A third of Londoners say that the cost of public transport puts them off, and over half would support higher road taxes to improve the service, according to a survey by Hitachi Rail.

Although high ticket prices deter one in three Londoners from travelling by public transport, commuters here are still more likely to travel to work by bus or train than counterparts around the world, the survey of commuters across the world reports.

Residents in eight cities including London, Paris and Washington DC were asked about their commutes. Commuters in most cities drive to work but Londoners bucked the trend with only 38% reporting commuting by car and 27% saying they never drove in the city.

Almost half of all Londoners say that they use buses to commute, the highest percentage of bus use in any city surveyed, whilst 35% travel by train and 20% by the London Underground.

There were signs of tension possibly being driven by the cost of living crisis however, with more than 1 in 3 (37%) Londoners citing the cost of public transport as a factor which discourages them from using it. Over half (54%) of Londoners surveyed even said they would be likely to support increased road charges in order to fund a better-connected public transport system.

Ludmil Neykov, Chief Digital Officer at Hitachi Rail, said: “Mass adoption of public transport for journeys currently made by car is vital if the world’s global cities are to meet sustainability targets and improve air quality.”

The full report is here.

The fieldwork for the survey was conducted by Savanta ComRes in August 2022 and included 1009 respondents from London.