Beyond politics: How Britons view transport

Research
13 August 2025

For most Britons, transport is something that affects them every day. Whether it's walking to the shops, getting a train to work or driving to catch up with friends, moving around and navigating Britain’s transport system is something we do every day.

Yet, with the exception of a few local elections or by-elections where specific transport issues have driven voters' decisions at the ballot box, transport is rarely considered a top priority in British politics. However, how well or badly our transport system works can have an outsized impact on how the public thinks about the country more broadly.

Over the last year, More in Common has partnered with IPPR to undertake a deep dive into public attitudes towards transport. IPPR has published its report highlighting the quantitative findings. Drawing on insights from five focus groups More in Common conducted, this blog provides a snapshot of Britons’ experiences of transport and how they’d like to see the transport system evolve in the future.

A practical not political issue

The dominant theme from the focus group conversations was the extent to which Britons see transport as a practical, not political issue. In conversation after conversation with voters from across the political spectrum, their perspectives on the future of transport were drawn from their own everyday experiences of transport, rather than any wider political belief.

What was also striking was the commonality in viewpoints across different groups. Whether we were speaking with people in Oxford or Wolverhampton, or those who voted for Reform or the Greens, a desire for more reliable, accessible and affordable public transport, for less congestion and safer local roads was core to every conversation. Most were ‘both-and’ in their views on transport making the case that we should be making it easier to both drive and cycle, rather than having a single, established and congruent viewpoint in this debate.

What was also clear from our group was that transport issues were not driving many individuals’ voting decisions. Across all five focus groups, participants were united in saying that transport issues and policies had not played a major role in deciding the party they voted for both at the General and local elections, with other, more pressing, issues determining who they voted for. It was clear from these groups that most Britons do not see transport through an overly political lens but through the lens of their everyday experiences and challenges of getting around their local areas.

Transport matters deeply to Britons

Though it may not be an issue which determines their vote choice, transport still matters deeply to Britons. Across our groups, participants articulated deep frustration at the negative impacts that poor transport systems had on their lives. In Cornwall, participants spoke about how their ability to get to work or to spend quality time with loved ones was restricted by the limited hours that buses operated. In Wolverhampton, individuals spoke about the stress that congestion and unpredictable traffic caused them.

"My son, when he comes to stay with me in Falmouth he has to get the bus and sometimes on Sunday’s the bus has just been cancelled for no reason but I’ve been at work for instance so he’s had to get a train from Falmouth to Truro and then a bus to Redruth - just because they’ve cancelled it for no reason. So if he has a curfew of when he has to be back he often has to make alternative arrangements - it happens a lot to him so I think it [Cornwall’s poor public transport] seems to affect him the most."

James, Sales Manager, 2019 Conservative, 2024 Labour, Truro & Falmouth

In our focus group conversations, while many saw transport as an important issue in their lives, they didn’t perceive politicians as giving it the attention it needed or deserved. There was little awareness of the differing transport responsibilities of local councils, devolved leaders and central government and few could recall any difference in the transport policies of the major parties or any discussion of transport issues in the General Election campaign, though some had recalled seeing local Councillors campaigning on transport issues.

"I was looking for it but they [the political parties] didn't really say that much about it. It was all overlooked by other things. A lot of it was to do with carbon emissions and all that sort of stuff… but it just seemed with the transport it was a little bit, I dunno, it just felt like it was a bit overlooked to me."

Chris, 2019 Labour, 2024 Labour, Road Sweeper, Wolverhampton South East

The opportunities from talking about public transport

Our focus group conversations revealed the potential for real political benefits to be earned from a clearer focus and narrative from leaders in local and national government on transport. First, awareness and understanding of transport policies is poor and this risks undermining public support. In Nottingham, there was some disgruntlement about the city’s workplace parking levy as some felt this was a tax on workers with no benefits. There was limited awareness that the funds raised through the levy were allocated to fund improvements to the city’s public transport infrastructure. Knowing this helped minimise opposition to the levy, demonstrating the benefits of politicians and authorities investing the time, energy and resources required to boost public awareness of transport policies and the rationale behind more controversial decisions.

Asked what their ideal transport network would look like in their local areas - our participants demonstrated that the types of transport improvements the public long for are in many circumstances rudimentary. In Cornwall, several spoke of how having access to real time data on when buses are arriving at and leaving stops has markedly improved their experiences of getting around. With Britain facing challenging fiscal conditions and so the government’s ability to make substantial improvements on big issues like the NHS and the economy constrained, transport offers an invaluable opportunity for achievable and meaningful change.

“I do quite like the app so you can track the bus. I think that’s a good thing. There’s not many good things about public transport, but that is one good thing so at least if you live near a bus stop, you don’t have to stand for ages waiting and waiting, you actually see.”

Shane, Car Valeter, 2019 Conservative, 2024 Lib Dem, North Cornwall

"Yeah, I did notice recently they have bought in locally those digital signs at the bus stop which say how long the bus is going to be, how many minutes. I thought that was quite good. I mean they’ve had them in London for years but I think it’s only the last couple of years we’ve had them here.”

Rachel, Hairdresser, 2019 Conservative, 2024 Labour, Truro and Falmouth

Building support for bolder action on transport

Across all five focus groups, participants demonstrated support for active travel policy measures that would be seen by many as being politically controversial. There was widespread support for school streets - something reflected in the quantitative research. In conversations in Wolverhampton with Labour-Reform considerers, most were either supportive of or ambivalent to the recent pedestrianisation of the town centre.

Across our focus group conversations, participants acknowledged that tackling congestion would necessitate switching some journeys usually made by car into ones done on public transport or through active travel, rather than expanding road capacity. However, most wanted other drivers to switch rather than seeing it as their own responsibility.

There was opposition to some measures. Across all five groups, there was some opposition to the principle of clean air zones. In our conversations in Oxford, those who were firmly in favour of school streets were critical of the city’s LTNs (Low Traffic Neighbourhoods).

Taken together, these responses show that attitudes on transport issues are often more nuanced than is given credit. The loud opposition that is often heard is unlikely to be representative of the broader public opinion on most transport policies.

“Sorry, I would actually disagree with that [another participant arguing the A30 extension has helped ease congestion] because yeah the A30s made it easier to get all the way down but all it's done for Truro is bottleneck it. So I sometimes have to go to work in Truro in the morning and trying to get from the hospital is just a nightmare. So all they've done is taken the bottleneck off the A30 and put it on the smaller roads.”

Shane, Car Valeter, 2019 Conservative, 2024 Lib Dem, North Cornwall

The practical lens through which people see transport can explain these divergent reactions to these bolder transport policies. Few participants saw themselves as pro-or-anti-driver or pro-or-anti-active-travel, instead they considered each policy we discussed through an assessment of how it might affect their day-to-day lives. The policies they considered to make life easier or unimpactful gained a warmer reception, the policies that they worried would make it harder or more expensive to get around were met with stauncher opposition.

"Well you could say back in the day when I used to go to school, it was walking distance. Everyone who is going to the local school shouldn't be using the cars. I think they should just walk and that should stop a bit of traffic."

Mark, HGV Driver, 2019 Labour, 2024 Labour, Wolverhampton South East

When proposing significant transport changes, policymakers should have the impact of the changes on local people’s day to day lives front of mind. It should shape the design, delivery, rationale and justification of these policies. Broader or grander objectives, such as objectives like tackling climate change, are unlikely to resonate with the public.

When testing different ways to talk about transport policy in the focus groups, those which focused on improving children’s safety when playing in and getting around their local area were particularly effective. In Oxford and Wolverhampton, arguments which spoke to a desire to return to a past era where it was easier for children to play on and walk around local roads drove participants’ support for school street, suggesting focusing on restoring the perceived safety and quietness that Britons used to enjoy on their streets could be a far more effective frame for traffic reduction measures than encouraging them to imagine a new and radically improved future.

"So back when I was a kid, everyone used to walk to school because you could because roads were quiet and you went to your local school, that was your choice… And yeah, it just literally needs to be a reset so you can send your kids off to school safely knowing that they're going to get there and they're not going to get run over or there's so much traffic, they can't even cross a road properly. I used to play football in the street as a kid. I mean I'm not that old, I'm mid forties, but we used to play football in the road… Now you can't even cross a road without the use of a pedestrian crossing. So it's a different planet and I don't like it."

Steve, Photographer, 2019 Conservative, 2024 Labour, Oxford West & Abingdon

Encouraging more people to use public transport

Discussion about the costs of using public transport dominated our conversations, with many concluding that public transport was too expensive. Many were aware of the relative costs of driving versus taking public transport and these calculations played a pivotal role in determining their journey decisions. In Nottingham, Cornwall and Oxford, participants argued that the high cost of taking buses and trains meant they often opted to drive to a destination and pay for parking as it was cheaper than using public transport.

“My only thing is just the cost of public transport. It's getting to the stage now where it's like in some ways, it's cheaper to go into town and park than it is to get the bus. It's not so bad at the moment with the subsidised bus but when that stops being the case, for me certainly, it will be cheaper. I can get an early bird which is six pound 50 for the whole day to park in Broad Marshall Victoria Centre. I kind of don't want to do it because like it's not very environmentally friendly and all of that, but equally cost is king when you are on a budget."

Katie, Business Manager, 2019 Green, 2024 did not vote, Nottingham North

While making public transport more affordable than driving will likely be a necessary condition for shifting journeys from cars to public transport, it is unlikely to be sufficient in and of itself as other barriers remain.

In Cornwall and Oxford, participants said they would prefer to take the bus instead of driving but limited timetables and frequent delays and cancellations meant they could not rely on public transport to get them where they needed to on time. In Wolverhampton and Nottingham, participants spoke passionately about safety concerns on their local tram network with incidences of anti-social and violent behaviour undermining their confidence in the safety and comfort of trams and discouraging their use. Ensuring public transport is accessible, reliable and safe is likely to be just as important for inspiring modal change as reducing its cost.

"I used to get the tram every day to work because I used to work right near the train station so that was a convenience thing. But the second that I could find an alternative, I did because I had so many bad experiences on the tram - of drunks, of people being lairy of people having to be chucked off because they didn’t have a ticket and suddenly it’s delaying your journey… You can just feel the tension when you get on them, they’re just not a nice place to be."

Katie, Business Manager, 2019 Green, 2024 did not vote, Nottingham North

“For my job, I travel all over the place. It would be impossible to do with public transport, especially with the hours I work. I work til really late at night and in the early hours of the morning I wouldn’t be able to get home. I would not be able to do any of the jobs that I do at all if I relied on public transport - it just wouldn’t work.”

Tracy, Security Professional, 2019 Conservative, 2024 Conservative, North Cornwall

These focus group conversations demonstrate that although transport is an important issue in the day-to-day lives of many Britons, it is not something they see as a political or electoral issue. Most take a practical, rather than ideological, approach to transport policy. If that key test of improving people’s daily lives is met, strong support for ambitious transport policies can be unlocked and the small risk of an electoral backlash limited.

Broader More in Common research has consistently shown that collapsing levels of trust are a key driver of the shift of support away from the established parties. Overcoming this sentiment and restoring trust will require the government and local councils to make improvements to the public’s everyday lives in a way that can be touched, felt and seen by Britons.

Given how impactful transport is on their lives, and how visible declining transport systems have been, whether that be reduced or cancelled bus services, increased congestion or spiralling prices, it is clear from these focus group conversations that transport improvements can form the tangible improvements that are needed to start repairing public trust in politicians and politics.

Methodology

The focus groups for this project took place in November 2024 and June 2025.

Some participant names have been changed to ensure their anonymity.

Focus Group Recruitment Criteria

Focus Group 1: Sheffield

Mix of Sheffield Central or Sheffield Heeley constituency residents
All voted Labour in 2019 General election, a mix of Labour, Green and non-voters in the 2024 General Election
Mixture of participants with and without cars or vans in their household.
Mix of demographics including gender, age, ethnicity, socio-economic background and disability.

Focus Group 2: Nottingham

Mix of Nottingham South and Nottingham North and Kimberley constituency residents
Mix of 2024 Labour or 2024 Reform voters or non-voters. All previously voted Labour or Conservative at 2019 General Election.
Mixture of participants with and without either vans or cars in their households
Mix of demographics including gender, age, ethnicity, socio-economic background and disability.

Focus group 3: Cornwall

Mixture of residents from North Cornwall and Truro and Falmouth Constituencies
All voted Conservative in 2019 General Election
2024 General Election: North Cornwall (Mixture of Lib Dem and Conservative), Truro and Falmouth (Mixture of Labour and Conservative)
Mixture of participants living in either towns or rural areas/villages
Mixture of residents who occasionally/regularly use local bus services and residents who only rarely/never use local bus services.
Mix of demographics including gender, age, socio-economic background and disability.

Focus Group 4: Wolverhampton

Mixture of residents from either Wolverhampton North East, Wolverhampton South East or Wolverhampton West constituencies.
All voted Labour in 2024 General Election and all would consider voting Reform at the next General Election
Mix of demographics including gender, age and socio-economic background
Some participants to have not voted in 2024 West Midlands/Wolverhampton City Council Elections
Some participants to not own a car in household

Focus Group 5: Oxford

All full-time residents of Oxford City Council
Equal mix of residents of Oxford East constituency and residents of Oxford West and Abingdon Constituency.
All voted Labour in 2024 General Election and all would consider voting for at least one of the Liberal Democrats or Green Party at the next General Election
Mix of demographics including gender, age and socio-economic background
Some participants to not own a car in household
Some participants to have not voted in 2025 Oxfordshire Council election