UK transport services spending by household income decile, 2023

TL;DR

Statista charts UK households' average weekly spending on transport services like rail, tube, bus, and coach fares in 2023, broken down by gross income decile.
Households in the seventh income decile spent the most on these services, while spending rises steadily from £4.60 in the lowest decile to £43.80 in the highest.
Data from ONS's Living Costs and Food Survey shows higher-income households allocate more absolute pounds to public transport despite overall bigger budgets.

The story at a glance

This Statista page presents a chart on average weekly UK household spending on transport services in 2023, split by 10 gross income decile groups from lowest to highest. The underlying data comes from the Office for National Statistics' Living Costs and Food Survey of 4,460 households via panel survey. It is published now as part of Statista's ongoing statistics series, drawing from ONS data released in August 2024.[[1]](https://www.statista.com/statistics/285905/transport-services-weekly-uk-household-expenditure-by-income/)[[2]](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/peoplepopulationandcommunity/personalandhouseholdfinances/expenditure/datasets/familyspendingworkbook2expenditurebyincome/fye2023/workbook2expenditurebyincome.xlsx)

Key points

Covers fares for rail, tube, bus, coach, combined tickets, and other travel/transport in 2023.
Average across all households: £18.10 per week on transport services.[[3]](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/peoplepopulationandcommunity/personalandhouseholdfinances/expenditure/datasets/familyspendingworkbook1detailedexpenditureandtrends/fye2023/workbook1detailedexpenditureandtrends.xlsx)
Spending by decile (lowest to highest income): £4.60, £7.80, £8.00, £11.20, £13.60, £18.40, £18.90, £23.40, £31.00, £43.80—peaking around the seventh decile per Statista teaser.
Figures reflect gross income deciles, with lowest 10% of households at one end and highest 10% at the other; total transport spending (including operation) averages £79.20 weekly.[[2]](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/peoplepopulationandcommunity/personalandhouseholdfinances/expenditure/datasets/familyspendingworkbook2expenditurebyincome/fye2023/workbook2expenditurebyincome.xlsx)
Survey covers financial year ending 2023 (April 2022–March 2023); transport services form part of broader transport category at 14% of total household spend.

Details and context

The data originates from ONS's annual Living Costs and Food Survey, a panel survey tracking spending patterns. Transport services specifically exclude personal vehicle costs like fuel or maintenance, focusing on public and shared options—key for urban commuters but less so for car-reliant rural or affluent groups.[[4]](https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/personalandhouseholdfinances/expenditure/bulletins/familyspendingintheuk/april2023tomarch2024)

Spending rises with income in absolute terms, as richer households travel more overall, but lower-income deciles devote a larger share of budgets to essentials like transport amid tighter finances. For perspective, total weekly household spend ranged from about £379 (poorest fifth) to £949 (richest fifth) in related FYE 2024 data.[[4]](https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/personalandhouseholdfinances/expenditure/bulletins/familyspendingintheuk/april2023tomarch2024)

Broader transport expenditure (including cars) hit £88 weekly average in FYE 2024, up 12% real-terms from prior year, second only to housing/fuel at 14% of budgets.

Why it matters

UK household transport costs highlight access gaps, with public services burdening lower incomes more proportionally despite flat or lower absolute spend. Readers in policy or budgeting see how income shapes mobility choices; businesses in transit gain demand insights by decile. Watch ONS FYE 2025 release in autumn 2026 for post-2024 inflation effects on fares and usage.[[4]](https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/personalandhouseholdfinances/expenditure/bulletins/familyspendingintheuk/april2023tomarch2024)