The bar chart compares the proportions of children aged 11 to 16 opting for four different modes of transport in a particular year.
Overall, it is apparently noticeable that walking was the most preferred choice for short school journeys and its popularity tapered off significantly among longer distances, while buses exhibited a starkly contrasting pattern. Additionally, cars consistently registered markedly lower average percentages of users than the remaining options.
Focusing first on the school journeys under 1 miles, children going on foot collectively accounted for an overwhelming majority of 90%, which was also the highest figure in the entire chart and nearly double the corresponding figure for bicycles. By comparison, those travelling by car constituted under 10%, while bus was selected by just a negligible percentage of children. In terms of 1-to-2 -mile commute, cyclists comprised roughly three-quarters and formed the largest group, distantly followed by walkers’ 60%. Cars and buses, once again, were the least preferred options, with their uses only representing one-third and one-sixth of the proportion recorded in walking, respectively.
Turning to longer journeys, walking was phased out as a feasible option. Regarding the 2-to-5-mile category, buses emerged as the leading choice, favored by half of the total number. This proportion edged out that of bicycles by roughly 2 percentage points, while significantly outpacing the third most preferred choice – car – by approximately 20 percentage points. For journeys over 5 miles, only cars and buses were considered, yet the preeminence of the latter was starkly evident as bus-takers collectively accounted for nearly 70% compared to just over 20% of the former.