Private mobility platform, FREE NOW has published results from its recent survey, which found that over half of the UK public plans to increase its use of sustainable transport in 2023.
This trend is motivated by the need to cut spending and look after the planet, with almost a third of respondents stating that transport options such as shared mobility and public transport were more important in light of the current cost of living crisis.
The FREE NOW survey data includes responses from 500 people across the UK aged 18–65. If representative, these findings show a marked shift in travel priorities across the UK, with modes such as micromobility and ride-hailing increasing in popularity.
In support of this report, the FREE NOW app has also seen a 200 percent growth in shared mobility usage in 2022.
Top Five Transport Resolutions
The survey results revealed five transportation priorities for 2023:
- Use more public transport: 37 percent of people said they would rely on public transport more in 2023
- Use more shared mobility: 14 percent of respondents pledged to use shared mobility more
- Cut spending on transport: more than half of 18–35-year-olds said they planned to reduce spending on all forms of transport in 2023, including cars
- Consider living without a private car: almost half of young people said they thought they could live without a car by using taxis, private hire vehicles, e-scooters and e-bikes
- Go electric: more than one in ten (14 percent) said they planned to replace their car with an electric or hybrid model
Mariusz Zabrocki, General Manager UK at FREE NOW, said:Sustainability is increasingly an important topic to both the general public and FREE NOW drivers. Already this year we’ve seen a 200% increase in micromobility usage on the platform and nearly three-quarters of all taxi and private hire tours were done with electrified vehicles. This is only set to continue in 2023 with more people pledging to prioritise sustainable transport in their daily lives, with FREE NOW on hand to support them in any way they like to travel.
However, despite rising costs, more than 60 percent of UK respondents said they would not cut back on transport spending over the Christmas and New Year period.
54 percent of people stated that public transport and taxis were their preferred modes of transport when leaving festive celebrations, whilst a third of 36–45 year-olds preferred to only travel by taxi.
