Census shows more students drive to college

More students now drive to college than by any other travel method, the 2011 Census has revealed.

The 28% of third-level students driving to classes is up from 22% in 2006 but it is unclear if the rise reflects greater access to private transport or more students unable to afford to live near campus. In addition to the 53,606 college students who drive, another 16,291 get a lift each day, out of 191,238 recorded in the census in April last year.

While the average journey for drivers took just over half an hour, almost 11,000 spend 45 to 90 minutes getting to college and another 2,325 take longer. Almost 52,000 students, or 27%, walk to college, 40,470 (21%) take a bus, almost 12,000 use a train or tram, and 8,500 cycle.