​​Understanding disabled people’s transport behaviour

 About the study

This report presents secondary analysis of the 2024 National Travel Survey (NTS), commissioned by the Motability Foundation and the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB). NatCen carried out the analysis to update and extend evidence on disabled people’s travel behaviour, building on previous analysis of the 2018 NTS.  

The analysis focused on three key objectives. First, it examined current patterns and trends in transport use among disabled people across different modes of travel. This included personal mobility, such as active travel, as well as public (e.g. buses and trains), private and shared (e.g. taxis and e-scooter hire) transport and the use of journey planning technology.  

Second, the analysis explored how transport use varied by sociodemographic characteristics. It examined differences by gender, ethnicity, region, employment status and deprivation, and how these characteristics interacted with disability to shape access to transport and mobility behaviour.

Third, the analysis assessed differences between disabled people, people with different impairments (including visual impairment), and non-disabled people. It considered variation in travel patterns, barriers and enablers, providing a structured basis for understanding inequalities in transport access and use.

In answering these questions, the report builds an evidence base to help identify areas where disabled people face disadvantages in transport use. It describes differences in access to and use of transport between people with and without disabilities, across a range of transport modes and journey types. 

Findings

Disabled people travelled less frequently than non-disabled people across most transport modes and faced greater barriers when travelling. The largest differences were seen for frequency of train travel, walking or wheeling, and access to private transport. Disabled people were less likely to hold a driving licence, be the main driver of a household car, or travel by car regularly. They also reported greater difficulties when making everyday journeys, particularly for healthcare appointments, social activities and visiting friends and relatives. These differences persisted after accounting for age, income, employment and location, suggesting that disability itself is associated with poorer transport outcomes. Experiences varied by impairment type, with people with visual, mobility and cognitive impairments often reporting the greatest barriers. Digital exclusion added a further layer of disadvantage, as disabled people were less likely to use online travel tools and services. Overall, the findings suggest that disabled people face interconnected barriers to transport, affecting access to services, social participation and employment opportunities.

Key findings

• Disabled people used most transport modes less frequently than non-disabled people, with the largest gap observed for train travel. Nearly two thirds of disabled people (62%) used trains less than once a year or never, compared with one third of non-disabled people (33%).
• Disabled people were much less likely to walk or wheel regularly, with 43% doing so at least weekly compared with 83% of non-disabled people.
• Access to private transport was lower among disabled people, who were less likely to hold a driving licence, be the main household driver, or travel by car regularly than non-disabled people.
• Patterns of transport use varied by impairment type, with people with visual, mobility and cognitive impairments often reporting the lowest levels of transport use.
• Taxis appeared to act as an important alternative where other modes were inaccessible, although access to taxis was also uneven across impairment types.
• Disabled people reported greater difficulties travelling than non-disabled people, particularly when using public transport to travel to work and when making non-work journeys.  
• Difficulties travelling to GP and hospital appointments were substantially higher among disabled people, indicating potential impacts on access to healthcare.
• Disability remained associated with poorer transport outcomes even after accounting for demographic factors such as age, income, employment status and location characteristics.
• Disabled people were less likely to use online travel tools and services, suggesting that digital exclusion may create an additional barrier to transport access. 

Methodology

Descriptive analysis and cross-tabulations were used to describe transport use and compare groups. This covered personal, private, public and shared transport use, as well as measures of difficulties with transport use in the 2024 NTS. Outcomes were compared between disabled and non-disabled people and variation by key sociodemographic characteristics was explored, including age, gender, ethnicity, employment status, region and deprivation.

Multivariable modelling was used to assess whether differences were associated with disability once other characteristics were taken into account. Logistic regression was used for binary outcomes and multinomial regression for outcomes with more than two categories. Models included disability characteristics and relevant sociodemographic predictors to assess the association between disability and travel outcomes while holding other variables constant.

Finally, subgroup analyses were carried out to explore whether patterns differed within the disabled population and, where relevant, within the visually impaired population. This included comparing outcomes across sociodemographic groups among disabled people and presenting equivalent comparisons for non-disabled people to provide context.