Even if you feel like your commute is killing you, it’s good for your health

We know public transport is good for #cities’ environmental and social connections but now it seems that it is a prolongs life for older travellers. Transport ministers can use new research to lobby for extra spending in the UK’s October #budget.

Many commuters who feel that their morning commute on a cramped urban bus, train or tram is virtually killing them may be surprised to know that public transport is an ingredient for longevity.

Research by academics at three UK universities and based on more than 10,000 Britons aged 50 or over found that death rates were substantially lower among those of its participants who used public transport.

It has long been shown that greater use of public transport – and commensurate reductions in car travel – has positive impacts on the environment such as better air quality and fewer road traffic injuries and deaths and on social mobility. But the contribution negative or positive — of the hours people spend on public transport is under-researched.

They found that users had 34% lower mortality than non-users while with those using public transport every day or nearly every day had 41% lower death rates than never users. This compared with previous research finding mortality was 24% lower for cycling and just 8% for walking.

The researchers admit that the precise mechanisms between public transport use and health are unclear: they play down the impact of the extra physical activity involved (e.g., to the bus stop) and do not find any link with long-term illnesses.

Regardless, there are some lessons that urban policymakers can take on. Given the trend towards an ageing population, supporting an activity that helps extend mobility and quality of life for older people seems sensible. Cutting public transport provision could be detrimental for population health, while expanding in the frequency and availability of services will help.

Against this backdrop, the change of government in the UK should help. Although many retired people can access free off-peak fares and discounted rail travel, others are put off by the complexity of the fares system. During the election campaign, Labour pledged to “simplify the ticketing system and … [replace] the current multitude of platforms and myriad array of fares, discounts and ticket types”.

On the roads, the government has pledged to allow local communities to take back control of buses through franchising or public ownership, and end the “postcode lottery” of bus services by providing safeguards over local networks. This will bring English cities and regions in line with a longstanding policy in London, which has been protected from deregulation. Indeed, it would have been interesting if the research had looked at regional differences in mortality rates.

How much financial support will be provided to the public transport sector will emerge in the first Budget and comprehensive spending review likely to take place in October. Until then, passengers will need to carry on “holding tight”.