North East transport choices prioritise purse over planet
People in the North East of Scotland* have been revealed as wanting to protect their purse more than the planet when it comes to their transport choices.
A Scotland-wide survey has found that saving money on fuel (28%) is a greater motivator for people in the North East to choose bus over car than reducing their carbon footprint (18%).
The data, which provides a snapshot view of Scotland’s travel behaviours, was commissioned by First Bus as it launches a campaign to encourage Scots to be a little more ‘CarFree’.
But these findings don’t indicate a lack of environmental conscience among all in the North East, as 61% do feel guilty for using their car for journeys they know they could make by bus. But, in spite of this, more than one in 10 (12%) do exactly this, and choose to drive on routes that they know they could travel by bus.
While people in the North East use their cars more frequently than the national average**, nearly, one quarter of respondents (24%) did admit that nothing in particular prevents them from using the bus more often, and over two thirds (69%) acknowledged the benefits of bus travel, including not having to find and pay for parking in town along with enjoying the freedom of not having a car in town or city centre.
Duncan Cameron, Managing Director of First Bus in Scotland said: “The results show that despite a broad recognition of the positives that comes with choosing to travel by bus, including saving money (28%), helping the environment (43%), allowing time to relax (23%) and avoiding frustration with other road users (21%), there is still a way to go to truly shift attitudes and perceptions in the North East, around this mode of transport.
“We recognise that we have a role to play in this too and the results of this research will help us to identify what further measures we can put in place to assist people in making the transition from private to public transport – and save them money along the way.
“Our modal shift campaign has been created to bring a humorous take on a serious issue and encourage people to actively consider how introducing small changes to the travel choices they make, will go a long way in protecting our environment now and for the future.”
The modal shift campaign supports First Bus Scotland’s efforts to provide environmentally conscious, cost-effective travel across Scotland. Through the campaign, First Bus is looking to encourage car users to tackle common pain points associated with car travel including pollution and excessive expenditure.
A TV ad featuring some recognisable Scottish faces discussing their guilty habits and biggest driving pet peeves in a ‘Car User Support Group’, launched this month to support the campaign.
More information can be found at firstbus.co.uk/carfree
*Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Angus, Dundee City
**70% of people in the North East use their car more than once a week, compared to a national average of 65%
Notes to editors
Notes to editors
*All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 1002 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 14th - 18th April 2022. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of All Scotland Adults (aged 18+).
About First Bus
First Bus is one of the UK’s largest bus operators. Making journeys easier for our customers, we were the first national bus operator to accept contactless card payments across all of our services and our First Bus App is voted ‘best in class’ amongst UK bus operators. Our most recent investments are in new, state-of-the-art buses across our key networks.
We work proactively with our local authority partners, making a positive impact on air quality, tackling congestion and improving customer experience. We are focused on First Bus becoming a leader in the transition to a low-carbon future and are committed to operating a zero-emission bus fleet by 2035; we have pledged not to purchase any new diesel buses after December 2022. We also operate the Aircoach network in Ireland.
First Bus is a division of FirstGroup.
First Bus is an equal opportunity employer
First Bus is an excellent place to work with opportunities for a rewarding career.
We are committed to equality of opportunity, diversity and inclusion. We believe diverse experiences and attitudes help us better understand the needs of our customers.
We are working to increase the number of females applying for bus driver roles within the business as we do believe businesses are more likely to have continued success if our bus companies reflect the communities that they serve.
For more information on First Bus: news-scot.firstbus.co.uk
About YouGov
- YouGov is registered with the Information Commissioner
- YouGov is a member of the British Polling Council