Why young have less need to leave home
A RISE in food delivery services and on-demand television is causing young adults to avoid leaving their houses, according to a report.
The West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) organisation, which looks after public transport and infrastructure projects, made the assertions in a report set to go before its transport committee members this week.
While explaining the reasons for the decline in bus passenger numbers over the years, it added young adults – particularly males – have less need to leave their houses outside of working hours, due to services such as Deliveroo and Netflix.
It said: “Younger people, particularly males, in urban areas are far less likely to have a driving licence and subsequently drive less than previous generations.
“The increase in the amount of goods and services that are now available for delivery to people’s homes including Deliveroo, Netflix and Amazon Prime have also contributed to a decline in the amounts of leisure journeys being made.”
The report added that those approaching retirement are also more likely to have their own transport, leading to a decline in bus passes for the elderly.
It said: “There is evidence that across all modes we are travelling less. The ‘baby boomers’ who are just entering retirement now have higher car ownership than previous generations and tend to drive more; this is evidenced by a slight reduction in the use of free bus passes.”
The report argues the lack of public transport passengers means spending on bus provision should gradually be reduced over the next few years.
This is despite the authority’s bus strategy, which was adopted in 2017, included a target of 25 per cent growth in bus passenger journeys by 2027, while the Interim Leeds Transport Strategy wants to double bus journeys in Leeds by 2026.