North east transport choices more motivated by money saving over environmental impact

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 found that for people in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Angus, and Dundee, saving money on fuel is a greater motivator to choose bus over car than reducing their carbon footprint.

The survey, which was commissioned by First Bus and provides a view of Scotland’s travel behaviours, found that 28% of people in the north east are more motivated by saving fuel money when choosing the bus compared to 18% who wanted to reduce their carbon footprint.

However, the findings do not indicate a lack of environmental conscience among north east residents, as the data revealed 61% do feel guilty for using their car for journeys they know they could make by bus, but 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 did admit that nothing in particular prevents them from using the bus more often, and over two thirds 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.

The survey comes as First Bus launches its modal shift campaign – to encourage car users to travel by bus and in turn o tackle common pain points associated with car travel including pollution and excessive expenditure.

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, helping the environment, allowing time to relax and avoiding frustration with other road users, 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.”