Benefits of Public Transport
One of the best reasons for using public transport is that it can help reduce your carbon footprint. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is one of the main greenhouse gases that cause climate change. Every tonne we avoid emitting into the atmosphere helps reduce the risk of climate change. The amount of CO2 released into the atmosphere as a result of your daily activities is called your carbon footprint.
Did you know that the average person’s carbon footprint is 4.483 tonnes of CO2 with over 40% of this coming from personal transport such as cars, motorbikes and flights (Defra 2007)?
If you can reduce your personal transport carbon footprint by just 20%, you would save 359kg of CO2 – that’s the same amount of CO2 emitted by the electricity used to power a TV for over three years!
How can taking public transport help reduce your carbon footprint? On a passenger kilometre basis, travelling by train or bus is less carbon intensive than travelling by car or plane.
(Defra 2007)
So by using public transport instead of driving or flying, you'll be helping to reduce the carbon emissions that cause climate change! And here are even more great reasons to use public transport:
- Benefits of train travel compared to flying
- Benefits of train travel compared to driving
- Benefits of bus travel compared to driving
Benefits of train travel compared to flying
- Train travel is much greener than flying and can be cheaper and less hassle too.
- You don't need to arrive at the train station a few hours before your journey starts to check-in.
- You can keep an eye on your luggage so you know it's going to arrive at your destination the same time as you do.
- You can get up and move around whenever you like.
- You can keep working and even have meetings.
- Taking the train is much more reliable than flying -for example, taking the Caledonian Sleeper from London to Glasgow is five times more reliable than flying.
- When you arrive, you're right in the city centre, with links to wherever you want to go.
Click here to find more information on train services in your area
If you travel from London to Glasgow by train instead of flying, you could save 56kg of CO2-if you can do this for just three return journeys, that's an average person's annual transport carbon footprint reduced by nearly 20%! Easy.
Click here for more information on our London-Scotland sleeper service.
If you travel from Manchester to Edinburgh by train instead of flying, you could save 30kg of CO2-that's the same amount of CO2 produced by the electricity that powers a lightbulb for nearly two years!
Click here for more information on our Manchester-Scotland sleeper service.
Benefits of train travel compared to driving
- Train travel could save you time and money, and help you reduce your carbon footprint.
- You don't have to worry about traffic jams or speeding fines.
- You can lose yourself in a good book or catch up on some sleep.
- You can enjoy beautiful views out of the window instead of having to concentrate on the road.
- You don't need to find a parking space, or worry about parking tickets or the congestion charge on a train.
- You can eat or drink safely and comfortably without having to stop halfway through your journey at the motorway services.
- You can catch up on your work, or even have a meeting
Click here to find more information on train services in your area
Leisure Travellers
We can take you to some great destinations so why not go somewhere new? And if you go on a trip by train such as London to Brighton once a month instead of driving, you could save 150kg CO2 over a year. That's the same amount of CO2 produced by the electricity that powers a washing machine for over a year!
Business Travellers
As well enabling you to get more work done, taking the train to your meetings helps reduce your carbon footprint too. For example, if you take the train on a return journey between Hull and London once a week instead of driving, in a month you'll save the same amount of CO2 produced by the electricity that powers a computer for over one and a half years
Commuters
Buying a season ticket saves you money, and if you travel between Maidenhead and London every day by train, you are also saving nearly two tonnes of CO2 each year compared with driving! In a month, you'd save the same amount of CO2 emitted by the electricity used to power a TV for one and half years!
Benefits of bus travel compared to driving
Sit back, relax, and let someone else do the driving - whether you are travelling to work, going shopping, popping into town to meet with friends or getting home safely after a good night out, taking the bus can be less stressful and more relaxing than driving:
- Read a book or the newspaper on your way to work or to the shops
- ...or just relax, enjoy the scenery or catch up on some sleep until you arrive at your destination
- Many routes have dedicated bus lanes, so you can avoid sitting in traffic jams.
- No need to drive around trying find a parking space, or pay the charges
- Stay until the shops close-not until your parking ticket runs out
- Meet up and go for a drink with your friends, someone else will drive you home.
Click here to find more information on bus services in your area
Did you know that if you take the bus on just one five mile journey each week, over a year you could save 36kg of CO2 compared with driving -that's the same amount of CO2 produced by the electricity that powers a lightbulb for over two years!