Better public transport leads people to learn to drive later and use cars less in later life

People who grow up in areas with better public transport learn to drive later and rely less on their cars as they get older, according to new research by the ESRI’s Behavioural Research Unit. The findings suggest that investment in public transport has long-term benefits for congestion and the environment as well as reducing current car use.

The study, funded by the Department of Transport, combined a nationally representative survey of more than 2,000 people aged 16 and over with data on access to public transport from the National Transport Authority. The research examined whether having good public transport in the area was linked to the age that people learned to drive and whether, in turn, learning to drive later was linked to how much people drive as they get older.

On the first question, the results show that people living in areas with better public transport tend to learn to drive at older ages. At age 20, 60% of people living in areas that lack public transport have learned to drive, compared with just 40% in areas with good access.

On the second question, the results show that people who delay learning to drive use their cars less later in life. Each additional year of delay in starting to learn to drive predicts both a lower likelihood of driving on a typical weekday and a reduction in the distance travelled on days when people do drive.

These findings suggest that access to public transport during formative years affects long-term travel habits and reduces dependence on private cars. A five-year delay in learning to drive is linked to driving 1,500 kilometres less annually.

“Debates about transport policy generally focus on how public transport affects travel choices today,” said Dr Shane Timmons, Senior Research Officer at the ESRI and lead author of the study. “Our findings suggest there may be important long-term benefits too. Investments in public transport today could have lasting effects in future years, reducing transport emissions and easing traffic congestion.”