This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Young people and public transport
03/01/2003
Improving and promoting bus and train services across
Scotland will result in young people using public transport
more regularly and more often, Deputy Transport
Minister Lewis Macdonald said today.
He was speaking as he published new research which
examines young people's views and experiences of public
transport as well as their perceptions and attitudes.
The report
Young People and Transport identifies the
ways in which current public transport provision shapes
young people's lives across Scotland.
The research compares and contrasts the views and
experiences of those living in urban and rural areas, and
proposes recommendations on how best to improve and promote
public transport for young people.
The main findings of the research include:
- young people tend to follow the behaviour patterns
of their parents and are influenced by their opinions
and attitudes
- reliability of services is key to young people's
opinions
- operators do not view young people as a target
audience because they are not seen as being a
particularly profitable market.
- the introduction of the American-style Yellow
School Bus is seen as one positive option.
Mr Macdonald said:
"The Scottish Executive is committed to increasing the
use of public transport services across Scotland and it is
vital that we look carefully at young people's views as
part of this commitment.
"Early experiences and use of public transport affect
behaviour and attitudes later in life so it is necessary to
promote and encourage use of bus and train services to
young people and to do so by improving the services on
offer.
"This research published today will allow for further
development of initiatives to encourage more young people
to use public transport more often and more regularly. It
highlights the important role transport providers play and
how they can contribute to making public transport services
practical and attractive choices by considering young
people as a viable target market and by promoting their
services to this age group with offers and reductions.
"We are investing to deliver modern, reliable,
integrated and accessible public transport and our
Transport Delivery Report committed us to providing this
kind of service. The recent Scottish Budget has provided a
huge funding increase in public transport of 70%, bringing
spending to £705 million by 2006."
The research was carried out during 2001-2002 using
focus groups and interviews with young people aged between
12 and 22 as well as managers of public transport services
and heads of transport or education departments in local
authorities.