older Londoners than 

Londoners overall; 34 per cent of Londoners aged 65 or over have an annual 

household income of less than £10,000, compared with 17 per cent of all 



Older People 

Older disabled people 

Of all Londoners aged 65 and over, 37 per cent report that they are disabled or 

have a health issue that limits their daily activities. With increasing age, the 

proportion of people who report that they are disabled or have a health issue that 

limits their ability to travel and get about increases to 64 per cent among 

Londoners aged 80 or over [12]. 

You can find more information about disabled Londoners in the relevant chapter 

of this report. 


The boroughs with the highest proportion of older residents are: 

London boroughs with the highest proportion of older residents [2] 

Borough 

% proportion of 

older residents 


Bromley 17 

Bexley 16 

Sutton 14 

Harrow 14 

The boroughs with the lowest proportion of older residents are: 

London boroughs with the lowest proportion of older residents [2] 

Borough 

% proportion of 

older residents 


Newham 7 

Hackney 7 

Lambeth 8 

Southwark 8 


Older People 


Older Londoners aged 65 or over make an average of 2.3 trips per weekday, 

compared with 2.7 trips per weekday for all Londoners [12]. 

Londoners aged between 65 and 69 make an average of 2.7 trips per weekday, in 

line with the number of trips made by Londoners overall. This average drops to 2.4 

among Londoners aged between 70 and 79 and 1.6 among people aged 80 and 

over [12]. This is likely to be related to the lower proportion of older Londoners in 

work, as retired Londoners do not need to make regular journeys to work, as well 

as decreasing individual mobility. 


The most frequent method of transport used by older Londoners and all 

Londoners is walking. Eighty-six per cent of Londoners aged 65 or over walk at 

least once a week. This figure is higher for Londoners aged under 80; 94 per cent 

of Londoners aged 65-69 walk at least once a week. The equivalent figure is 90 per 

cent among Londoners aged 70-79, and 69 per cent among Londoners aged 80 or 

older [12]. 

Buses are the next most common type of transport used by older Londoners; 61 

per cent of Londoners aged 65 or over use the bus at least once a week. Use of the 

bus is higher among Londoners aged between 65 and 79 (65 per cent of Londoners 

aged 65-79 use the bus at least once a week) but this decreases among Londoners 

aged 80 or over (50 per cent). For all other types of transport, except the car as a 

passenger and minicab, levels of use either remain the same or decline as age 

increases [12]. 

Among Londoners aged 65-69, 60 per cent drive a car at least once a week which 

is higher than Londoners overall (39 per cent). Londoners aged 80 or over are 

considerably less likely to drive a car, and only 27 per cent drive on a weekly basis 

[12]. 


Older People 


% All 65+ 65-69 70-79 80+ 

Base (15,700) (2,475) (748) (1,113) (614) 

Walking 96 86 94 90 69 

Bus 61 61 65 65 50 

Car (as a passenger) 48 45 44 44 45 

Car (as a driver) 39 45 60 44 27 

Tube 39 23 33 23 11 

National Rail 17 11 13 13 6 

Overground 9 4 6 4 1 

Other taxi/minicab (PHV) 6 5 4 6 6 

London taxi/black cab 5 3 3 3 3 

DLR 4 2 2 2 1 

Tram (London Tramlink) 2 1 1 2 1 

Motorbike 1 - 1 - - 



Older Londoners are less likely to walk at least once a week than all Londoners (86 

per cent of Londoners aged 65 or over walk once a week compared with 96 per 

cent of all Londoners). The proportion of older Londoners who walk declines with 

age; 94 per cent of 65 to 69 year olds walk at least once a week compared with 90 

per cent of 70 to 79 year olds and 69 per cent of Londoners aged 80 or over [12]. 


% All 65+ 65-69 70-79 80+ 

Base (15,700) (2,475) (748) (1,113) (614) 

5 or more days a week 83 61 72 64 41 

3 or 4 days a week 6 13 13 13 14 

2 days a week 4 7 6 7 8 

1 day a week 3 5 3 5 6 

At least once a fortnight 1 1 1 2 2 

At least once a month 1 2 1 1 3 

At least once a year 1 2 1 2 5 

Not used in last year 1 7 2 5 18 

Never used - 1 - 1 3 



Older People 

The proportion of Londoners aged 65 and over who walk at least once a week to 

complete small errands (84 per cent) is in line with the 86 per cent of all Londoners 

who do this. However, smaller proportions of people aged 65 and over walk for 

other purposes listed compared with all Londoners [19]. 


% who walk at least once a week All 65+ 

Base (1,000) (314) 

Walk… 

To complete small errands such as getting a newspaper or 

86 84 

posting a letter 



To visit pubs/restaurants/cinemas and other social places 53 40 



Bus 

Bus use at least once a week among Londoners aged 65 and over is 61 per cent, 

which is the same level as for all Londoners. Use of the bus among older 

Londoners is higher among those aged between 65 and 79 (65 per cent use the bus 

at least once a week) and then decreases among Londoners aged 80 or over (50 



% All 65+ 65-69 70-79 80+ 

Base (15,700) (2,475) (748) (1,113) (614) 


3 or 4 days a week 12 20 22 21 14 

2 days a week 11 12 13 13 10 

1 day a week 10 9 9 9 8 





Never used 2 2 1 1 3 



Older People 

People over 60 years old are significantly less likely to use the bus for work 

purposes, during the day or night. They’re more likely to use the bus for shopping, 

personal business and visiting friends/ relatives, both during the day and at night 

[28]. 

Purpose of bus journey by age and time of day (2014) [28] 


At night 

% All 60+ All 60+ 

Base (weighted) (37,585) (4,933) (9,121) (263) 


To/from 


7 1 4 2 




9 12 13 18 

Leisure 9 16 21 19 



Car 

Forty-five per cent of Londoners aged 65 or over drive a car at least once a week 

and 45 per cent travel as a passenger in a car [12]. 

Fifty-eight per cent of Londoners aged 65 and over hold a full car driving licence, 

which is slightly lower than the figure for Londoners overall (64 per cent all 

Londoners aged 17 or over). The proportion of older Londoners who hold a full car 

driving licence reduces with age: 74 per cent of 65 to 69 year olds hold a full driving 

licence compared to 58 per cent of those aged 70-79, and 38 per cent of people 

aged over 80 [12]. 

Proportion of Londoners with a full car driving licence (2013/14) [12] 

% All (17+) 65+ 65-69 70-79 80+ 

Base (13,127) (2,475) (748) (1,113) (614) 

Holds a full car driving licence 64 58 74 58 38 


Household access to a car reduces with age; 61 per cent of Londoners aged 65 and 

over have a car in their household compared with 65 per cent across all Londoners. 

Among Londoners aged 65-69, access to a car in the household is higher at 73 per 

cent and this drops to 63 per cent among Londoners aged 70-79, and 43 per cent 

for Londoners aged 80 and over [12]. 


Older People 


% All 65+ 65-69 70-79 80+ 

Base (15,700) (2,475) (748) (1,113) (614) 

0 cars 35 39 27 37 57 

1 car 45 46 48 49 37 

2+ cars 20 16 25 14 7 


After the age of 80, older people tend to drive less frequently. Driving can provide 

a sense of self-worth through independence and equality with other Londoners, 

freedom through greater accessibility and convenience, and enjoyment of the act 

itself. Therefore giving up driving is an important and emotional event [50]. 

‘When I relinquish my car it will be like my snail shell on my back is being taken 

away.’ (Driver aged 65+) [50] 

Among Londoners aged 60 and over who do not drive 5 , the most common reasons 

for not doing so are a lack of interest (43 per cent), availability of friends and family 

to drive them instead (38 per cent), a focus on feeling too old (27 per cent) and 

being concerned about safety (22 per cent) [51]. 

Reasons for not driving by age (England) (2013) [51] 

% All 17+ 60+ 

Base (2,965) (990) 

Not interested in driving 29 43 

Family/friends drive me when necessary 32 38 

Too old 9 27 

Safety concerns/nervous about driving 17 22 

Other forms of transport available 20 14 

Physical difficulties/health impairments 11 12 

Cost of learning to drive 32 10 

Cost of buying a car 25 10 

Cost of insurance 25 8 

Busy/congested roads 6 7 

Other general motoring costs 12 5 

Put off by theory/practical test 4 2 

Too busy to learn 10 2 

Environmental reasons 3 1 

Other 5 3 

Based on individuals aged 17 and over who do not hold a full driving licence and are not currently learning to drive. 

5 Note that these data are for Great Britain and not London specifically. 


Older People 

Tube 

Twenty-three per cent of Londoners aged 65 and over use the Tube at least once a 

week. This is considerably lower than Londoners overall (39 per cent). The 

proportion using the Tube at least once a week decreases further with age, from 

33 per cent of Londoners aged 65-69, to 25 per cent among 70 to 79 year olds and 

11 per cent for those aged 80 and over [12]. 


% All 65+ 65-69 70-79 80+ 

Base (15,700) (2,475) (748) (1,113) (614) 


3 or 4 days a week 7 6 6 7 4 

2 days a week 8 6 10 6 2 

1 day a week 9 7 12 9 4 








Eight per cent of Londoners aged 65 and over sometimes use a bike to get around 

London [17]. Note that we do not currently have data to analyse this age group 

further. 


% All 65+ 

Base (2,192) (323) 





17 8 

83 92 

The proportion of Londoners aged 65 and over who can ride a bike (72 per cent) is 

lower than the total population of Londoners (83 per cent) [17]. 


% All 65+ 

Base (2,192) (323) 




Older People 

We have developed a behavioural change model to look at Londoners’ readiness 

to cycle or cycle more. Sixty-nine per cent of Londoners classified themselves as 

being in the ‘pre-contemplation’ category (defined in the behaviour model table 

below). Londoners aged 65 and over show a lower level of ‘contemplation’ than 

other Londoners, and 87 per cent are in the pre-contemplation category [17]. 

A small proportion of Londoners aged 65 and over classify themselves as being in 

the ‘sustained change’ category, meaning that they started cycling a while ago 

and are still doing it occasionally or regularly [17]. 

Behaviour change model cycling (November 2014) [17] 

% All 65+ 

Base (all) (2,192) (323) 


‘You have never thought about it, but would be unlikely to start in the future’ 




‘You are thinking about starting soon’ 

Preparation: 


Change: 

‘You have tried to start recently, but am finding it difficult’ 

‘You have started recently and am finding it quite easy so far’ 


‘You started a while ago and am still doing it occasionally’ 

‘You started a while ago and am still doing it regularly’ 

Lapsed: 

‘You started doing this but couldn’t stick to it’ 

69 87 

10 2 

3 - 

2 - 

10 6 

6 4 


Older People 


Awareness of Cycle Hire among Londoners aged 65 and over is 95 per cent. This is 

similar to awareness among all Londoners which stands at 91 per cent. Despite 

high awareness, only one per cent of Londoners aged 65 and over have actually 

used the scheme compared to 17 per cent of all Londoners [17]. 

Two per cent of Londoners aged 65 or over intend to use Cycle Hire in the future 

(compared with 27 per cent of all Londoners who haven’t yet hired a bicycle) [17]. 

Evidence suggests older Londoners are less likely to check for availability of 

bicycles and/or spaces before hiring a bicycle (25 per cent of people aged over 55 

always or usually check for bicycle availability, compared with 39 per cent of 

people aged 16-34) [52]. This is most probably related to lower use of technology 

among older Londoners [15]. 


% All 65+ 

Base (1,180) (165) 

Yes definitely/probably 27 2 





Not sure 10 6 

Seventy per cent of older Londoners are aware of Cycle Superhighways, which is 

higher than the figure for all Londoners (61 per cent). Seven per cent of older 

Londoners say that they are likely to use Cycle Superhighways in the future [17]. 


% All 65+ 

Base (1,180) (165) 

Yes definitely/ probably 23 7 





Not sure 17 9 


Older People 

Dial-a-Ride 

Dial-a-Ride members tend to have an older age profile than disabled Londoners 

overall. Eighty-three per cent of Dial-a-Ride members are aged 65 and over, 

compared with 41 per cent of all disabled Londoners. Twenty-seven per cent of 

Dial-a-Ride members are aged between 75-84 and 43 per cent are 85 and over, 

compared with 16 per cent and eight per cent respectively for all disabled 

Londoners [30, AB]. 

Dial-a-Ride members are more likely to be women (74 per cent) [30]. 

Dial-a-Ride (DaR) membership by age (2012 based on 2010 data) [2, 30] 

% All disabled Londoners 

Census 

DaR members 

(41,451) 

Under 25 9 1 

25-34 7 2 

35-49 19 5 

50-64 25 11 

65-74 17 13 

75-84 16 28 

85+ 8 40 

Where the proportion of Dial-a-Ride members does not sum to 100 per cent, this is due to no age being listed for the member on 

file. 


The proportion of weekday journeys made for different purposes varies by age. 

 

 

 

Twenty-eight per cent of journeys are work-related for all Londoners 

(travelling to/from usual workplace, or ‘other work-related’ travel) whereas 

only seven per cent of older Londoners’ weekday journeys are for this purpose 

Fifty-two per cent of older Londoners’ journeys are for shopping and personal 

business (compared with 24 per cent for all Londoners) 

Leisure journeys make up 31 per cent of weekday trips for older Londoners 

(compared with 23 per cent for all Londoners) [12] 


% All 65+ 65-69 70-79 80+ 


Shopping/personal business 24 52 46 53 64 

Usual workplace 20 4 6 3 - 

Leisure 23 31 33 32 24 

Education 19 2 2 2 1 

Other work-related 8 3 3 3 2 

Other 6 8 9 7 9 



Older People 

Ticket types 

Freedom Passes are by far the most common ticket type used by Londoners aged 

65 or over; 97 per cent of public transport users use a Freedom Pass [32]. 

Since very high proportions of Londoners in this age group make use of the 

Freedom Pass, only a small percentage of people aged 65 or over use other tickets 

such as Oyster PAYG (only five per cent use Oyster PAYG on any form of public 

transport) [32]. 


% 

Base: Public transport users: 

All 

(975) 

65+ 

(152) 








Older People 

Travelcards 

Very few older Londoners have an Oyster card compared with the proportion of all 

Londoners (six per cent of Londoners aged 65 or over compared with 60 per cent 

all Londoners). Londoners aged 65-69 are more likely to have an Oyster card than 

people aged over 80 (nine per cent for 65 to 69 year olds compared with three per 

cent of Londoners aged 80 or over) [12]. 

Ninety-two per cent of 65 year olds or over have an older person’s Freedom Pass. 

This drops to 87 per cent for those aged 80 or over [12]. 

Possession of an Oyster card or Freedom Pass (2013/14) [12] 

% All 65+ 65-69 70-79 80+ 

Base (15,700) (2,475) (748) (1,113) (614) 

Have an Oyster card 60 6 9 5 3 

Older person’s Freedom Pass 15 92 95 93 87 

Disabled person’s Freedom 

Pass 

2 - - 1 - 




Older People 

Barriers 

We have conducted several research programmes to investigate the barriers faced 

by Londoners when using public transport. Our findings from each of these studies 

are in general agreement. However, it is worth noting that the issue of barriers is 

complex and the specific questions that we ask Londoners may have an impact 

upon the responses that they provide. The impact of specific barriers may also be 

much more significant for some Londoners than others. 

With increasing age, some older people become less active. Reduced activity 

levels are often connected to changing lifestyles, expectations and confidence 

levels. Accessible transport can help people to maintain a more active lifestyle 

[53]. 

Qualitative research based on in-depth interviews (which included accompanied 

journeys 6 ) that we completed in 2009 showed that there are three categories of 

barriers to transport use that older people face in particular. These are: 

 

 

 

Physical barriers – examples include long distances to bus stops and 

connection points, presence of steps, speed of closing doors on public 

transport, and jerky movement on buses 

Emotional barriers – examples include overcrowding, loud or disruptive 

passengers, adverse weather conditions and the fear of crime 

Information barriers – many people restrict their journeys to those that they 

know well, have reduced expectations that public transport can cater for their 

needs, and are unaware of supported travel options such as DaR [53] 

6 ‘Accompanied journeys’ refers to journeys made when interviewers travel with respondents to observe and 

ask questions about their journey experience. 


Older People 


When presented with a number of possible barriers to using public transport more 

often, the greatest barrier, cited by 40 per cent of Londoners aged 65 years and 

over (compared of 59 per cent of all Londoners) is concern about overcrowded 

services. A larger proportion of Londoners aged 65 and over also said that none of 

the barriers listed put them off using public transport (33 per cent of 65 year olds 

and over compared with 17 per cent of all Londoners) [14]. 

Beyond overcrowding, the next most common barrier identified is about antisocial 

behaviour, which is mentioned by 34 per cent of both Londoners and Londoners 

aged 65 and over [14]. We address safety and security issues in more detail later in 

this section. 

Cost of tickets is mentioned by nine per cent of older Londoners as a barrier to 

greater public transport use; this increases to 45 per cent of all Londoners [14]. 

This is likely to reflect the high use of older people’s Freedom Passes amongst 

Londoners aged 65 and over. 


% All 65+ 

Base (4,005) (1,351) 








24 20 



Fear about knife crime 20 20 



Graffiti 10 13 


10 10 

transport 





Older People 



to their personal security while using public transport in London. The TfL typology 


 

 

 

 

 





Don’t know 

The majority of Londoners fall into the ‘unworried’ category, which means that 

they are generally unworried about their personal security in London, and have 

experienced no incidents that made them feel worried in the last three months. A 

greater proportion of older Londoners (65 and over) are ‘unworried’ than the 

average across all Londoners (83 per cent of 65 year olds and over compared with 

75 per cent of all Londoners) [14]. 


% All 65+ 

Base (4,005) (1,351) 



Anxious 6 6 

Worried 6 3 


A similar pattern is observed when looking at the levels of concern about personal 

security when using public transport in London. Again, Londoners aged 65 or over 

are more likely to say they are ‘not at all worried’ than all Londoners (54 per cent 

of older Londoners compared with 42 per cent all Londoners) [14]. 

Levels of concern about personal security when using public transport in London (2013) 

[14] 

% All 65+ 

Base (4,005) (1,351) 







Older People 

Among older Londoners who are worried about their personal security when using 

public transport, 31 per cent of 65 year olds or over feel that this impacts 

negatively on their quality of life either ‘very much’ or ‘quite a bit’ (compared with 

32 per cent all Londoners) [14]. 

Extent to which worry about personal security when using public transport reduces quality 

of life (Jan/ Apr/ Jul/ Oct 2014) [14] 

% All 65+ 

Base (all worried about personal safety) (463) (123) 

Not at all 19 21 

A little 29 21 

Moderately 19 21 

Quite a bit 19 19 


Net: Quite a bit/very much 32 31 

A smaller proportion of older Londoners take precautions against crime when 

using public transport (32 per cent of 65 year olds or over compared with 38 per 

cent of all Londoners). The most common precaution for older Londoners is to 

look after their belongings (37 per cent compared with 29 per cent for all 

Londoners) whereas the most common precaution for all Londoners is to sit near 

other people (34 per cent for all Londoners compared with 24 per cent for 65 year 

olds and over). 

Older Londoners are less likely than all Londoners to say that they travel with 

someone else, use a different route, travel at a different time of day, or avoid using 

a type of transport, but are more likely to say that they only take necessities with 

them (seven per cent of 65 year olds and over compared with three per cent all 



% All 65+ 

Base (all who take precautions) (1,507) (442) 

Look after my belongings 29 37 

Sit near to other people 34 24 

Travel with someone else 23 16 

Travel at a different time of day 16 11 

Use a different route 15 8 

Stay aware/vigilant 15 18 

Avoid using that type of transport 12 6 

Only take necessities with me 3 7 

Carry a personal alarm 3 6 

Note that responses 2% or below among all Londoners are not shown. 


Older People 

In terms of actual experiences, the proportion of older Londoners who have felt 

worried about their personal security when using public transport in the past three 

months is considerably lower than the average across all Londoners (eight per 

cent of 65 year olds or over compared with 17 per cent of all Londoners) [14]. 

Older Londoners who have experienced a worrying incident in the three months 

prior to being surveyed were much more likely to have experienced this during the 

day than at night (67 per cent of the most recent episodes of worry were 

experienced in the daytime compared with 40 per cent among all Londoners who 

have experienced a worrying incident) [14]. 

Those who have felt worried about their personal security when using public 

transport in the last three months were asked on which type of transport they 

experienced this event. The types of transport where older Londoners experience 

worrying events are similar to those reported by all Londoners (47 per cent of the 

most recent worrying experiences by 65 year olds and over were on the bus, 27 per 

cent Tube, and 20 per cent train) [14]. 

Crime and antisocial behaviour concerns affect the frequency of travel on the 

Tube, bus or National Rail ‘a little’ or ‘a lot’ for just over half of all Londoners (53 

per cent). The frequency of public transport use is affected ‘a little’ or ‘a lot’ for a 

smaller proportion of older Londoners (39 per cent of 65 year olds and over) [14]. 



% All 65+ 

Base (4,005) (1,351) 

Overall: during the day/after dark 

Underground/buses/National Rail 53 39 



Underground 16 11 

Buses 17 11 

National Rail 11 8 

After dark: 



Buses 42 26 



Older People 



We measure overall satisfaction with various types of transport in London on an 

11-point scale, with 10 representing extremely satisfied and zero representing 

extremely dissatisfied. We then scale this up to 100). For all of the transport types 

listed below, Londoners aged 65 and over give higher overall satisfaction mean 

scores than all Londoners. 

We have standardised satisfaction ratings, which are shown in the table below. 

This allows TfL to apply consistent analysis across a wide range of satisfaction 

research. 


Under 50 









Older people aged 65 and over are more satisfied with every mode of London transport compared 

with all Londoners. Their ratings are excellent or very high for most modes when compared with all 

customers, whose ratings out of 100 are generally three to six points lower. The differences in 

satisfaction ratings are most marked for bus, Tube and London Overground. 


Older People 

Overall satisfaction with transport types – all customers (2014/15) [16] 

Satisfaction score (0-100) All 65+ 

Bus services 

Base (14,155) (2,586) 

Satisfaction score 85 90 

Bus stations 

Base (3,626) (346) 


Underground 

Base (17,634) (1,243) 


DLR 

Base (13,398) (339) 


Overground 

Base (5,397) (118) 


Dial-a-Ride 

Base (2,572) (2,211) 


Tram 

Base (4,329) (905) 



Base (1,204) (110) 



Base (2,106) (190) 


Taxis 

Base (569) (50) 



Base (1,056) (78) 


Satisfaction is not shown for Private Hire Vehicles and Night buses due to small base sizes. 



Older People 

Bus 

Overall satisfaction among bus users aged 65 and over is rated very good or high 

at 90 out of 100 (compared to 85 out of 100 for customers overall) [16]. 

Overall satisfaction with buses over time is consistently high among customers 

aged 65 and over, and satisfaction levels are higher than those given by customers 

overall [16]. 


100 

90 

80 

70 

86 

82 83 85 84 84 85 

87 85 87 88 89 90 

76 77 78 78 77 

79 80 79 80 80 82 83 

85 

60 

50 

40 

30 

20 

10 

0 

All customers Customers aged 65+ 



Older People 

Satisfaction with value for money of bus services is also high among older 

customers, with a score of 87 out of 100 compared with 72 out of 100 from all 

customers [16]. It is worth noting that older Londoners are generally entitled to 

free travel on the bus and as such the base size for satisfaction with value for 

money scores is lower than for overall satisfaction. 

Satisfaction with value for money with bus over time [16] 

100 

90 

80 

70 

60 

50 

40 

30 

20 

10 

0 

84 

87 

78 77 

84 86 87 

80 

82 

73 

72 72 71 

74 74 73 

85 

69 

75 

90 

66 68 

85 87 

71 72 

All customers 

There are some differences with other elements concerning buses. Customers aged 65 and over are 

more satisfied with safety and security at the stop (a score of 90 out of 100 for 65 year olds and over 

compared with 86 out of 100 for all customers) and time waited and journey time (89 out of 100 for 

those aged 65 and over compared with 85 out of 100 for all customers) [16]. 



Older People 


Overall satisfaction with bus services amongst customers aged 65 and over is 

influenced by the ease of making journeys and the reliability of the bus. Driver 

behaviour and attitude is also one of the top five factors that affect satisfaction for 

older customers [16]. 


All customers 65+ 







Reliability of bus 



Driver's behaviour and attitude 

Tube 

Customers aged 65 and over who use the Tube rate it as very good or high for 

overall satisfaction (89 out of 100), a result which is higher than for customers 

overall (84 out of 100) [16]. 

Overall satisfaction scores for the last 10 years show that people aged 65 and over 

are consistently more satisfied with the Tube than customers overall [16]. 


100 

90 

84 

87 

89 

87 85 

83 

87 87 86 85 

90 

87 

89 

80 

70 

60 

75 76 78 78 76 77 

79 79 79 80 

83 83 84 

50 

40 

30 

20 

10 

0 




Older People 

As with overall satisfaction, satisfaction with value for money is consistently 

higher among customers aged 65 and over than customers overall (in the latest 

year this was 91 out of 100 among 65 year olds and over compared with 69 out of 

100 for all customers) [16]. 


100 

90 

80 

70 

60 

50 

40 

30 

20 

10 

0 

88 89 89 87 88 87 

90 89 89 90 91 90 91 

63 64 62 62 61 63 65 67 65 66 67 69 

62 



Our analysis of the factors that drive satisfaction among Tube users shows that for 

customers aged 65 and over comfort of journeys, ease of making journeys and 

length of journey are all important. These factors are very similar to the drivers for 

all Londoners. The table below shows the top drivers of satisfaction for customers 

overall and customers aged 65 and over [16]. 






Length of time waited for train 






Smoothness of journey 


Older People 

Overground 

As with other types of transport, customers aged 65 and over rate the Overground 

as very good/high on average (90 out of 100). This is higher than the proportion of 

customers overall (83 out of 100) [16]. 


Satisfaction score All 65+ 

(0-100) 

Base 2014/15 (5,397) (118) 

2009/10 73 82 

2010/11 80 86 

2011/12 82 85 

2012/13 82 90 

2013/14 82 89 

2014/15 83 90 

Older customers are more satisfied with value for money on the Overground than 

customers overall (92 out of 100 among customers aged 65 or over compared with 

73 out of 100 all customers) [16]. 



(0-100) 

Base 2014/15 (5,182) (111) 

2011/12 72 88 

2012/13 71 90 

2013/14 70 93 

2014/15 73 92 


Analysis of what leads to satisfaction among Overground users shows that for 

customers aged 65 and over, condition and state of repair, cleanliness and 

freedom from graffiti, and information about service disruptions are important 

factors. Ease of making the journey, condition and state of repair and feeling 

valued are the main factors among all Londoners [16]. 




Condition and state of repair 


Comfort of the train 



Condition and state of repair 

Cleanliness and freedom from graffiti 

Information about service disruptions given at 

the station 

The number of trains an hour on this route 

Personal safety on the station 


Older People 


Overall satisfaction with the DLR is rated very high among customers aged 65 and 

over and is higher than with customers overall (93 out of 100 among customers 

aged 65 and over compared with 89 out of 100 for all customers) [16]. 



(0-100) 

Base 2014/15 (13,398) (339) 

2009/10 81 88 

2010/11 81 90 

2011/12 82 89 

2012/13 87 92 

2013/14 87 93 

2014/15 89 93 

Older customers are more satisfied with value for money on the DLR than 

customers overall (91 out of 100 among customers aged 65 and over compared 

with 77 out of 100 all customers) [16]. 



(0-100) 

Base 2014/15 (12,839) (316) 

2011/12 72 89 

2012/13 74 91 

2013/14 75 93 

2014/15 77 91 


Comfort inside the train, ease of getting on the train and length of waiting time 

are key drivers of overall satisfaction amongst DLR users aged 65 and over [16]. 









Ease of getting on the train 

Length of time waited for the train 


Freedom from graffiti inside the train 


Older People 

Dial-a-Ride 

Older customers who use the Dial-a-Ride service rate it as excellent, giving the 

service an overall satisfaction score of 93 out of 100 [16]. 

Overall satisfaction with Dial-a-Ride over time – all customers [16] 

Satisfaction score 65+ 65-69 70-79 80-89 90+ 

(0-100) 

Base 2014/15 (2,211) (134) (606) (1,080) (391) 

2009/10 92 90 91 92 93 

2010/11 92 87 90 93 93 

2011/12 91 87 90 92 92 

2012/13 93 89 92 94 93 

2013/14 93 91 92 93 94 

2014/15 93 90 92 93 94 

Satisfaction with various measures relating to Dial-a-Ride are also excellent, with 

cleanliness of the interior and helpfulness and courtesy of the driver scoring 94 out 

of 100 [16]. 

Trams 


higher among older users (93 out of 100 for 65 year olds) [16]. 



(0-100) 

Base 2014/15 (4,329) (905) 

2009/10 86 91 

2010/11 85 92 

2011/12 86 93 

2012/13 89 91 

2013/14 89 94 

2014/15 89 93 


Older People 

Streets 

Although older Londoners give higher satisfaction ratings than all Londoners on 

the various types of transport, older Londoners are less satisfied when it comes to 

their last walking journey made on London’s streets. Fifty-seven per cent of 

Londoners aged 65 and over were satisfied with the streets and pavements after 

their last journey made on foot compared to 68 per cent of all Londoners. A similar 

pattern is observed for car users; 55 per cent of Londoners aged 65 or over are 

satisfied with their last car journey compared with 60 per cent of all Londoners 

[34]. 



Net fairly 

All 65+ 

satisfied/very satisfied 

(%) 

Base 2014/15 (957) (255) 

2011 64 56 

2012 68 53 

2013 69 64 

2014 68 59 

2015 68 57 

Overall satisfaction with streets and pavements after last journey over time - car journey 

[34] 

Net fairly 

All 65+ 


(%) 

Base 2014/15 (830) (224) 

2011 54 55 

2012 62 63 

2013 57 55 

2014 61 52 

2015 60 55 

Overall satisfaction with streets and pavement after last journey over time - cycling 


Net fairly 

All 65+ 


(%) 

Base 2014/15 (357) (63) 

2014 54 45 

2015 46 29 


Older People 


Satisfaction with the TLRN is reasonable to fairly good. Older users of the TLRN 

give a score of 80 out of 100 for walking, 74 out of 100 for travelling by bus on red 

routes and 70 out of 100 for driving. Satisfaction levels tend to be slightly higher 

among 65 year olds and over for the TLRN than for all customers [16]. 


Satisfaction score (0-100) All 65+ 


Base 2014-15 (1,254) (72) 

2013/14 70 71 

2014/15 68 80 


Base 2014-15 (4,620) (411) 

2013/14 69 72 

2014/15 71 74 


Base 2014-15 (3,605) (390) 

2013/14 67 70 

2014/15 67 70 


Older People 



Londoners aged 65 and over are less likely to access the internet than all 

Londoners (64 per cent compared with 92 per cent). The proportion of Londoners 

accessing the internet drops considerably as people get older, with only 42 per 

cent of 80 year olds and over accessing the internet [15]. 

Sixty-three per cent of older Londoners aged 65 or over access the internet at 

home, 15 per cent access it ‘on the move’ and six per cent at work [15]. 

Use of the internet (Apr/ Oct 2014) [15] 

% All 

65+ 65-69 70-79 80+ 

Londoners 

Base (2,001) (640) (212) (278) (150) 

Any access 92 64 82 62 42 

Access at home 89 63 80 61 41 

Access ‘on the move’ 61 15 24 14 5 

Access at work 56 6 12 3 1 

The top reasons for using the internet are broadly the same for older Londoners 

and all Londoners, although usage is slightly lower. The main reasons for use are: 

Email (92 per cent Londoners aged 65 or over compared with 94 per cent 

Londoners overall) 

Finding and sourcing information (87 per cent compared with 89 per cent 

overall) 

Accessing live travel information (70 per cent compared with 78 per cent 

overall) 

Maps and directions (76 per cent compared with 84 per cent overall) 

Buying goods and services (70 per cent compared with 79 per cent overall) [15] 

Londoners aged 65 and over who use the internet are less likely to use social 

media than all Londoners (30 per cent compared with 70 per cent all Londoners), 

and they’re less likely to use the internet for banking (46 per cent compared with 

68 per cent all Londoners) or for watching any video content (38 per cent 

compared with 63 per cent) [15]. 


Older People 


Only twenty-five per cent of Londoners aged 65 and over use a smartphone 

compared with 77 per cent of all Londoners. Thirty-nine per cent of 65 to 69 year 

olds use a smartphone, dropping to six per cent among Londoners aged 80 and 

over [15]. 

Proportion of Londoners who use a smartphone (iPhone, BlackBerry, Android, other) 

(Apr/ Oct 2014) [15] 

% All 65+ 65-69 70-79 80+ 

Base (2,001) (640) (212) (278) (150) 

Uses a smartphone 77 25 39 24 6 

Ownership of mobile devices is generally lower among Londoners aged 65 and 

over than all Londoners with the exception of standard mobile phones (55 per cent 

of 65 year olds or over use one compared with 20 per cent of all Londoners). 

 

 

Sixteen per cent use a tablet computer (compared to 37 per cent of all 

Londoners) 

Use of apps is lower among Londoners aged 65 and over who have a mobile 

device compared to younger age groups (73 per cent compared with 94 per 

cent of 16 to 24 year olds) [15] 


Use of the TfL website is lower among older Londoners than all Londoners. Fortyseven 

per cent of Londoners aged 65 and over use the TfL website, compared with 

78 per cent of all Londoners. As with internet access statistics, the proportion of 65 

t0 69 year olds accessing the site is higher than Londoners from older age groups 

(67 per cent of those aged 65-69 compared with 44 per cent of 70 t0 79 year olds 

compared with 26 per cent of 80 year olds and over) [15]. 

Proportion of Londoners who use www.tfl.gov.uk (Apr/ Oct 2014) [15] 

% All 65+ 65-69 70-79 80+ 

Base (2,001) (640) (212) (278) (150) 

Uses TfL website 78 47 67 44 26 


Older People 

In line with the lower use of the TfL website among older Londoners, users aged 

65 and over tend to visit the website less frequently than all users. Only 13 per cent 

of Londoners aged 65 or over use the TfL website three to four times a week or 

daily, compared with 30 per cent of all Londoners [15]. 

Frequency of visiting the TfL website (Apr/ Oct 2014) [15] 

% All 65+ 

Base (2,001) (640) 

Use the TfL website 

78 47 

Daily 9 2 

Up to 3-4 times a week 21 11 

Up to 3-4 times a month 20 13 

About once a month 17 11 


Never 20 49 

Don’t know/ refused 2 4 

Older users of the TfL website are less likely than all users to use the website to 

plan a journey (65 per cent of website visitors aged 65 and over compared with 70 

per cent of all website visitors), do something in relation to Oyster cards (12 per 

cent of website visitors aged 65 and over compared with 20 per cent of all website 

visitors) or find out about cycling (one per cent of website visitors aged 65 and 

over compared with three per cent of all website visitors) [37]. 


% All 65+ 

Base (28,278) (2,177) 




Doing something related to Oyster cards or other tickets 20 12 





Other 4 5 


Older People 

Accessing travel information in the event of travel disruption 

Older Londoners are less likely than all Londoners to obtain real-time London 

transport information (77 per cent of Londoners aged 65 and over would do this 

compared with 89 per cent all Londoners) [15]. 

Older Londoners are less likely than all Londoners to access real-time London 

transport information on the TfL website (49 per cent of Londoners aged 65 or 

over, compared with 64 per cent of all Londoners) [15]. 


Older People 

Working together 

Sub-regional mobility forums (SRMF) 

Building on the Mayor’s Transport Strategy and Accessibility Implementation Plan and 

TfL’s Single Equality Scheme (published in 2012), TfL has established sub-regional mobility 

forums in each of the five sub-regions laid out in the Mayor’s transport plan. 

To test the feasibility of such forums, we set up pilot schemes in two of the sub-regions 

(South and Central) and ran them on a pilot basis throughout 2013. 

The boroughs helped to identify older and disabled representatives to participate in their 

nearest SRMF, each of which is chaired by a member of TfL’s Independent Disability 

Advisory Group (IDAG). 

The purpose of the forums is to establish an effective working relationship that will meet 

the needs and aspirations of disabled and older people who attend the meetings, as well as 

borough representatives and TfL. They also provide a platform for dialogue on strategic 

travel and the transport issues that affect older and disabled people across each sub-region. 

We do not intend for the sub-regional mobility forums to replace local mobility forums 

where they exist, or to replace any formal consultation that we should undertake across the 

TfL business. Instead, they provide us with an opportunity to seek the views of older and 

disabled Londoners on many travel and transport initiatives that we have planned across 

the network. 

The pilots were a success and we are now rolling out the forums to the remaining subregions 

(North, East and West). 

Key issues that have emerged so far from the South and Central regions include: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pedestrian environment - for example, crossings, roads, pavements 

How investment in cycling infrastructure is having a negative impact on the needs of 

pedestrians 

Signage and Legible London way-finding 

Step-free access on the Underground and Overground 

Staff training (bus and rail station staff) 

Intergenerational issues 

Travel information ‘on the move’ 

Bus and bus stop design 

Wheelchair priority area on buses 


Younger People 

Summary: Younger people 


Younger Londoners under the age of 25 make up 32 per cent of the Capital’s population. 

Among BAME Londoners, 41 per cent are under 25 [2] 

Londoners aged under 25 make fewer weekday trips than Londoners overall (2.4 

compared with 2.7 for all Londoners) [12] 

Walking is the most commonly used type of transport by younger Londoners (99 per 

cent aged 24 and under walk at least once a week compared with 96 per cent all 

Londoners) [12] 

Younger Londoners cite the same main barriers to greater public transport use as all 

Londoners: overcrowding, slow journey times and cost [14] 

Londoners aged 16-24 are slightly more likely than average to have experienced a 

 

recent worrying episode on public transport [14] 

Younger Londoners’ satisfaction with public transport is in line with that given by 

Londoners as a whole [16] 

Younger Londoners are more likely to own a smartphone than Londoners overall (96 

per cent compared with 77 per cent) [15] 

Research with younger people 

The research that we present in this chapter includes a range of age groups, and 

we have noted the specific age ranges covered for each data source. 

This chapter focuses on Londoners under the age of 25. However, travel patterns 

and priorities vary considerably within this age group as school stage and the 

desire for independence changes [56]. 

Profile of younger Londoners 

Londoners aged under 25 make up 32 per cent of the population. Twenty per cent 

are aged 15 or under, and 12 per cent are aged between 16 and 24 [2]. 

Within this younger age group (under 25) the proportion of boys/men and 

girls/women is practically equal; 49 per cent are girls/women [2]. 

Younger Londoners are more likely to be from a BAME group than all Londoners. 

Fifty-four per cent of 0 to 15 year olds and 48 per cent of 16 to 24 year olds are 

from a BAME group [2]. 

Younger people are more likely to be in education (54 per cent of 16 to 24 year 

olds) and less likely to be in full or part-time employment than all Londoners (32 

per cent of 16 to 24 year olds are in work compared with 58 per cent of all 


Transport for London – Younger People 156



Younger Londoners tend to make fewer trips than all Londoners on an average 

weekday (2.4 among Londoners under 25 compared with 2.7 all Londoners) [12]. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Walking is the most commonly used type of transport for younger Londoners, 

with 99 per cent aged 24 and under walking at least once a week [12] 

The bus is the next most commonly used transport type for younger 

Londoners. Among Londoners aged 11-15, 81 per cent use the bus at least once 

a week, compared with 61 per cent of all Londoners [12] 

Travelling as a car passenger is a frequently used method of transport for 

younger Londoners, especially for under 16 year olds (77 per cent of 5 to 10 

year olds and 75 per cent of 11 to 15 year olds are car passengers at least once a 

week) [12] 

Londoners under the age of 25 are less likely than Londoners overall to use the 

Tube (33 per cent under 25 compared with 39 per cent all Londoners) and 

National Rail (13 per cent compared with 17 per cent) at least once a week. 

However among 16 to 24 year olds, use of the Tube (52 per cent) and National 

Rail (21 per cent) is higher than across all under 25 year olds [12] 

Forty-two per cent of journeys made by Londoners under the age of 25 are for 

education compared with 19 per cent for Londoners overall [12] 

Among 16 to 24 year olds the proportion making journeys for work-related 

reasons is lower than the proportion of all Londoners making these trips (21 

per cent compared with 28 per cent for all Londoners) [12] 

Younger Londoners are much more likely than all Londoners to possess a pass 

or card that entitles them to free or reduced travel (32 per cent aged under 25 

possess a free bus travel pass compared with nine per cent of all Londoners). 

This is particularly high for people aged 11-15 (83 per cent possess a free travel 

bus pass) [12] 

The most common way to travel to school is to walk. Forty-four per cent of people 

aged under 16 walk as their main mode to school. This rises to 54 per cent for 

young people aged 10 and under [12]. Younger age groups tend to live closer to 

school, with 5 to 10 year olds travelling 1.6 miles on average to reach school, 

compared with 3.7 miles for 11 to 16 year olds [54]. 

Barriers 

Overcrowding, slow journeys and cost are the three most common barriers to 

greater public transport use cited by younger Londoners. This is in common with 

all Londoners (65 per cent of 16 to 24 year olds say overcrowded services are a 

barrier, 50 per cent slow journeys and 49 per cent cost of tickets) [14]. 

Young Londoners are slightly more likely to have experienced a worrying event 

whilst travelling on public transport in London, in the last three months (20 per 

cent of 16 to 24 year olds compared with 17 per cent of all Londoners) [14]. 



Younger Londoners who have experienced a worrying incident in the three 

months prior to being surveyed were much more likely to have experienced this 

during night-time (71 per cent of the most recent episodes of worry were 

experienced at night compared with 58 per cent among all Londoners who have 

experienced a worrying incident) [14]. 


Levels of satisfaction among 16 to 24 year old customers on the transport network 

are in line with all customers’ scores, with very few differences in the satisfaction 

levels that we observed [16]. 

 

 

 

Overall satisfaction with buses is good at 84 out 100. The key drivers of overall 

satisfaction with buses are how long the journey took, ease of making journeys 

and the comfort inside the bus [16] 

Tube satisfaction is fairly high at 85 out of 100. Satisfaction among Tube users 

is driven largely by ease of making journeys, comfort and journey time [16] 

Satisfaction with value for money is consistently lower than overall satisfaction 

for all transport types [16] 


Access to the internet is almost universal among young Londoners (99 per cent of 

16 to 24 year olds access the internet compared with 92 per cent of all Londoners). 

The use of smartphones among Londoners aged 16-24 is very high (96 per cent 

compared with 77 per cent all Londoners) [15]. 

Among Londoners aged 16-24, 83 per cent claim to access the TfL website 

compared to 78 per cent of all Londoners [15]. 



Introduction 

For many younger people, travel represents a gateway to adulthood, enabling 

independence, socialisation and a recognition of maturity. Children may be 

accessing transport with an adult, but as Londoners get older they start to travel 

more with friends and on their own [56]. 

Combined with the high proportion of younger people in education rather than 

employment, this means that travel patterns can differ from the wider London 

population. 

Throughout this chapter, we focus on Londoners under the age of 25. Where 

possible, we have broken data down to reveal differences by those aged 5-10, 11- 

15 and 16-24. In some cases, data is not available to provide this breakdown and 

therefore age groups are shown as close to this breakdown as possible. 

Note that the differences highlighted between young people in this chapter may 

well be influenced by a number of factors other than age, with gender, income, 

working status and education all affecting perceptions towards travel in London 

and travel behaviour. 

Market research best practice imposes a number of limitations when interviewing 

people under the age of 16. While some surveys do include this audience (after 

parental permission is gained) many limit themselves to those aged 16 or over. 

 

 

Throughout the report, we have noted the ages covered by each data point 

Please note that LTDS data reported in this document does not include results 

from children under five years old 



Profile of younger Londoners 

Thirty-two per cent of the London population is aged 24 years old or under, 20 per 

cent are 15 years old and under, and 12 per cent are aged between 16 and 24 years 

old [2]. 

Age profile of Londoners (2011 Census) [2] 

% 2011 Census 

Proportion who are 

girls/ 

women 

0-4 7 49 

5-9 6 49 

10-15 7 49 

16-24 12 50 

25-64 57 50 

65+ 11 56 

While for Londoners in older age groups there is a higher proportion of women 

than men, in younger age groups the proportions are more even, with 49 per cent 

of Londoners aged under 25 being girls or women and 51 per cent being boys or 

men [2]. 

The main differences between all Londoners and younger Londoners relate to 

ethnicity, working status and disability levels. Among younger Londoners (aged 

under 25), 51 per cent are BAME Londoners compared with 40 per cent of all 

Londoners. With each progressively younger age group, the proportion of BAME 

Londoners increases [2]. 

While 11 per cent of all Londoners define themselves as disabled, the figure for 

Londoners aged under 25 is four per cent [12]. 

Within this document there are two main sources of demographic data: the Office 

for National Statistics 2011 Census and the London Travel Demand Survey. The 


LTDS. Data from both sources are in line with each other. However there may be 

differences to specific reported numbers or proportions between sources due to 

methodological and timing differences. 



LTDS demographic profile of younger Londoners (2013/14) [12] 

% All Aged 24 & 5-10 11-15 16-24 

Londoners under 

Base (15,700) (4,220) (1,417) (954) (1,849) 

Gender 

Men 49 51 52 52 50 

Women 51 49 48 48 50 

Ethnicity 

White 62 52 47 52 55 

BAME 37 47 52 47 44 


Less than £10,000 17 20 21 19 20 

£10,000–£19,999 19 21 22 22 20 

£20,000–£34,999 20 20 20 19 21 

£35,000–£49,999 13 12 12 12 12 

£50,000–£74,999 15 14 13 14 14 

£75,000+ 16 13 13 14 13 


Working full-time 47 24 

Working part-time 11 8 

Student 10 54 

Retired 15 - 

Not working 16 12 

Disabled 

Yes 11 4 3 3 4 

No 89 96 97 97 96 


Yes 10 3 3 3 3 

No 90 97 97 97 97 



disability or health issue that impacts on their daily activities, the work they can do, or limits their ability to travel 



Ethnicity 

One of the largest differences in the profile of younger Londoners compared with 

all Londoners is in terms of ethnicity. This is particularly evident for Londoners 

under 16; 54 per cent of this age group are BAME Londoners [2]. 

Children aged 0-15 are considerably more likely to be from the African ethnic 

group than all Londoners; 11 per cent of children aged 0-15 living in London are 

from the African ethnic group compared with seven per cent of all Londoners [2]. 

Ethnicity by age [2] 

Age group 

Ethnic group % All 0-15 16-24 0-24 

White: total 60 46 53 49 

English/Welsh/Scottish/Northern Irish/British 45 36 41 38 

Irish 2 1 1 1 

Gypsy or Irish Traveller - - - - 

Other white 13 9 11 10 

Black/African/Caribbean/black British: total 13 19 15 17 

African 7 11 8 10 

Caribbean 4 4 4 4 

Other black 2 4 2 3 

Asian/Asian British: total 18 20 22 21 

Indian 7 5 7 6 

Pakistani 3 4 4 4 

Bangladeshi 3 4 4 4 

Chinese 2 1 3 2 

Other Asian 5 5 5 5 

Mixed/multiple ethnic group: total 5 11 7 9 

White and black Caribbean 1 3 2 3 

White and black African 1 2 1 1 

White and Asian 1 3 2 2 

Other Mixed 1 3 2 2 

Other ethnic group: total 3 4 4 4 

Arab 1 2 2 2 

Any other ethnic group 2 2 2 2 




According to the LTDS, 54 per cent of 16 to 24 year old Londoners are students, 24 

per cent are employed full-time and eight per cent are employed part-time [12]. 

Data from the Census shows that a similar proportion of younger Londoners are 

employed full-time. However, the Census indicates more part-time and 

economically inactive Londoners than the data from LTDS [2]. This is likely to be 

due to the different definitions of employment status and economic activity 

between the two datasets. 

Census economic activity among Londoners aged 16+ [2] 

% All Londoners 16-24 

Full-time employment 46 26 

Part-time employment 16 18 

Unemployed 6 12 

Economically inactive 33 44 

Younger Londoners are marginally more likely to have a lower household income 

than all Londoners. Among Londoners aged under 25, 41 per cent have household 

income less than £20,000, compared to 36 per cent of all Londoners [12]. 


The boroughs with the highest proportion of younger residents are: 

London boroughs with the highest proportion of younger residents [12] 

Borough 

% of younger residents 

Barking and Dagenham 36 

Newham 32 


Islington 31 

Camden 31 

Enfield 31 




The boroughs with the lowest proportion of younger residents are: 

London boroughs with the lowest proportion of younger residents [12] 

Borough 

% of younger residents 

City of London 6 

Merton 24 

Wandsworth 24 

Kensington and Chelsea 24 

Sutton 25 

Bromley 25 






Younger Londoners tend to make fewer trips per weekday than Londoners overall. 

Londoners aged under 25 make an average of 2.4 weekday trips compared to 2.7 

trips per weekday made by all Londoners. 

Average number of weekday trips (2013/14) [12] 

Average number of 

weekday trips 

Londoners aged 5-10 2.4 




All Londoners 2.7 


Walking is the most common type of transport used by younger Londoners (aged 

under 25); almost all (99 per cent) walk at least once a week [12]. 

After walking, travelling by bus is the most common transport option for all 

Londoners and for younger Londoners; 61 per cent of all Londoners use the bus at 

least once a week compared with 71 per cent of Londoners aged under 25. Bus use 

among 16 to 24 year olds is higher, with 80 per cent using the bus each week [12]. 

Travelling by car as a passenger decreases as younger Londoners achieve greater 

independence. Around three-quarters of Londoners aged under 16 (76 per cent) 

travel by car as a passenger each week compared with 55 per cent of Londoners 

between the age of 16 and 24 [12]. 

For both National Rail and the Underground, higher proportions of people aged 

16-24 use these types of transport at least once a week than all Londoners. For 

National Rail, 17 per cent of all Londoners use the service at least once week 

compared to 21 per cent for Londoners aged 16-24. For the Underground, 39 per 

cent of all Londoners use the service at least once a week compared to 52 per cent 

of Londoners aged 16-24 [12]. 




% All 

Aged 24 & 

under 

5-10 11-15 16-24 

Base (15,700) (4,220) (1,417) (954) (1,849) 


Bus 61 71 48 81 80 


Car (as a driver) 39 8 - - 17 

Tube 39 33 11 17 52 





DLR 4 4 2 2 7 

Tram (London Tramlink) 2 2 1 3 2 

Motorbike 1 - - - 1 


Where there is more detailed information on individual types of transport, we 



Almost all Londoners walk at least once a week. Younger Londoners are more 

likely to walk almost every day (5+ days a week) with 92 per cent of Londoners 

aged under 25 stating this compared with 83 per cent of all Londoners [12]. 


% All 

Aged 24 & 

under 

5-10 11-15 16-24 

Base (15,700) (4,220) (1,417) (954) (1,849) 


3 or 4 days a week 6 3 3 2 4 

2 days a week 4 2 3 2 2 

1 day a week 3 1 2 1 1 

At least once a fortnight 1 - - - - 

At least once a month 1 - - - - 

At least once a year 1 - - - 1 

Not used in last year 1 - - - - 

Never used - - - - - 




We asked Londoners how often they walk for various purposes. The table below 

compares the proportions of all Londoners and 16 to 24 year old Londoners 

making each type of walking journey at least once a week. A higher proportion of 

16 to 24 year olds make every type of journey at least once a week, except running 

errands [19]. 


% who walk at least once a week to… All 16-24 

Base (1,000) (69) 

Walk… 


To complete small errands such as getting a 


86 81 



To visit pubs/restaurants/cinemas and other 

social places 

53 53 


Bus 

Regular bus use is common among younger Londoners. Seventy-one per cent of 

Londoners under 25 years old use the bus at least once a week and 40 per cent use 

the bus almost every day (5+ times a week) [12]. For some young people in 

London, the bus offers a more social form of transport (while not being as 

expensive as other social types of transport such as the Tube) [56]. 

‘We like to get the bus because you can catch up and have a good chat.’ (Girl, 15 

years old) 

‘We just like hanging out with our friends on the back of the bus.’ (Boy, 15 years 

old) [56] 


% All 

Aged 24 & 

under 

5-10 11-15 16-24 

Base (15,700) (4,220) (1,417) (954) (1,849) 


3 or 4 days a week 12 11 6 10 14 

2 days a week 11 10 12 9 10 

1 day a week 10 10 13 9 8 









Londoners aged 16-19 are more likely to travel by bus for school or education and 

to visit friends and relatives both during the day and at night, compared to all bus 

users. However, they are less likely to travel by bus for work purposes than bus 

users overall [28]. 

Purpose of bus journey by age and time of day (2014) [28] 


At night 

% All Aged 16-19 All Aged 16-19 

Base (weighted) (37,585) (3,574) (9,121) (862) 


To/from 


7 36 4 13 




9 13 13 20 

Leisure 9 11 21 23 



Car 

Travelling as a passenger in a car is common among younger Londoners. Two 

thirds (66 per cent) travel this way at least once a week. Travelling by car as a 

passenger is much more frequent among Londoners under the age of 16; 76 per 

cent of Londoners aged between five and 15 are car passengers at least once a 

week [12]. 

Thirty-four per cent of Londoners aged 17-24 hold a full driving licence; this 

compares to 64 per cent of all Londoners [12]. 

Proportion of Londoners aged 17 and over with a full car driving licence (2013/14) [12] 

% All 17-24 25+ 

Base (13,127) (1,647) (11,480) 

Holds a full car driving licence 64 34 69 



Londoners aged 16-24 are marginally less likely to live in a household with access 

to a car than all Londoners (59 per cent of 16 to 24 year olds compared with 66 per 

cent of all Londoners). Younger Londoners however - those aged between 5 and 

16 years old - are more likely to have access to car [12]. 


% All 5-16 16-24 

Base (15,700) (2,371) (1,849) 

0 cars 35 29 41 

1 car 46 53 35 

2+ cars 20 17 24 


Tube 

Thirty-three per cent of younger Londoners use the Tube at least once a week, 

which is lower than the proportion for all Londoners (39 per cent). Broadly, the 

propensity to use the TTube at least once a week among younger Londoners 

increases with age; 16 to 24 year olds are the most likely to use the Tube at least 

once a week (52 per cent of 16 to 24 year olds use the Tube at least once a week 

compared with 17 per cent of 11 to 15 year olds and 11 per cent of 5 to 10 year olds) 

[12]. 


% All 

Aged 24 & 

under 

5-10 11-15 16-24 

Base (15,700) (4,220) (1,417) (954) (1,849) 

5 or more days a week 15 11 - 3 21 

3 or 4 days a week 7 6 1 1 11 

2 days a week 8 6 2 5 9 

1 day a week 9 9 8 8 10 










The same proportion of younger Londoners (aged 16-24) as all Londoners 

sometimes cycle in London; 18 per cent of 16 to 24 year olds sometimes use a 

bicycle to get around London. Fourteen per cent of younger Londoners cycle 

regularly (at least once a week) in London [17]. 


% All 16-24 

Base (2,192) (281) 

Cyclist (sometimes uses a bike to get around 

London) 

Non-cyclist (never uses a bike to get around 

London) 

17 

83 

18 

82 

The frequency of cycling among 16 to 24 year old Londoners is in line with the 

frequency among all Londoners [17]. 


% All 16-24 

Base (2,192) (281) 





At least once a fortnight 1 - 



Not used in last year - - 


Most Londoners know how to ride a bike (83 per cent of all Londoners can ride a 

bicycle). The proportion is even higher among younger Londoners aged 16-24 (88 

per cent of 16 to 24 year olds can ride a bicycle) [17]. 


% All 16-24 

Base (2,192) (281) 





TfL has developed a behavioural change model to look at Londoners’ readiness to 

cycle or cycle more. Sixty-nine per cent of Londoners classified themselves as 

being in the ‘pre-contemplation’ category (defined in the table below). Younger 

Londoners are equally likely to be in the ‘pre-contemplation’ stage as the all 

Londoners average (64 per cent among 16 to 24 year olds and 69 per cent among 

all Londoners) [17]. 

A slightly higher proportion of younger Londoners are in the ‘contemplation’ 

phase (15 per cent of 16 to 24 year olds compared with 10 per cent of all 

Londoners); this phase relates to thinking about cycling soon. 

A similar proportion of 16-24 year olds to all Londoners (nine per cent compared 

with 10 per cent all Londoners) are classified as being in the ‘sustained change’ 

category, meaning that they started cycling a while ago and are still doing it 

occasionally or regularly [17]. 


% All 16-24 

Base (all) (2,192) (281) 


‘You have never thought about it, but would be unlikely to start in the future’ 




‘You are thinking about starting soon’ 

Preparation: 


Change: 

‘You have tried to start recently, but am finding it difficult’ 

‘You have started recently and am finding it quite easy so far’ 


‘You started a while ago and am still doing it occasionally’ 

‘You started a while ago and am still doing it regularly’ 

Lapsed: 

‘You started doing this but couldn’t stick to it’ 

69 64 

10 15 

3 3 

2 3 

10 9 

6 7 

Among younger people who do not cycle, there are several perceived barriers. For 

some people aged 16-19, cycling is strongly associated with childhood and 

therefore they are keen to distance themselves from this youthful association. For 

others, using a bike to travel can limit spontaneity and is less sociable than other 

transport types such as the bus. Other possible barriers focus on the cost of buying 

and maintaining a bike, and the possibility of getting dirty/messing up clothing 

and hair through cycling [57]. 

A key barrier to younger Londoners cycling, particularly younger children, is the 

perceived safety of the cycling environment by parents. This remains a strong 

barrier, even when the parent perceives their child to be a skilful cyclist [63]. 




Most Londoners aged between 16 and 24 are aware of Cycle Hire (85 per cent), but 

this is a little bit lower than the proportion of all Londoners (91 per cent) [17]. 

Thirty-two per cent of casual Cycle Hire users (defined as not having a Cycle Hire 

key) are aged between 16 and 24 but only three per cent of members are aged 16- 

24 [58]. 

Thirty-eight per cent of younger Londoners say that they are likely to use Cycle 

Hire in the future, a higher proportion than Londoners overall (27 per cent) [17]. 

Expected use of Cycle Hire in future (November 2014) [17] 

% All 16-24 

Base (1,180) (148) 







Awareness of Cycle Superhighways among younger Londoners is lower than 

among all Londoners; 42 per cent of Londoners aged 16-24 are aware of the 

scheme, compared with 61 per cent of all Londoners [17]. 

Expected future use of Cycle Superhighways is similar for younger Londoners 

(aged 16-24) as for all Londoners; 17 per cent say that they are likely to use Cycle 

Superhighways in the future compared to 23 per cent of all Londoners [17]. 


% All 16-24 

Base (1,180) (148) 









Cycling education 

We manage a number of initiatives that are aimed at encouraging cycling, 

particularly for younger Londoners. These include direct support for education 

resources such as the Children’s Traffic Club, as well as supporting cycling 

initiatives within schools and colleges such as the Junior Travel Ambassadors 

programme. 

At least 95 per cent of London’s schools have established school travel plans. 

These set out how the school can encourage safe sustainable travel among the 

whole school community. Around half of London’s schools have signed up to 

STAR, the School Travel Accredited and Recognised scheme, which recognises 

schools that actively address the challenges of their travel plan. Seventy-one per 

cent of participating STAR schools reported that cycling had increased since they 

participated in the scheme and 86 per cent said that walking had increased. Most 

schools put this down to the STAR programme at least in part [59]. 

Since 2006, TfL has funded Bike It, an initiative to encourage cycling within the 

school environment. Bike It officers now work in more than 100 schools. In Bike It 

schools, six per cent of journeys to and from school are made by bike compared 

with three per cent at non-Bike It schools [60]. 


Travel choices are thought to change through two key stages in younger people’s 

lives. The first transition occurs with the shift from primary to secondary 

education. Key determinants of travel choices at this stage are to do with 

independence and peer influence. For many young people, travel enables 

independence, socialisation and recognition of maturity. Younger Londoners aged 

between 11 and 15 increasingly travel independently, although they may have 

limited knowledge of public transport [56]. 

When people reach the age of 16 to 18, travel becomes less orientated around 

having fun and is perceived as a means to an end, at which point practicalities 

(such as cost and speed of journey) become more important in determining travel 

choices [56]. 

Three-fifths of the journeys made by Londoners aged between five and 15 are for 

education-related reasons. Shopping and personal business trips are more 

common among Londoners aged 16-24 than those under 16 [12]. 

Among Londoners aged 16-24, 15 per cent of weekday journeys are to travel to 

and from a usual place of work and a further six per cent are for other work-related 

reasons [12]. 




% All Aged 24 & 

under 


5-10 11-15 16-24 

Shopping/personal business 24 16 13 13 20 

Usual workplace 20 7 - - 15 

Leisure 23 26 22 24 29 

Education 19 42 59 60 25 

Other work-related 8 3 - - 6 

Other 6 5 5 4 5 


Travel to/from school 

The most common form of transport to and from school among Londoners aged 

under 16 is walking. Forty-four per cent of school journeys are made on foot [12]. 

Walking is more common among children aged between 5 and 10 than those aged 

between 11 and 15 (54 per cent among 5 to 10 year olds compared with 31 per cent 

among 11 to 15 year olds) [12]. 

The proportion of younger Londoners using the bus to get to and from school also 

changes between children aged 5-10 and 11-15; 14 per cent of 5 to 10 year old 

Londoners use the bus to travel to and from school compared with 45 per cent of 

11 to 15 year olds [12]. 

The next most common form of transport to and from school is the car (as a 

passenger). Travelling by car is more common for younger children (28 per cent of 

5 to 10 year old Londoners compared with 14 per cent of 11 to 15 year olds) [12]. 

Main types of travel to school (2013/14) [12] 

% 5-15 5-10 11-15 

Base (2,371) (1,417) (954) 

Walking 44 54 31 

Bus 27 14 45 

Car (as a passenger) 22 28 14 

Tube 1 - 2 

National Rail/Overground 1 - 1 

Cycling 1 1 2 


The average length of a journey to school increases from 1.6 miles among 5 to 10 

year olds to 3.7 miles among 11 to 16 year olds [54]. 



Average length of journey to/from school for Londoners (2013) [54] 

Miles 5-10 11-16 

Average length of trip 1.6 3.7 

Ticket types 

Younger Londoners have a variety of ticket options available to them: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Under five years old – travel free with a paying adult 

Five to 10 year olds – travel free with a paying adult or free with a 5-10 Zip 

Oyster photocard. Fares are applied on most National Rail services. However, a 

5-10 Oyster photocard can be obtained that enables a discounted child rate 

which is cheaper than paying cash 

Eleven to 15 year olds – free travel on buses and trams and pay child fares on 

the Tube, DLR, Overground and some National Rail services with an 11-15 Zip 

Oyster photocard. Eleven to 15 year olds can also travel free on Tube, DLR and 

London Overground services at any time as long as they are accompanied by 

an adult using a valid Visitor Oyster card or Travelcard ticket 

Children aged 5-15 pay child rate fares on the Emirates Air Line 

Sixteen to 18 year olds who live in a London borough can travel free on buses 

and trams, and also use pay as you go at half the adult rate on all other TfL 

services (subject to specific age and full-time education status criteria) 

Students aged 18 years old and over receive a reduction of 30 per cent against 

adult rate Travelcards, bus and tram passes 

Apprentices receive a reduction of 30 per cent against adult rate Travelcards, 

bus and tram passes 

The proportion of 16 to 24 year olds with an Oyster card is 75 per cent – higher 

than all Londoners (60 per cent of all Londoners have an Oyster card). Young 

people under 16 are considerably less likely to have an Oyster card (30 per cent of 

11 to 15 year olds have one), reflecting the greater opportunities for free or 

reduced travel for this age group [12]. 

Londoners aged 16-24 are more likely than all Londoners to use an Oyster pay as 

you go card (67 per cent compared with 58 per cent) [32]. 


% All 16-24 

Base: Public transport users: (975) (110) 









Possession of an Oyster card (2013/14) [12] 

% All 

Aged 24 & 

under 

5-10 11-15 16-24 

Base (15,700) (4,220) (1,417) (954) (1,849) 

Have an Oyster card 60 44 1 30 75 

Do not have an Oyster card 40 56 99 70 25 



Possession of passes/cards entitling the holder to free or reduced travel is higher 

among under 25 year olds than all Londoners; it is particularly elevated for 11 to 15 

year olds with 83 per cent in possession of a free bus travel pass [12]. 

This data reflects possession, rather than use of passes/cards for free or reduced 

travel. 

Possession of pass/card entitling free travel/reduced fares (2013/14) [12] 

% All 

Aged 24 & 

under 

5-10 11-15 16-24 

Base (15,700) (4,220) (1,417) (954) (1,849) 

Free bus travel pass 9 32 7 83 25 

Free Tube/rail travel pass 1 2 2 2 1 

Reduced bus travel pass 3 6 - 2 11 

Reduced Tube/rail travel 

pass 

9 21 2 32 28 

*Note that LTDS data excludes children aged under five. 



Barriers 


For younger Londoners aged between 16 and 24 years old the issue that they most 

commonly say prevents them from using public transport more often is 

overcrowded services. This is also the most commonly mentioned barrier for all 

Londoners (65 per cent of 16 to 24 year old Londoners compared with 59 per cent 

all Londoners) [14]. 

Following overcrowded services, the second most mentioned issue is slow journey 

times. Fifty per cent of younger Londoners say that slow journey times stop them 

from using public transport more often, compared with 41 per cent of all 

Londoners. Other areas where a greater proportion of younger Londoners report 

barriers than all Londoners are: 

Unreliable services (46 per cent of 16 to 24 year olds compared with 37 per 

cent of all Londoners) 

Dirty environment on the bus/train (37 per cent compared with 28 per cent) 

Dirty environment getting to the bus/train (24 per cent compared with 18 

per cent) 

Risk of accidents (14 per cent compared with 9 per cent) [14]. 


% All 16-24 

Base (4,005) (299) 









24 28 


Fear about knife crime 20 23 



Graffiti 10 9 


transport 

10 8 










 

 

 

 

 





Don’t know 

The majority of Londoners fall into the ‘unworried’ category which means that 

they are generally unworried about their personal security in London, and have 

experienced no incidents that made them feel worried in the last three months. 

The proportion of younger Londoners (16-24) who are ‘unworried’ is in line with 

the average across all Londoners (73 per cent of 16 to 24 year olds compared with 

75 per cent all Londoners) [14]. 


% All 16-24 

Base (4,005) (299) 



Anxious 6 5 

Worried 6 6 


A similar pattern is observed for each typology of worry with younger Londoners 

(16-24) in line with all Londoners [14]. 

We observed very little difference between the levels of concern about personal 

security when using public transport in London between those aged 16-24 and all 



Apr/ Jul/ Oct 2014) [14] 

% All 16-24 

Base (4,005) (299) 








A similar proportion of younger Londoners and all Londoners take precautions 

against crime when using public transport (36 per cent aged 16-24 compared with 

38 per cent all Londoners). [14] 

The most common precaution for both younger and all Londoners is to sit by other 

people (47 per cent of 16 to 24 year olds compared with 34 per cent of all 

Londoners). Younger Londoners are more likely to say that they travel with 

someone else as a precaution against crime (43 per cent of 16 to 24 year olds 

compared with 23 per cent of all Londoners), that they use a different route to 

travel (28 per cent of 16 to 24 year olds compared with 15 per cent of all 

Londoners) and that they avoid using specific types of transport (20 per cent of 16 

to 24 year olds compared with 12 per cent of all Londoners). Younger Londoners 

are also less likely than all Londoners to say that they look after their belongings 

(17 per cent aged of 16 to 24 year olds compared with 29 per cent of all Londoners) 

or stay aware and vigilant when travelling (four per cent of 16 to 24 year olds 

compared with 15 per cent of all Londoners) [14]. 


% All 16-24 

Base (all who take precautions) (1,507) (110) 

Sat near to other people 34 47 

Look after my belongings 29 17 

Travelled with someone else 23 43 

Travel at a different time of day 16 23 

Used a different route 15 28 

Stay aware/vigilant 15 4 

Avoided using that transport type 12 20 

Only take necessities with me 3 2 

Carry a personal alarm 3 - 

Note responses 2% or below among all Londoners not shown. 

In terms of actual experiences, the proportion of younger Londoners who have felt 

worried about their personal security when using public transport in the past three 

months is higher than the average across all Londoners (20 per cent of 16 to 24 

year olds compared with 17 per cent all Londoners). Younger Londoners who have 

experienced a worrying incident in the three months prior to being surveyed were 

much more likely to have experienced this during night-time (71 per cent of the 

most recent episodes of worry were experienced in the night-time compared with 

58 per cent among all Londoners who have experienced a worrying incident) [14]. 

Those who have felt worried about their personal security when using public 

transport in the last three months were asked on which type of transport they 

experienced this event. Younger Londoners are more likely than all Londoners to 

have experienced the last worrying incident on a bus (65 per cent of those aged 

16-24 experiencing a worry event compared with 48 per cent all Londoners) [14]. 



Crime and antisocial behaviour concerns affect frequency of travel on the Tube, bus or 

National Rail ‘a little’ or ‘a lot’ for slightly more than half of Londoners (53 per cent). The 

frequency of public transport use being affected ‘a little’ or ‘a lot’ among 16 to 24 year olds 

is higher, with 65 per cent saying that their frequency of use is affected a little or a lot [14]. 



% All 16-24 

Base (4,005) (299) 






Buses 17 25 


After dark: 



Buses 42 55 




The use of illegal (unbooked) minicabs 

We have run the Safer Travel at Night (STaN) campaign since 2003, aiming to 

reduce the use of illegal (unbooked) minicabs. We target our communication 

campaigns in this area particularly at young women aged between 16 and 34 [36]. 

We conduct research every year to monitor the use of unbooked minicabs among 

our target audience and we also evaluate the communications campaign to 

determine its effectiveness. 

One per cent of those aged 16-24 used an illegal (unbooked) minicab to reach their 

onward destination on the night that we interviewed them. This is the same 

proportion as all of those we interviewed 7 [36]. 

The future likelihood of using an unbooked minicab stands at 19 per cent for 16 to 

24 year olds [36]. 

The use of illegal (unbooked) minicabs (2015) [36] 

% All 16-34 

Use of illegal minicabs 

Base (651) (554) 

Used an illegal minicab to reach onward 

destination on night of interview 

1 1 

Likely to use illegal minicab in future 19 19 

Unlikely to use illegal minicab in future 80 79 

We have included more information on STaN in the chapter on women. 

Road traffic injuries 

Despite a spike in the number of children reported killed or seriously injured in 

London in 2012, the most up-to-date figures show a return to the declining trend 

(from 331 in 2007 to 187 in 2013) [18]. 

Number of reported killed or seriously injured child road casualties in London over time 

[18] 

Number 0-15 16-24 

2007 331 696 

2008 310 665 

2009 263 598 

2010 250 515 

2011 230 510 

2012 270 496 

2013 187 385 

7 The sample for this study comprises people recruited in the queues of popular London late night venues, and 

is therefore not necessarily reflective of the London population as a whole. 



We have run a number of successful Teen Road Safety campaigns where recall and 

awareness of our communications is high. However, the campaigns appear to 

have more impact on knowledge than behaviour [61]. Eighty-eight per cent of 11 

to 15 year olds recognise that ‘It’s important to stop and think before crossing the 

road’, and yet there are some residual attitudes among younger Londoners which 

reveal a potentially unsafe approach to road safety. Forty-four per cent agree they 

take no notice of road safety, 40 per cent say that they cross the road anywhere 

rather than going out of their way to use a crossing and 37 per cent run across the 

road [62]. 

This is confirmed in other research which suggests that young people can often be 

distracted by their friends and their belongings (such as phones and headphones) 

when crossing the road [61]. 

The proportion of those aged 11-15 who agree that they are always/usually careful 

when crossing the road with friends stands at 73 per cent. However, 36 per cent 

say they always/usually look at their phones while crossing the road [62]. 



Changing behaviours 

We have run several campaigns to encourage safer travel behaviours, conducting 

research while we developed of these communications. Our research showed us 

that to encourage safer behaviour among younger people when crossing roads, 

any communications campaigns that we create need an emotional motivator 

alongside a directional reminder. Friendship is considered to be a strong 

emotional motivator. Our directional reminders focus on road safety lessons from 

childhood (for example, Stop, Look, Listen, Think.) [61]. 

In 2014, we trialled ‘Children’s Traffic Club’ (CTC), a new initiative to improve 

awareness and understanding of road safety among younger children. CTC 

included a series of DVDs and interactive exercises. Engagement was high, with 

94 per cent of parents who were sent the books using at least one of the materials 

and 75 per cent using all the materials. At least 70 per cent of parents found these 

materials easy to use or interesting for their children [64]. 

CTC had a positive impact on children’s attitudes and behaviour. Eighty-seven per 

cent of parents agreed that their child seemed ‘more aware of road safety and 

potential dangers’ as a result of CTC. Furthermore, the majority of parents noticed 

an improvement in their child’s actual behaviour when crossing roads. Over 70 per 

cent of parents agreed that their child stopped at the kerb to look and listen more, 

waited until the safe to cross light went green at pelican crossings before crossing 

or pressed the button for the green light more often. Sixty-eight per cent reported 

that their child stopped walking or running near roads more when they were told 

to [64]. 





We measure overall satisfaction with various transport types in London on an 11- 

point scale, with 10 representing extremely satisfied and zero representing 

extremely dissatisfied. We then scale this up to 100). 

We have standardised satisfaction ratings which we have laid out in the table 

below. This allows us to apply consistent analysis across a wide range of 

satisfaction research. 

Average rating 

Level of satisfaction 

Under 50 









We do not collect customer satisfaction data from people aged under 16. 

There is very little difference between the satisfaction levels of younger people 

and those of all Londoners. 



Overall satisfaction with transport types (2014/15) [16] 

Satisfaction score (0-100) All 16-24 16-19 20-24 

Bus services 

Base (14,155) (2,802) (1,501) (1,301) 

Satisfaction score 85 84 84 84 

Bus stations 

Base (3,626) (935) (388) (547) 


Night bus 

Base (910) (266) (76) (190) 


Underground 

Base (17,634) (3,657) (904) (2,753) 


Overground 

Base (5,397) (1,216) (290) (926) 


DLR 

Base (13,398) (3,231) (790) (2,441) 


Trams 

Base (4,329) (709) (400) (309) 



Base (1,204) (448) (129) (319) 



Base (2,106) (192) (35*) (157) 

Satisfaction score 90 89 - 89 


Satisfaction is not shown for Dial-a-Ride, black cabs, minicabs and Woolwich Ferry due to small base sizes. 




Bus 

Satisfaction among bus users is good/fairly high at 85 out of 100. Satisfaction 

among younger customers aged 16-24 is in line with customers overall (84 out of 

100 among 16 to 24 year olds compared with 85 out of 100 of all customers) [16]. 

Satisfaction with safety and security at the bus stop/shelter and safety and 

security on board buses is also the same between younger and all customers (86 

out of 100 for both younger and all customers for safety and security at bus 

stop/shelter, and 89 out of 100 for both younger and all customers for safety and 

security on board the bus) [16]. 

Overall satisfaction with buses has increased over time for younger customers – 

from 73 out of 100 in 2002/03 to 84 in 2014/15. This is in line with trends seen 

among all customers [16]. 


100 

90 

80 

70 

60 

50 

40 

30 

20 

10 

0 

76 77 78 78 77 79 80 79 80 80 82 83 85 

73 74 75 74 75 78 77 78 78 78 81 81 84 

All customers 

16 to 24 year old customers 




Younger customers’ satisfaction with the value for money of bus services is also in 

line with the average for all customers (70 out of 100 among 16 to 24 year olds 

compared with 72 out of 100 all customers) [16]. 

Satisfaction with value for money with buses over time [16] 

100 

90 

80 

70 

60 

78 77 

75 73 

72 72 71 

68 

66 66 

74 74 73 

72 71 72 

69 

67 

66 68 

65 66 

71 72 

70 70 

50 

40 

30 

20 

10 

0 


All customers 


Ease of making journeys, journey time and comfort inside the bus are key factors 

for younger people in terms of bus customer satisfaction scores. Satisfaction 

among 16 to 19 year olds is also driven by safety and security at stops and shelters, 

while for slightly older customers (20 to 24 year olds), interior information is a 

driver of satisfaction [16]. 


All customers 16-19 20-24 

Journey time Ease of making journey Journey time 

Ease of making journey Comfort inside the bus Ease of making journey 


Safety and security at stops 

and shelters 

Interior information 

Satisfaction with info on delays 

at stop 





Driver approachability and 

helpfulness 




Tube 

Satisfaction with the Tube among younger customers (16 to 24 year olds) is 

almost the same as for all customers, (85 out of 100 compared with 84 out of 100 

all customers) [16]. 

Satisfaction with safety and security in the station scores fairly highly at 86 out of 

100 for both young people and all customers, and safety on the train also scores 

highly (88 out of 100 for young people and 87 out of 100 for all customers) [16]. 

Overall, satisfaction with the Tube has risen considerably among younger 

customers and all customers in recent years. Among 16 to 24 year olds, 

satisfaction has risen from 74 out of 100 in 2002/03 to 85 out of 100 in 2014/15 [16]. 


100 

90 

80 

70 

60 

75 76 78 78 76 77 

74 76 77 77 76 77 

79 79 79 80 

79 80 78 80 

83 83 85 

83 82 

84 

50 

40 

30 

20 

10 

0 

All customers 





Satisfaction with value for money of the Tube is lower than overall satisfaction. 

Customers aged 16-24 give the Tube a score of 67 out of 100, which is slightly 

lower than the score given by all customers of 69 out of 100 [16]. 


100 

90 

80 

70 

60 

50 

63 64 62 62 61 63 

60 61 59 58 58 

61 

65 67 

63 

67 

65 

62 

62 

60 

66 67 

64 64 

69 

67 

40 

30 

20 

10 

0 


All customers 


Ease of making journeys, comfort and length of journey are the three main drivers 

of customer satisfaction among younger Tube users. These factors are also the 

top three drivers of all Tube customer satisfaction [16]. 


All customers 16-19 20-24 

Ease of making journey Ease of making journey Ease of making journey 

Length of journey time Comfort of journey Length of journey time 

Comfort of journey Length of journey time Comfort of journey 

Length of time waiting for train Train driver announcements Personal safety on train 

Personal safety on train Helpfulness of PA Smoothness of journey 



Overground 

Overall satisfaction with the Overground is good/fairly high among younger 

customers at 83 out 100. This is the same score given by all customers [16]. 


Satisfaction score All 16-24 16-19 20-24 

(0-100) 

Base 2014/15 (5,397) (1,216) (290) (926) 

2009/10 73 74 76 73 

2010/11 80 79 79 80 

2011/12 82 81 80 81 

2012/13 82 82 80 82 

2013/14 82 81 80 81 

2014/15 83 83 84 83 

As seen in our research results for the Tube and buses, value for money 

satisfaction scores for the Overground are lower than the overall satisfaction 

score. Younger customers rate overall satisfaction with value for money with the 

Overground at 72 out of 100, and this is in line with all customers who rate value 

for money at 73 out of 100. There has been little change in people’s perception of 

value for money over the past three years, except among 16 to 19 year olds, whose 

level of satisfaction has risen by 10 points from 67 to 77 out of 100 [16]. 



(0-100) 

Base 2014/15 (5,182) (1,180) (287) (893) 

2011/12 72 70 67 70 

2012/13 71 70 68 70 

2013/14 70 68 71 67 

2014/15 73 72 77 71 




Customer satisfaction among younger Overground users is driven by similar 

factors to all customers. However, younger users tend to be more focused on 

information at stations than all customers [16]. 


All customers Aged 16-24 





Information about service disruption on the 



Information about service disruptions at the 

station 


Comfort while waiting for the train 

Information about service disruption on the 



Overall satisfaction with the DLR is rated ‘fairly high’ among younger customers at 

88 out of 100. This is in line with the average given by all customers (89 out 100). 

The last three years have seen much higher satisfaction with the DLR amongst 

both younger and all customers [16]. 



(0-100) 

Base 2014/15 (13,398) (3,231) (790) (2,441) 

2009/10 81 80 79 80 

2010/11 81 81 78 82 

2011/12 82 82 82 82 

2012/13 87 87 86 87 

2013/14 87 87 86 87 

2014/15 89 88 88 88 

Value for money satisfaction with the DLR among younger customers is in line 

with customers overall (77 out of 100 for both 16 to 24 year old customers and all 

customers). Satisfaction with value for money amongst younger customers 

returns to a higher level after a drop in 2013/14 [16]. 





(0-100) 

Base 2014/15 (12,839) (3,103) (756) (2,347) 

2011/12 72 70 71 70 

2012/13 74 71 72 71 

2013/14 75 73 75 72 

2014/15 77 77 79 76 


The key drivers of satisfaction for the DLR are very similar for young people (16- 

24) and DLR customers, namely ease of making journeys, reliability of the service, 

length of the journey time and feeling valued as a customer [16]. 


All customers 16-24 










Length of time waited for the train 



Trams 

Overall satisfaction with London’s trams is high among customers at 89 out of 

100. This is very similar among younger users (88 out of 100). Satisfaction 

amongst younger customers has been catching up with all customer satisfaction, 

having been slightly lower over the past few years [16]. 



(0-100) 

Base 2014/15 (4,329) (709) (400) (309) 

2009/10 86 83 83 84 

2010/11 85 80 79 81 

2011/12 86 81 81 80 

2012/13 89 86 85 88 

2013/14 89 86 85 88 

2014/15 89 88 88 88 

Overall satisfaction with value for money on tram services is quite good (78 out of 

100 for all customers and 81 out of 100 for 16 to 24 year olds). Those in their teens 

are generally more satisfied with value for money of trams than those in their early 

twenties [16]. 



(0-100) 

Base 2014/15 (2,824) (1,801) (1,175) (487) 

2011/12 73 75 81 66 

2012/13 77 77 82 70 

2013/14 78 79 86 72 

2014/15 78 81 86 75 



Streets 

Three quarters (76 per cent) of the younger Londoners we asked about their last 

walking journey in London were satisfied with the streets and pavements; the 

figure amongst all Londoners is 68 per cent. However, the difference between 

these data points is not statistically significant due to the limited sample size of 

younger Londoners in the survey [34]. 



Net fairly satisfied/very 

All 16-24 

satisfied (%) 

Base 2014/15 (957) (57) 

2011 64 75 

2012 68 79 

2013 69 77 

2014 68 86 

2015 68 76 

There is insufficient sample to detail satisfaction results with car journey and cycling. 


Satisfaction with the TRLN is reasonable to fairly good. Younger users of the 

TLRN give a score of 70 out of 100 for walking, 72 out of 100 for travelling by bus 

on red routes and 67 out of 100 for driving. Results are similar for younger and all 


Overall satisfaction – general impression of red routes over time 2014/15 [16] 

Satisfaction score (0-100) All 16-24 


Base 2014-15 (1,254) (125) 

2013/14 70 72 

2014/15 68 70 


Base 2014-15 (4,620) (483) 

2013/14 69 * 

2014/15 71 72 


Base 2014-15 (3,605) (169) 

2013/14 67 * 

2014/15 67 67 


Base 2014-15 (1,838) (211) 

2013/14 69 * 



2014/15 70 72 

* Denotes small base size (data is not shown in this report for base sizes of less than 50). 



Younger Londoners aged 16-24 are significantly more likely to access the internet 

than all Londoners (99 per cent of 16 to 24 year olds access the internet compared 

with 92 per cent of all Londoners). Ninety-six per cent of younger Londoners 

access the internet at home, 76 per cent ‘on the move’ and 49 per cent at work. 

Internet access on the move is considerably higher among younger Londoners 

than Londoners overall [15]. 

Internet access (Apr/ Oct 2014) [15] 

% All Londoners 16-24 

Base (2,001) (139) 

Any access 92 99 

Access at home 89 96 

Access ‘on the move’ 61 76 

Access at work 56 49 

The reasons why younger Londoners use the internet are broadly in line with all 

London internet users, but there are some notable differences. 

The largest difference in percentage points between younger Londoners and all 

Londoners in terms of internet use is for: 

Playing games (59 per cent of 16 to 24 year olds do this compared with 36 per 

cent of all Londoners, a 23 point difference) 

Social media and networking (91 per cent compared with 70 per cent) 

Watching video content (81 per cent compared with 63 per cent) 

Apps for mobile devices (81 per cent compared with 63 per cent) [15]. 



Reasons for using the internet (Apr/ Oct 2014) [15] 

% All 16-24 

Base (1,679) (138) 

Email 94 92 

Social media and networking 70 91 

Finding information 89 86 

Watching video content 63 81 

Apps for mobile devices 63 81 

Maps and directions 84 80 

Accessing live public transport information 78 77 

Buying goods/services 79 73 

Education related 64 73 

Sharing photos 58 68 

Making day-to-day travel plans 67 59 

Playing games 36 59 

Banking 68 58 

Work-related 65 51 

Contacting companies for customer service 53 37 


Ninety-six per cent of 16 to 24 year olds use a smartphone, which is a significantly 

higher proportion than Londoners overall (77 per cent) [15]. 

Proportion of Londoners who use a smartphone (iPhone, BlackBerry, other) (Apr/ Oct 

2014) [15] 

% Base Smartphone ownership 

All Londoners (2,001) 77 

16 to 24 year old Londoners (139) 96 

16 to 24 year old white 

Londoners 

16 to 24 year old BAME 

Londoners 

(70) 94 

(64) 100 

Fifty-five per cent of Londoners aged 16-24 use an iPhone and 37 per cent use an 

Android phone [15]. 

A key reason that those from younger age groups use these devices is to stay connected to 

their friends. Thirty-eight per cent of 8 to 17 year olds use devices ‘so they know what 

others are doing,’ and 30 per cent use sites for ‘fear of missing out.’[71] 




Younger Londoners (aged 16-24) are more likely than all Londoners to use the TfL 

website, with 83 per cent doing so compared with 78 per cent of all Londoners 

[15]. 

Younger users of the TfL website are more likely to visit the site on a frequent 

basis than all users. Among the 16-24 age group, 21 per cent visit www.tfl.gov.uk 

on a daily basis compared with ten per cent of all users [15]. 

Proportion of Londoners who use www.tfl.gov.uk (Apr/ Oct 2014) [15] 

% All 16-24 

Base (2,001) (139) 

Use the TfL website 78 83 

Daily 10 21 

Up to 3-4 times a week 21 20 

Up to 3-4 times a month 20 20 

About once a month 17 12 


Never 20 15 

Don’t know/ refused 2 2 

Higher proportions of users aged 16-24 (compared to all other users) visit the TfL 

website to use Journey Planner (77 per cent compared with 68 per cent), to find 

out about live travel information (35 per cent compared with 30 per cent) and to 

find out about planned works or closures (29 per cent compared with 24 per cent) 

[37]. 


% All 16-24 

Base (28,278) (3,460) 




Doing something related to Oyster cards or 

other tickets 

20 25 





Other 4 5 




Younger Londoners are more likely to seek real-time travel information than all 

Londoners (87 per cent compared with 82 per cent). Although they use them 

more, they look for similar information sources as all Londoners. The most 

commonly used source of travel information by 16 to 24 year olds is the TfL 

website (used by 53 per cent compared with 43 per cent of all Londoners), along 

with non-TfL apps which are used by 30 per cent of 16 to 24 year olds and 19 per 

cent of all Londoners. Staff, announcements or displays at stations are not so 

popular among younger Londoners in comparison to all Londoners (47 per cent of 

16 to 24 year olds compared with 54 per cent of all Londoners) [15]. 



Working together 

Understanding young Londoners’ travel needs through youth involvement 

Our Schools and Young Person Delivery Plan sets out our commitment to engage with 

young people and the organisations representing them, to communicate and develop our 

programmes. 

We engage with more than 30 organisations that work with children and young people 

across the Capital. In 2009 we introduced a Youth Panel to include a group of young 

Londoners aged between 13 and 25 in our policy-making process. 

The Youth Panel runs an annual Youth Participation Day for young people from stakeholder 

organisations and we invite them to have their say on TfL’s programmes for young people. 

Through interactive workshops, the participants explore the travel needs of young 

Londoners and share their views directly with TfL staff. 

The Youth Participation Day in November 2013 highlighted the need to continue to 

encourage young people to stay safe and act responsibly on London’s roads. It also raised 

the importance of travel to young Londoners’ independence, particularly for young 

disabled people. This has informed the priorities of the Youth Panel’s 2014 term. The panel 

is informing the development of TfL’s Teen Road Safety campaign and meeting with youth 

representatives from accessibility stakeholders. 


Disabled People 

Summary: Disabled People 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fourteen per cent of Londoners consider themselves to have a disability that impacts 

their day to day activities ‘a lot’ or ‘a little’ [2] 

Ninety per cent of disabled Londoners report that their disability limits their ability to 

travel [12] 

Disabled Londoners travel less often than non-disabled Londoners (1.9 compared with 

2.8 trips on an average weekday) [12] 

The most commonly used types of transport by disabled Londoners are walking (78 per 

cent of disabled Londoners walk at least once a week), the bus (56 per cent) and car as 

the passenger (47 per cent) [12] 

The main barriers that disabled Londoners experience and which have an impact upon 

their ability to make public transport journeys as often as they would like are often the 

same as those expressed by non-disabled Londoners, namely overcrowding and 

concerns about the antisocial behaviour of other customers. Disabled customers also 

see accessibility-related issues, cost and comfort as barriers to travel [14, 65] 

Freedom Passes are the most common ticket type used on TfL services by disabled 

Londoners (66 per cent). Twenty-seven per cent of disabled Londoners use Oyster pay 

as you go (PAYG), a considerably smaller figure than non-disabled Londoners where 

Oyster PAYG is used by 61 per cent [32] 

Internet use is lower among disabled Londoners (76 per cent compared with 93 per 

cent of non-disabled Londoners) and disabled people are also less likely to use the TfL 

website (54 per cent for disabled Londoners compared with 81 per cent for nondisabled 

Londoners) [15] 

Disabled Londoners are less likely to own a smartphone than non-disabled Londoners 

(44 per cent compared with 80 per cent) [15] 

Note: 

Throughout this report, data relating to disabled people are based on survey and Census 

results where respondents have self-defined based on standard questions. 

Transport for London – Disabled People 200


Profile of disabled Londoners 

There are several sources which aim to quantify the number of disabled people in 

London. The primary benchmark source is the 2011 Census, conducted by the 

Office for National Statistics. According to the Census, 14 per cent of Londoners 

consider themselves to have a long-term health problem or disability that limits 

their day-to-day activities ‘a lot’ or ‘a little’, which has lasted, or is expected to last 

at least 12 months [2]. 

TfL also undertakes measurement of the number of disabled people in London on 

an ongoing basis as part of our London Travel Demand Survey. This survey uses 

slightly different questions (due to the different purpose of the research). Data 

from 2013/14 shows that 11 per cent of Londoners consider that they have a longterm 

physical or mental disability or health issue that limits their daily activities, 

the work they can do and their ability to travel (this includes issues experienced by 

older customers) [12]. 

Fifty-eight per cent of disabled Londoners state that their disability affects their 

mobility, 21 per cent have a serious long-term illness and 11 per cent have a 

mental health condition [12]. It is important to note, however, that many disabled 

people experience multiple impairments. 

The profile of disabled Londoners identified in the LTDS varies from that of nondisabled 

people and Londoners overall. 

 

 

 

 

 

Fifty-six per cent of disabled Londoners are women, compared to 50 per cent 

of non-disabled Londoners 

Forty-four per cent of disabled Londoners are aged 65 or over compared to 

nine per cent of non-disabled Londoners. This older age profile of disabled 

Londoners has an influence upon many of the findings covered in this report 

Sixty-nine per cent of disabled Londoners are white, compared to 61 per cent 

of non-disabled Londoners 

Eighty-three per cent of disabled Londoners are retired or not working 

compared with 24 per cent of non-disabled Londoners 

Forty-one per cent of disabled Londoners have household income of less than 

£10,000 compared with 15 per cent of non-disabled Londoners [12] 




Disabled Londoners travel less frequently than non-disabled Londoners (1.9 

journeys per weekday compared with 2.8 for non-disabled Londoners). While the 

main transport types used by disabled Londoners are the same as those used by 

non-disabled Londoners (namely walking, bus, and car both as a driver and a 

passenger), lower proportions of disabled people use each type of transport at 

least once a week than non-disabled Londoners (with the exception of the car as a 

passenger where the same proportion of disabled and non-disabled Londoners 

travel this way at least once a week) [12]. 

Disabled Londoners are more likely to walk (78 per cent) and use buses (56 per 

cent) at least once a week than other types of transport [12] 

Lower proportions of disabled Londoners travel by Tube (16 per cent) and 

National Rail (eight per cent). The proportion is considerably lower than for 

non-disabled Londoners (41 per cent and 18 per cent respectively) [12] 

Disabled Londoners are most likely to use public transport for the purposes of 

shopping, personal business and leisure (these trips make up 73 per cent of 

journeys by disabled Londoners, compared with 45 per cent for non-disabled 

Londoners) 

Members of Dial-a-Ride tend to be older than the average disabled Londoner – 

81 per cent of Dial-a-Ride members are aged 65 and over, compared to 41 per 

cent of all disabled Londoners [30, AB] 

Disabled Londoners are more likely to hold an older person’s Freedom Pass (43 per 

cent compared with 12 per cent of non-disabled Londoners) and less likely than 

non-disabled Londoners to hold an Oyster card (23 per cent compared with 64 per 

cent of non-disabled Londoners). Seventeen per cent of disabled people hold a 

disabled person’s Freedom Pass [12]. 

Barriers 

We conducted a survey in 2014 to further understand some of the key issues faced 

by disabled people travelling on the network. The results show that the majority of 

disabled Londoners (61 per cent) would travel more often than they currently do if 

they did not experience barriers such as accessibility or cost constraints [65]. 

Additional journeys that would be made more often without these barriers would 

be for leisure and social activities such as visiting friends and family (49 per cent), 

entertainment and exercise (41 per cent), social activities such as going to the pub 

or to a restaurant (40 per cent) and shopping (34 per cent) [65]. 

The main issues that affect the ability of disabled Londoners to make public 

transport journeys as often as they would like can be summarised as: 

Accessibility related (44 per cent) 

Cost (21 per cent) 

Comfort – incorporating issues such as overcrowding, unsuitable or unavailable 

seating (20 per cent) 

Availability and reliability (16 per cent) [65] 



Disabled and non-disabled Londoners alike recognise that TfL has made 

improvements to the accessibility of public transport, and 43 per cent of disabled 

people think that travelling in London has become more accessible over the past 

year [65]. 


to their personal security while using public transport in London. The majority of 

Londoners fall into the ‘unworried’ category which means that they are generally 

unworried about their personal security in London, and have experienced no 

incidents that made them feel worried in the last three months. A lower 

proportion of disabled Londoners consider themselves to be ‘unworried’ than nondisabled 

Londoners (68 per cent compared with 76 per cent) [14]. 

In terms of general worry, the disabled people we surveyed felt slightly more 

worried than non-disabled people about their personal security when using public 

transport in London in the past three months (15 per cent compared with 11 per 

cent). Furthermore, among disabled Londoners who have experienced worry, 

more disabled people report experiencing such events on a regular basis – 29 per 

cent say that they experienced a worrying event five times or more in the past 

three months, compared with 17 per cent of non-disabled people who have 

experienced worrying events with this frequency [14]. 


 

 

 

 

Disabled Londoners’ satisfaction with public transport tends to be in line with 

the satisfaction of all Londoners. Disabled and non-disabled bus users are very 

satisfied overall (85 out of 100) [16] 

Tube satisfaction is also high among disabled users (84 out of 100 compared 

with 84 out of 100 for non-disabled Londoners) [16] 

Satisfaction with value for money is often higher among disabled Londoners 

than non-disabled Londoners [16]. This may be linked to the higher proportion 

of disabled Londoners having access to a Freedom Pass [12] 

Disabled Londoners are less satisfied with the streets and pavements on their 

last walking journey compared with non-disabled Londoners (51 per cent 

compared with 71 per cent) [34] 




A significantly lower proportion of disabled Londoners access the internet 

compared with non-disabled Londoners (76 per cent compared with 93 per cent). 

This is true for all age groups, although not to the same extent. Older disabled 

Londoners are considerably less likely to access the internet than younger disabled 

Londoners (53% of disabled Londoners aged 65 years old or over access the 

internet compared with 90% of disabled Londoners aged 16 to 64) [15]. 

Among disabled Londoners, 54 per cent use the TfL website. This compares to 81 

per cent of non-disabled Londoners [15]. 

Disabled customers use maps and timetables widely, referring to them both at 

home and on the journey, and using the ‘disabled sign’ as a quick reference to 

confirm whether or not the station will be accessible [66]. Our research indicates 

that disabled customers have a higher reliance on paper-based sources than nondisabled 

customers. However, this may be due to the older profile of disabled 

customers than non-disabled customers [48]. 

Disabled customers have concerns about disruptions that non-disabled customers 

experience too; however, disruptions can have a greater impact upon disabled 

customers because they can face greater difficulties overcoming their effects. 

Disabled customers report that they can experience anxiety during disruptions and 

that access to reliable, live information is crucial to minimise this [66]. 



Introduction 

Many disabled people and those with a long-term health conditions face a number 

of barriers to travelling. While many issues are the same for disabled and nondisabled 

Londoners, some barriers relate specifically to the physical infrastructure 

of public transport, as well as less tangible issues such as reduced confidence in 

travelling independently [47]. 

The Mayor’s Transport Strategy (MTS) sets out the Mayor’s transport vision over 

the next 20 years and describes how TfL and its partners will deliver this vision. TfL 

is committed to delivering transport services that are accessible to all Londoners 

and we continue to invest in improving transport accessibility for disabled people 

who live in, work in, or visit London. 

To support the MTS, the TfL Business Plan for the next decade includes activities 

for infrastructure improvements to make information and advice clearer and 

simpler, improvements to staff training, and further engagement with disabled 

customers [67]. A major part of this investment includes making a third of 

London’s Tube stations fully accessible with step-free access to platforms and 

trains by 2021 and better signage. Both our Single Equality Scheme 2012–2015 

and our ‘Your Accessible Transport Network’ document highlight detailed activity 

to address and mitigate many of the issues over the coming years that our 

research has uncovered [69, 70]. 

Throughout this chapter, we show data for disabled Londoners in comparison to 

data for non-disabled Londoners and all Londoners. All TfL surveys use the 

Equality Act 2010 to define a disabled person as someone who defines themselves 

as having a long-term physical or mental disability or health issue that impacts on 

their daily activities, the work they can do, or limits their ability to travel. This 

differs slightly to the Census, where the question asked is: ‘Are your day-to-day 

activities limited because of a health problem or disability which has lasted, or is 

expected to last, at least 12 months?’ [2]. 

Please note that the differences highlighted between disabled and non-disabled 

people in this chapter may be influenced by a number of factors other than 

disability, with age, income and education all affecting perceptions towards travel 

in London and travel behaviour. 

It is also important to be aware that disability is not homogeneous and the effects 

of having a physical impairment, mental health condition or experiencing other 

barriers relating to the use of public transport are therefore diverse. 



As part of our work to understand the needs and opinions of disabled customers, 

we conduct a range of research programmes, including an accessibility mystery 

traveller survey (AMTS). AMTS works with disabled people to assess objectively 

and monitor the whole journey experience of travelling around London. It 

produces insights which help us to monitor and gain a deeper understanding of 

the experiences of disabled people, enabling us to take action, plan improvements 

and ultimately improve accessibility. We have included data from this research 

into this chapter where appropriate. 

Profile of disabled Londoners 

There are several sources which aim to quantify the number of disabled people in 

London. The primary benchmark source is the 2011 Census, conducted by the 

Office for National Statistics. According to the Census, 14 per cent of Londoners 

consider themselves to have a long-term health problem or disability that limits 

their day-to-day activities, which has lasted, or is expected to last, at least 12 

months (7 per cent consider this affects their activity ‘a lot’ and 7 per cent ‘a little’). 

This is the lowest proportion recorded for any region of the UK, possibly due to the 

lower average age of Londoners compared to those living in other regions [2]. 

We also monitor the number of disabled people in London on an ongoing basis as 

part of our London Travel Demand Survey. This survey uses a slightly different set 

of questions (due to the different purpose of the research). Data from 2013/14 

shows that 11 per cent of Londoners (circa 833,000 excluding those aged under 

five) consider that they have a long-term physical or mental disability or health 

issue that limits their daily activities, the work they can do (including issues due to 

old age) or their ability to travel [12]. 

Slightly less than two per cent of Londoners (16 per cent of disabled Londoners) 

are wheelchair users (circa 133,000 excluding those aged under five years old) [12]. 



Many disabled people have multiple impairments. The most frequently reported 

impairments faced by disabled Londoners are related to mobility (58 per cent) 

[12]. 

LTDS profile of disabled people in London (2013/14) [12] 

% All Londoners All disabled Londoners 

Base (15,700) (1,821) 

Disabled 11 - 

Non-disabled 89 - 

Disability affects travel 10 90 

Ever use a wheelchair 2 16 

Mobility impairment 6 58 

Serious long-term illness 2 21 

Mental health condition 1 11 

Visual impairment 1 6 

Hearing impairment 1 5 

Learning disability 1 7 

Other 1 14 

Note that LTDS data in this report excludes children aged under five. 

Note that the table above refers to the impairments experienced by Londoners who 

consider themselves to have a long-term physical or mental disability or health issue that 

limits their daily activities, the work they can do (including issues due to old age) or their 

ability to travel, and that there may be more people with the above impairments that do 

not consider them to affect their activities. 

The proportion of Londoners who are disabled increases with age. Four per cent of 

16 to 24 year old Londoners are disabled compared with 37 per cent of Londoners 

aged 65 or over. Age is an important factor behind other demographic differences 

observed. For example, disabled Londoners are more likely to be women and less 

likely to be BAME Londoners. However, both of these trends appear to be related 

primarily to the age profile of disabled Londoners [12]. 



LTDS demographic profile of disabled people in London (2013/14) [12] 

% Proportion of 

disabled Londoners 

Proportion of 

category who are 

disabled 

Proportion of nondisabled 

Londoners 

Base (1,821) (varies) (13,879) 

Gender 

Men 44 10 50 

Women 56 12 50 

Age 

5-15 4 3 15 

16-24 5 4 15 

25-64 47 8 61 

65+ 44 37 9 

Ethnicity 

White 69 12 61 

BAME 30 9 38 


Less than £10,000 41 25 15 

£10,000–£19,999 28 16 18 

£20,000–£34,999 15 8 20 

£35,000–£49,999 6 5 14 

£50,000–£74,999 5 3 16 

£75,000+ 6 4 17 


Working full-time 8 2 52 

Working part-time 5 5 12 

Student 3 4 11 

Retired 48 38 11 

Not working 35 26 13 



disability or health issue that impacts on their daily activities, the work they can do, or limits their ability to travel 



How to read the table 

The table above shows: 

 

 

 

The proportion of disabled Londoners who relate to each category – for 

example, 44 per cent of disabled Londoners are men 

The proportion of each category who are disabled – for example, ten per cent 

of men in London are disabled 

The proportion of non-disabled Londoners who relate to each category for 

comparison – for example, 50 per cent of non-disabled Londoners are men 

Gender 

Disabled Londoners are more likely to be women than men; among all disabled 

Londoners 56 per cent are women (compared to 50 per cent of the non-disabled 

population) [12]. 

Gender profile of disabled people in London (2013/14) [12] 


Londoners 

All non-disabled 

Londoners 

Gender (1,821) (13,879) 

Men 44 50 

Women 56 50 


Men and women are equally likely to be disabled until they reach around 50 years 

of age, after which women are more likely to be disabled than men at all ages [2]. 

Proportion of Londoners by age and gender who are disabled [2] 

% Men Women 

Age 

0-15 4 3 

16-24 5 4 

25-34 5 5 

35-49 11 12 

50-64 22 25 

65-74 38 41 

75-84 57 63 

85+ 78 83 

This data is based o self-assessment of activity limitations. 

Base size not shown as data taken from the 2011 Census. 



Ethnicity 

Disabled Londoners are more likely to be white than non-disabled Londoners (69 

per cent of disabled Londoners are white compared with 61 per cent of nondisabled 


Ethnicity profile of disabled Londoners (2013/14) [12] 


Londoners 

65+ disabled 

Londoners 

All nondisabled 

Londoners 

65+ nondisabled 

Londoners 

Base (1,821) (922) (13,879) (1,553) 

Ethnicity 

White 69 80 61 82 

BAME 30 19 38 18 


White Londoners are more likely than BAME Londoners to be disabled (12 per 

cent of white Londoners are disabled compared with nine per cent of BAME 

Londoners). This appears to be related to the older age profile of white Londoners, 

as the difference in each specific age category is not significant [12]. 

Proportion of white and BAME Londoners who are disabled (2013/14) [12] 

% White BAME 

All Londoners 12 9 

16-24 4 4 

65+ 37 39 

Base: All white Londoners (10,044), white 16 to 24 year old Londoners (1,049), white 65+ year old Londoners (2,004), all BAME 

Londoners (5,563), BAME 16 to 24 year old Londoners (792), BAME 65+ year old Londoners (464). 





Disabled Londoners are more likely to live in a household with an annual income of 

£20,000 or less than non-disabled Londoners (69 per cent of disabled Londoners 

compared with 32 per cent of non-disabled Londoners). This pattern is observed 

across all ages. 

The difference is particularly clear in the mid-age groups; 62 per cent of disabled 

Londoners who are aged 25 to 64 live in a low income household compared with 

25 per cent of non-disabled Londoners of the same age. This is likely to be related 

to the considerably lower proportion of disabled 25 to 64 year olds in full or parttime 

employment (23 per cent compared with 79 per cent among non-disabled 25 

to 64 year olds) [12]. 

Proportion of each age group living in households with an income of less than £20,000 

(2013/14) [12] 

% 

Disabled 

Londoners 

Non-disabled 

Londoners 

Age 

All 69 32 

16-24 60 39 

25-64 62 25 

65+ 77 57 


Proportion of each age group working full or part-time (2013/14) [12] 

% Disabled 

Londoners 

Non-disabled 

Londoners 

Age 

16-24 3 33 

25-64 23 79 

65+ 3 16 

Base: Disabled 16 to 24 year old Londoners (63), disabled 25 to 64 year old Londoners (769), disabled 65+year old Londoners 

(922), non-disabled 16 to 24 year old Londoners (1,786), non-disabled 25 to 64 year-old Londoners (8,236), non-disabled 65+ 

year old Londoners (1,553). 

Note that working status data excludes under 16s. 




The London boroughs with the highest proportion of disabled residents are: 

Highest proportion of disabled residents in London boroughs [2] 

Borough 

% of disabled residents 


Barking and Dagenham 16 

Bexley 16 

Islington 16 

Base size not shown as data taken from the ONS 2011 Census. 

The London boroughs with the lowest proportion of disabled residents are: 

Lowest proportion of disabled residents in London boroughs [2] 

Borough 

% of disabled residents 

Wandsworth 11 


City of London 11 

Kensington and Chelsea 12 

Kingston upon Thames 12 

Merton 13 

Base size not shown as data taken from ONS 2011 Census. 




The London transport network is one of the busiest in the world and on an average 

weekday more than 1.3 million trips are made by disabled travellers [68]. The 

average number of trips made per weekday by individual disabled Londoners is 

1.9; this is below the average of 2.8 for non-disabled Londoners [12]. 


Disabled Londoners use a wide variety of transport to get around the Capital. The 

most common types of transport used are walking (78 per cent at least once a 

week), bus (56 per cent), car as a passenger (47 per cent) and car as a driver (26 per 

cent). These are also the main types of transport used by non-disabled Londoners 

but in different proportions [12]. 

Disabled Londoners are considerably less likely than non-disabled Londoners to 

use the Tube at least once a week; 16% of disabled Londoners do so compared 

with 41% of non-disabled Londoners [12]. 

Disabled Londoners use transport less frequently than non-disabled Londoners. 

For each type of transport (with the exception of private hire vehicles) a lower 

proportion of disabled Londoners use each type of transport at least once a week 

compared with non-disabled Londoners [12]. 

Public transport generally is less commonly used by disabled Londoners than nondisabled 

Londoners; 59 per cent of disabled Londoners have used any public 

transport (excluding walking) in the last year compared with 73 per cent of nondisabled 





% 

Disabled 

Disabled 

16-64 

Disabled 

65+ 

Nondisabled 

(All) 

Nondisabled 

65+ 

Base (1,821) (832) (922) (13,879) (1,553) 


Bus 56 62 48 62 70 


Car (as a driver) 26 28 26 41 56 

Tube 16 22 10 41 31 





DLR 3 4 1 5 2 

Tram (Croydon Tramlink) 1 2 1 2 2 

Motorbike 1 1 - 1 - 

Net: Any public transport (bus, 

Tube, National Rail, DLR, London 

Overground, tram) 


59 67 49 73 75 

Where more detailed information on individual types of transport is available, we 





Walking is the most frequently used type of transport for both disabled and nondisabled 

Londoners. Only 11 per cent of disabled Londoners say that they have not 

made a journey by walking in the past year and three per cent say that they have 

never made a walking journey [12]. 


% Disabled Wheelchair user Non-disabled 

Base (1,821) (317) (13,879) 






At least once a month 3 4 1 


Not used in last 12 months 11 37 0 


Net: Used in the last 12 months 87 51 100 


Seventy-eight per cent of disabled Londoners walk at least once a week compared 

to 98 per cent of non-disabled Londoners and 51 per cent walk five or more times a 

week compared with 86 per cent of non-disabled Londoners [12]. 

Our annual Attitude to Walking study establishes frequency of walking for specific journey 

purposes. There are differences in walking behaviour between disabled and non-disabled 

Londoners, particularly noticeable for walking at least once a week to visit social places (35 

per cent of disabled Londoners compared with 56 per cent of non-disabled Londoners) and 

to get to work/school/college (23 per cent of disabled Londoners compared with 56 per cent 

of non-disabled Londoners) [19]. 


% who walk at least once a week Disabled Non-disabled 

Base (199) (785) 

Walk… 

To complete small errands such as getting a 

73 88 




To visit pubs/restaurants/cinemas and other 

35 56 

social places 





Among disabled Londoners who state that their travel is limited by being disabled, 64 per 

cent consider it either impossible to walk without help (17 per cent) or difficult but not 

impossible to do so (47 per cent) [12]. 

Bus 

Buses are the most commonly used type of public transport (except walking) by 

both disabled and non-disabled Londoners. However, disabled Londoners are less 

likely to use buses than non-disabled Londoners (79 per cent of disabled 

Londoners have used the bus in the past year compared with 92 per cent of nondisabled 



% Disabled Wheelchair user Non-disabled 

Base (1,821) (317) (13,879) 


3 or 4 days a week 14 11 12 


1 day a week 10 5 10 










The physical accessibility of buses is one of the main reasons why they are one of 

the transport types most commonly used by disabled Londoners. All of TfL’s 

buses, with the exception of heritage Routemasters, are low-floored [74], 75 per 

cent of bus stops are now accessible and 95 per cent are scheduled to have been 

made accessible by 2016 [22]. Our research also suggests that, due to the nature 

of the bus network and the shorter distances required to reach bus stops than train 

or Tube stations, approximately 90 per cent of Londoners live within 400 metres of 

a bus stop [74]. 

Fifty-eight per cent of Londoners who report that their travel is limited because 

they are disabled consider it either impossible to use the bus without help (23 per 

cent) or difficult but not impossible to use the bus (35 per cent). Forty per cent say 

that it is not difficult to use the bus and three per cent don’t know or never use it 

[12]. 

Wheelchair users experience greater difficulties, despite all buses being equipped 

with low flooring and wheelchair ramps. Fifty-seven per cent of wheelchair users 

surveyed say that it is impossible to use the bus without help, and a further 25 per 

cent say that it is difficult but not impossible. Ten per cent of wheelchair users use 

the bus without difficulties, while seven per cent don’t know or never use it [12]. 

Wheelchair priority areas on buses 

AMTS covers access to the wheelchair priority area (WPA) on buses. During our 

2014/15 study period, 96 per cent of wheelchair accessibility mystery travellers 

were able to get on the first bus that arrived and 97 per cent were able to reach the 

WPA before the bus moved off. 

On 27 per cent of journeys the assessors reported that the area was initially 

blocked. Unfolded buggies were the main cause of the blockage, identified on 58 

per cent of these observations. 

In one in five cases (20 per cent) other passengers removed the blockage without 

any action being required. In half the cases (49 per cent) the driver intervened 

either by talking directly to passengers or by initiating an iBus announcement. 

Other journeys were completed by the assessor asking for the space to be cleared 

themselves (17 per cent of the time) or as a result of other reasons, mainly 

involving sharing of the WPA. 

‘There was a pram in the wheelchair space and I had to share.’ 

‘The passenger did not move their buggy but I managed to squeeze past it into the 

wheelchair space.’ 

‘The wheelchair space was large enough for the buggy to remain where it was 

whilst I manoeuvred in.’ [83] 

We carried out research in 2012 to understand the key issues for buggy users, 

wheelchair users and bus drivers to reduce conflict in the WPA, and how a 

communications campaign could help. Our research showed that wheelchair users 

experience logistical and interpersonal challenges around the space, with conflict 



often being indirect before passengers get on the bus. Inconsistent and 

unpredictable experiences are a major source of stress and tension. 

‘I cannot physically get on a bus where I live because it’s a busy shopping area full 

of buggies. What’s the point of a wheelchair ramp if we can never get on?’ [43] 

The conflict in the WPA on buses is part of the wider experience of travelling by 

bus for wheelchair users [43]. 

The WPA is a key consideration for wheelchair users when deciding to travel by 

bus: 

Does my wheelchair/scooter fit in the area? 

Is there a buggy/pram already in the area? [72] 

‘My experience taking the bus from Earls Court to Hammersmith was similarly 

infuriating. The driver initially refused me entry because there was a buggy on 

board. I pleaded with him, not only because I knew I could fit on board but because 

it was pouring with rain.’ [72] 

Wheelchair users on the whole feel that TfL recognises their needs and concerns. 

An example of this is the campaign to inform drivers, wheelchair users and other 

passengers on wheelchair priority area rules, and how wheelchair users need to 

travel on buses [73]. 



Bus journey purpose 

One of the reasons why disabled Londoners travel by bus during the day is to 

travel for work purposes (28 per cent). The proportion of disabled Londoners who 

do this is considerably lower than for non-disabled Londoners (57 per cent). Buses 

are used more by disabled people during the day for shopping (22 per cent 

compared with nine per cent for non-disabled people), to visit friends and relatives 

(13 per cent compared with eight per cent for non-disabled) and for personal 

business (14 per cent compared with six per cent for non-disabled). A similar 

pattern is seen at night, although the differences between disabled and nondisabled 

people at this time are smaller [28]. 

Purpose of bus journey by disability and time of day (2014) [28] 


At night 

Disabled Non-disabled Disabled Non-disabled 

% (3,341) (28,680) (673) (7,068) 


To/from school/education 5 7 6 3 


Visiting friends/relatives 13 8 16 13 

Leisure 10 10 20 22 





Car 

While a considerably lower proportion of disabled Londoners have driven a car to 

get around London in the past year than non-disabled Londoners (30 per cent 

compared with 47 per cent), the proportion who have used a car as a passenger in 

the last year is very similar (85 per cent compared with 87 per cent) [12]. 

Frequency of car use (2013/14) [12] 

Car as driver 

% Disabled Wheelchair 

user 

Disabled 

Car as passenger 

Wheelchair 

user 

Nondisabled 

Nondisabled 

Base (1,821) (317) (13,879) (1,821) (317) (13,879) 

5 or more days a week 13 10 23 8 7 10 

3 or 4 days a week 6 5 7 11 12 9 

2 days a week 4 2 7 14 17 14 

1 day a week 3 1 4 15 17 15 

At least once a fortnight 1 0 1 7 5 7 

At least once a month 1 1 2 11 11 12 

At least once a year 2 2 3 20 17 20 

Not used in last 12 months 18 24 8 12 10 8 

Never used 52 54 44 3 3 5 

Net: Used in the last 12 

months 


30 22 47 85 87 87 

Disabled Londoners aged 17 and over are less likely to hold any type of driving 

licence (including a provisional licence) than non-disabled Londoners (42 per cent 

disabled Londoners aged 17 or over compared with 74 per cent non-disabled 

Londoners aged 17 or over). A similar pattern is observed among both younger 

and older disabled Londoners when compared to non-disabled Londoners of the 

same ages [12]. 

Similarly, disabled Londoners are less likely to have household access to a car than 

non-disabled Londoners. Just over half (52 per cent) of disabled Londoners do not 

have household access to a car compared to 32 per cent of non-disabled 



% Disabled Non-disabled 

Base (1,821) (13,879) 

0 cars 52 32 

1 car 38 46 

2+ cars 10 21 




Tube 

Disabled Londoners are considerably less likely to have used the Tube in the last 

year than non-disabled Londoners (58 per cent compared with 89 per cent). The 

difference is especially noticeable for more frequent Tube use, where only three 

per cent of disabled Londoners use the Tube five or more days a week, compared 

with 17 per cent of non-disabled Londoners. Sixteen per cent of disabled 

Londoners use the Tube at least once a week compared with 41 per cent of nondisabled 


Frequency of Tube use (2013/14) [12] 

% Disabled Wheelchair Non-disabled 

user 

Base (1,821) (317) (13,879) 














Sixty-one per cent of Londoners who report their travel is limited because they are 

disabled consider it either impossible to use the Tube without help (25 per cent) or 

difficult but not impossible to use the Tube (36 per cent), while 28 per cent say it is 

not difficult to use the Tube and 10 per cent don’t know or never use it [12]. 

Wheelchair users experience greater difficulties despite TfL’s investment in 

making more stations accessible as part of our Tube upgrade programme. Fiftyeight 

per cent of wheelchair users say that it is impossible to use the Tube without 

help, and a further 21 per cent say that it is difficult but not impossible. Five per 

cent of wheelchair users use the Tube without difficulties, while 17 per cent don’t 

know or never use the Tube [12]. 

An increasing number of Tube stations are accessible, including lifts, tactile 

platform edges and wide gates and we continue our work to increase accessibility 

across the network [68]. 

An example of our ongoing work in this area is the recent trial of blue lighting in 

the gap between the train and the platform at Baker Street. This lighting is 

designed to make the gap between the train and platform more noticeable, 

particularly for people with visual impairments. [97] 

However, there are still many stations without full step-free access, and we have 

planned improvements for a number of these over the next few years. By the end 

of 2015/16 financial year, we expect almost a third of Tube stations to have either 

step-free access from the street to all platforms (72 stations) or to at least one 

platform (14 stations) [22]. 

Lifts open up many stations to a significant number of disabled people, which of 

course creates a reliance on lifts being in service. Malfunctioning lifts can have a 

significant impact on disabled people and where they are out of service there is a 

need for us to communicate this clearly [76]. 

Improvements have also been made to trains on several Underground lines, so 

that shortly 40 per cent of the Tube network will be served by trains with a high 

standard of accessibility [22]. The new S class rolling stock has recently been 

introduced, with all Circle line services using this stock from 10 February 2014 and 

approximately 50% of the District Line by early 2015 [76]. 

We are also planning the introduction of the Tube for London, most probably 

during the 2020s. The new Tube will have improved accessibility, including stepfree 

access from the platform and more space for wheelchair users [76]. 

Our social media analysis shows that S class trains to have been well received by 

disabled people, with comments such as: 

‘If you have to be in a wheelchair one day… you’d be grateful for a train like this…’ 

[76] 




Fifteen per cent of disabled Londoners sometimes use a bike to get around 

London, which is a smaller proportion than among non-disabled Londoners 

(where 18 per cent sometimes use a bike in the Capital) [17]. 



Base (507) (1,646) 


15 18 




85 82 

Disabled Londoners are more likely to say that they cannot ride a bicycle (22 per 

cent of disabled Londoners cannot ride a bicycle) than non-disabled Londoners (15 

per cent of non-disabled Londoners cannot ride a bicycle) [17]. 

Proportion of Londoners able to ride a bicycle (November 2014) [17] 


Base (507) (1,646) 



Disabled Londoners are slightly more likely to say that they never cycle around 

London than non-disabled Londoners (85 per cent compared with 82 per cent) 

[17]. 


Base (507) (1,646) 






At least once a month - 1 


Not used in last 12 months -

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