Why Change is Needed

Cars produce nearly 60% of all UK domestic transport greenhouse gas emissions – and yet car traffic on our roads continues to grow and is nearly 90% greater today than in 1980. In fact, transport is the only sector in the UK in which CO₂ emissions are still rising, amounting to more than a fifth of UK domestic emissions. And, while changes are being made to combat this, they’re not being made fast enough.

Government policy is currently focussed on technology and innovation, but the benefits of this will only be felt in the long term and will not meet current CO₂ reduction targets. There’s an urgent need to focus on behavioural change. And switching from the car to public transport is at the heart of it.

One double-decker bus can take the place of 75 cars on the road. On top of this, buses and coaches run on existing infrastructures, provide real flexibility and offer additional capacity very quickly and with minimal additional costs. Congestion in urban areas currently costs the UK £11 billion GDP.

The benefits are all there; now we just need to realise them.

Sources of CO₂ emissions in the UK