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Household Transport in 1999 and 2000: Some Scottish Household Survey results
6. Amount spent on public transport in the previous seven days(Table 8)
6.1 The randomly chosen adult was asked how much he or she had spent on public transport in the seven days before the interview, excluding any paid for by an employer or business. Table 8 shows that, overall, in 1999/2000, 60% of the people interviewed said that they had not spent anything on public transport fares in the seven days prior to the interview, 19% had spent about 1 to 5, 9% had spent some 6 to 10, 4% had spent around 11-15, and small percentages had spent larger amounts.
6.2 Table 8 shows the average (arithmetic mean) spent for each group and also the median amount spent, as the latter is more like a "typical" amount spent for each group. The median is the middle value: half the people in the group will have spent no greater than the median, and half will have spent no less than the median. The average (arithmetic mean) might give a misleading impression due to the effect of a small number of people spending a large amount of money on public transport in the previous seven days. The medians are expressed in terms of whole pounds because the interviewers asked for estimates to the nearest pound. For the 38% that gave an amount spent, the average (mean) amount spent on public transport fares is 11.28; the median is 5. (These statistics have been calculated excluding those who said that they had not spent any money on public transport in the past seven days - so answers of "0" are ignored for the purpose of these statistics.)
6.3 There was little difference in the overall amount spent in each year. However, there was some variation by sex. 22% of women spent 1 to 5 in the previous seven days on public transport compared to 15% of men. On average, men who used public transport spent 13.53 (a median 7) in the previous seven days compared to women, who spent an average 9.76 (a median 5).
6.4 The amount spent on public transport varies with age. Those aged 20-29 years who had used public transport spent a median of 8 in the last seven days compared to a median of 3 for 60-69 year olds, 70-79 year olds and those over 80 years old. The amount spent on public transport also seems to be related to the current situation of the adult. Those who had used public transport who were self-employed or in higher/further education spent a median of 10. This compares to a median of 9 for those in full-time employment and a median of 3 for those permanently retired from work. There was some difference in medians between types of area. Those living in urban areas who had used public transport spent a median 5 on public transport in the last seven days. Those living in small towns and "accessible" rural areas spent a median 6 and those living in "remote" rural areas spent a median 7. Around half the adults in large urban areas spent money on public transport in the last seven days compared to only about a fifth of those living in "remote" rural areas.
6.5 The amount spent on public transport varies with occupation. Those in professional occupations who had used public transport spent a median 10 in the last seven days in contrast to a median 5 for those in unskilled occupations. Overall, the amount spent on public transport tends to rise with annual net household income: those from households with an annual net income of up to 10,000 who had used public transport spent a median 4 on public transport in the last seven days; those from households with incomes of over 40,000 spent a median 10.
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