There is always something of interest in the Transport Statistics Bulletin National Travel Survey report from the UK's Department for Transport. The 2008 edition has just been issued.

Note that generally the figures relate to Great Britain only.

One figure I have been following for some time is the percentage of people between the ages of 17 and 21 who do not have a driving licence.
Historically, it was thought that the first priority of a 17-year old was to get a licence. This is no longer true - partly, as this year's report says, because of cost (and this could be allied to the need to fund university education).
Licence holding in this group rose steadily until the 1992/94 report, when 48% had a licence. Then it dropped to 2004, when just 27% did: the figures then started to climb again to 38% in 2007; and in 2008, dropped to 36%. It's interesting as an indication of the value placed on being able to drive, and the availability of alternatives.

Table 3.8 shows the massive irrelevance of domestic air travel to most people: 90% flew domestically once a year or never in 2007. The figure for rail was 47%, with more than a third of the population travelling by rail more than once or twice a year. 4% travelled by express bus or coach more than once or twice a year.

Over half of the population made no international flights in the last 12 months, a figure which has remained constant over the last 3 years.

When looking at long distance trips by mode and distance (table 3.11), only over 350 miles does air become significant with 45% of trips in this distance bracket being made by air. Car (at around 80%) and rail (around 12%) dominate for all other distances over 50 miles.

16% of journeys between 50 and 75 miles, and 10% of those between 75 and 100 miles, were commuting journeys.

The proportion of households saying that their local train service was "very reliable" or "fairly reliable" increased from 75% in 2002 to 86% in 2008.

In 2008, the average company-owned car travelled twice as far as others.

Average car occupancy was 1.2 for commuting and business trips, rising to 2 on education and holiday trips - on average, 1.6 (an average load factor of less than one third).