-
Poorest households spend
a quarter (25 per cent) of their income on their
car
-
Transport costs take up
twice the share of income for the least
well-off
-
IPPR recommends new
funding for local authorities to save local bus
routes
Poor public transport across the UK is
leaving more people dependent on cars than ever before – even
when it places serious strain on household budgets, new IPPR
research finds.
The report warns that the UK's
transport system is deepening poverty and social exclusion,
leaving low-income households cut off from jobs, services and
opportunity.
The think tank says that transport
costs are fueling the cost-of-living crisis. New analysis finds
that the average UK household spends £87 a week on transport,
this rises to £108 if they own a car, but falls to £13 for
non-car owners.
Even though the poorest travel much
less than the richest, they spend twice as much of their income
on surface transport – such as trains, buses, cars and bikes –
compared to the richest. The poorest fifth of households spend 18 per cent of their
income on transport, compared to 11 per cent on average, and 9
per cent for the richest.
The researchers of the report say that
the high cost of train tickets, poor bus provision and inadequate
links to public transport make much of the UK population reliant
on owning a car, even when it comes at a great cost. The poorest
fifth of households spend an average of 25 per cent of their
income on their vehicles, if they own
one.
Research shows that those living in
more deprived or more ethnically diverse areas are offered car
insurance premiums around 15-20 per cent higher to insure the
same driver in the same car.
Many people living on low incomes in
the UK are limited in their ability to access the basics because
of poor or expensive transport provision. To improve people's
ability to get to work, health appointments and school, IPPR
recommends:
-
Provide funding to local
authorities to save local bus routes and set up transport
concession schemes,
such as travel passes for young people and
jobseekers
-
Create a social leasing
scheme for electric
vehicles, so people
on low incomes in rural households can lease a car for a low
monthly fee subsidised by the
government
-
Reduce the VAT rate on
public charges from
20 per cent to five per cent, and use competition law to ensure
that the private sector passes this saving onto
consumers
Becca Massey-Chase, principal
research fellow at IPPR,
said:
“Too many people are locked out of
opportunity because the transport system simply doesn't work for
them. Parents are out of work, kids are late to school, and
medical appointments are missed — not because people are
unwilling, but because the buses don't turn up or the cost of a
journey is unaffordable.
If the government is serious about
tackling poverty, it must fix local transport. That means
cheaper, more reliable services — designed with and for the
people who rely on them most.”
Ruth Talbot, founder of Single
Parent Rights, said:
"This report highlights what
single parents have long known: reliable, affordable transport is
a lifeline, not a luxury. When it works well it makes the
challenges of family life with one income and one pair of hands
manageable, without it, single parent families are excluded from
communities, services and employment
opportunities.
“Through their research, IPPR have
identified viable solutions to ensure UK transport policy meets
the needs of single parent families. We hope the UK government
will make these a priority and consider the specific needs and
realities of single parent families as they implement
them."
Becca Lyon, Head of England at
Save the Children UK,
said:
"Poor access to transport puts
families in unfair situations and makes life much harder. Many
families can't afford a car or would spend a huge proportion of
their weekly budget running one. For those relying on trains and
buses, they can be faced with unreliable services and high fares.
During this research we heard how parents faced sanctions from
the job centre for being late to appointments because of
unreliable transport and children using their birthday money to
pay for the train to school.
"We fear transport is becoming
increasingly inaccessible to families and is an under-explored
outcome of the cost of living crisis. It comes up as a major
issue time and time again. It's clear that more investment in
affordable local transport options is needed to give families
more choice about how they spend their
money."
ENDS
NOTES TO
EDITORS
-
Figures were estimated using the
Living Cost and Food Survey 2022-23
