Travel continues to return towards pre-pandemic levels
The compendium Scottish Transport Statistics publication released today shows that travel across a range of modes has increased over the latest reporting year, but remains below pre-pandemic levels.
The most recent statistics show that there were 334 million bus journeys in 2023/24, an increase of 12% compared to 2022/23 but 7% below the number of journeys in 2019/20.
There were 81.2 million passenger journeys on ScotRail services in 2023/24, an increase of 27% compared with 2022/23, but 16% lower than the 96 million passenger journeys in 2019/20.
Motor traffic also rose in 2023. The distance driven by motor vehicles on Scotland’s roads increased by 2% to 48.0 billion vehicle kilometres in 2023. This is slightly below the 2019 figure of 48.3 billion vehicle kilometres.
The latest figures for greenhouse gas emissions relate to 2022 and these show that greenhouse gas emissions from transport were 9.1% higher than in 2021, when transport was reduced as a result of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Transport emissions in 2022 were 13.3% lower than in 1990.
Transport accounted for 31.7% of Scotland’s total greenhouse gas emissions in 2022, a similar proportion to 2019 (31.6%).
Other findings presented in the publication include:
- There were 26 million air passengers at Scottish airports in 2023, an increase of 21% in the last year, although this was down 10% compared with 2019.
- There were 9.7 million passengers on ferry services in 2023, with 8 million passengers on routes entirely within Scotland. Ferry passenger numbers have increased by 4% compared with 2022, but are 7% lower than in 2019.
- On-road cycling is estimated to have decreased by 5% in 2023 compared to 2022. However, following on from an increase in cycling during the pandemic, this was 10% higher than 2019.
- The number of motor vehicles registered in Scotland (3.1 million) is at an all-time high.
Background
The figures released today were produced by independent statistical staff free from any political interference, in accordance with professional standards set out in the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.
These figures were published in the publication Scottish Transport Statistics. This compendium publication provides a comprehensive statistical picture of transport activity in Scotland, bringing together a wide range of transport related statistics that have been published throughout the last year by a number of organisations including Transport Scotland and the Department for Transport.
Transport and travel habits in Scotland were profoundly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and the associated travel restrictions. In 2020, motor traffic volumes dropped by 23% compared to 2019 and in 2019/20 bus and rail passenger numbers dropped by 66% and 85% respectively.
Topics covered include road transport and the road network, bus, rail, air, finance, international comparisons and environment and emissions.
Read further information on Transport and Travel statistics within Scotland.
Official Statistics are produced by professionally independent statistical staff – read more information on the standards of official statistics in Scotland