A recent Youth Transport Report reveals that public transport remains a significant challenge for many young people in Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire. This ambitious study collected feedback from more than 900 young people between the ages of 13 and 25. It shines a light on the challenges that young people face through public transport.
According to the coalition’s report, 44% of respondents list high cost as the biggest barrier to accessing transit. Many for whom the rising cost of train tickets has especially hit young commuters the hardest. Martin Kinac, a 19-year-old student from Gloucester. Picture this – you get on the train to go to school or work. He shared his anger about increasing expenses, saying, “The price just keeps going up and up.” Train journeys to the capital’s second city have jumped by 40% over the past few years. This dramatic increase in price has rendered it even more inaccessible for young users.
Beyond cost, almost one in five young people (18%) cited lack of accessible public transport as a barrier preventing them from using it. Too many of these young people believe that services just don’t meet their needs. Kinac expressed concern about reliability. He added, “Catching the train is too hit or miss,” meaning that poor, unpredictable service scares riders away from the train.
Luke Goddard, the Youth Engagement and Insight Lead for the report, admitted that these obstacles have created a perfect storm. He added that safety and accessibility have been “high up the agenda” for the younger demographic. Goddard expressed hope that transport companies and local authorities will consider the barriers identified in the report and “start implementing some of their ideas.”
Chris Hanson, Managing Director of Stagecoach West, understands the report’s contributions well. He is particularly keen on its invaluable guidance on how to improve public transport services to attract younger users. The youth forums and surveys gathered rich qualitative and quantitative data to powerful effect throughout Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire. The Gloucestershire Community Rail Partnership was instrumental in supporting this initiative.
