Publication of methods of travel to/from school by pupils in Northern Ireland 2017/2018

The Method of travel to/from School by pupils in Northern Ireland 2017/2018 is now available. This report, produced by the Analysis, Statistics and Research Branch (ASRB) of the Department for Infrastructure (DfI), presents findings from the 2017/2018 Continuous Household Survey (CHS).

 2017/2018 was the fifth year that this question set was included in the CHS and this is the fifth such report produced.  

The publication is available on the ASRB website at: Travel to school research.

Key Points

Main method of Travel to/from school

• Among primary school pupils, almost two thirds (65%) were driven to/from school by car¹ and just over a quarter (26%) usually walked to/from school. A further 9% of pupils travelled to/from school by bus, while 1% of pupils cycled as their main mode of transport to and from school.
• These results are similar to 2016/17, however, there has been a decrease in walking and conversely an increase in those travelling by car since 2013/14.
• Among post primary pupils, 50% travelled to/from school by bus as their main mode of transport and a further 31% were driven by car. Under a fifth (16%) of pupils walked to/from school while a small proportion took the train (2%). These results are similar to 2016/17. However the longer term trend shows a decrease in walking and increase in car travel since 2013/14.
• Just over a quarter (26%) of primary school pupils walk or cycle to school as their main mode of transport compared with 16% of post primary school pupils. These results are similar to 2016/17 when 26% of primary school pupils and 17% of post primary school pupils walked or cycled to school as their main mode of transport. However, there has been a decrease in walking and cycling for post primary school pupils since 2013/14.

Distance from home to school

• Half (50%) of primary school pupils lived 0 to 1 mile from their school, with 32% living between 2 and 3 miles and 18% living 4 or more miles from their school.
• For post-primary pupils, 18% lived 0 to 1 mile from their school, with 31% living between 2 and 3 miles. The remaining 50% lived 4 or more miles from their school.

In 2017/18, there were 817 primary schools and 199 post primary schools^₂ in NI. It is likely therefore, that children will live closer to primary schools so these results are not unexpected.

Notes to editors: 

1. The information presented in this publication derives from the 2017/2018 Continuous Household Survey (CHS) in relation to questions on method of travel to/ from school by pupils with particular emphasis on walking and cycling.  The CHS is considered to be a representative sample of the population at household level.
2. A total of 2,787 adults aged 16 and over were surveyed in 2017/2018.  Questions on method of travel to/ from school were asked if children in the household attended primary school or post primary school. Of the 897 children for whom parents were surveyed, 486 attended a primary school and the remaining 411 attended a post primary school.
3. The Department for Infrastructure (DfI) aims to encourage people to choose sustainable transport options such as walking, cycling, public transport or car sharing.  Its main promotional activities are directed towards three groups of road users; Schools, Commuters and Employers.  DfI will use the information presented in this publication to monitor the effectiveness of its initiatives that are aimed at increasing the proportion of children who travel actively to school.
4. This is an Official Statistics publication and therefore follows the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.  You can find further information about the Code of Practice at: Statistics Authority.
5. For further information please contact: Analysis, Statistics and Research Branch, Department for Infrastructure, Clarence Court, 10-18 Adelaide Street, Belfast BT2 8GB.

• Tel (public enquiries): 028 9054 0865 (Text relay prefix 18001).
• E-mail: ASRB@nisra.gov.uk
• Website: Statistics and research

6. All media queries should be directed to the Department for Infrastructure Press Office on 028 9054 0007 or email press.office@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk. Out of hours please contact the duty press officer on 028 9037 8110.

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