MOTORISTS are abandoning their cars and taking to buses and trains because of the rocketing cost of petrol and diesel, new figures reveal.
Public transport operators in Scotland say thousands of extra journeys are now being made on their services as fuel prices reach record levels.
Official figures from the Department for Transport show that car traffic has fallen UK-wide by 2% in th
e first three months of 2008 compared with the same period of 2007.
ScotRail, which runs train services across the country, says passenger numbers have increased by at least 4% in the last year. Lothian Buses, which runs services in and around Edinburgh, reports a 5% increase while FirstGroup, which runs services in Glasgow and Aberdeen, says it has also recorded healthy rises in travellers switching to buses.
A survey by the AA motoring organisation has found that more than a third of its membership in Scotland have decided to reduce their car travel.
Experts said one of the biggest factors in recent rises in public transport use was the price of fuel. Last week, diesel prices soared to more than £6 a gallon and unleaded to around £5.30.
According to the AA, prices have shown the biggest month-on-month increase for more than a decade, with the average Scot now paying around £34 a month more to fill up their car than a year ago.
The organisation is also predicting more pain to come for motorists, with prices of crude oil – on which forecourt prices are based – hitting $135 a barrel last week and forecast to rise to $150 in the next few months.
John McCormick, chairman of the Scottish Public Transport Association, which campaigns for improvements to services, said: "Congestion on the roads has been a major factor but fuel costs are now adding to that in a big way. It's now cheaper for one person to travel to work by train than fill up the tank with petrol or diesel.
"With tanks costing upwards of £50, motorists are going to think twice about using their cars when they perhaps might not have done until relatively recently.
"I think there is real long-lasting change going on in travelling habits because fuel prices are not showing any sign of coming down significantly in the immediate future."
Commuters said fuel prices were definitely having an impact on travelling patterns. Leonie Airley, 32, from Glasgow, said: "I used to drive to work each day but thanks to the cost of petrol, I now take the subway and leave the car at home.
"I still need to use the car at the weekends, though, to visit my parents who live in the countryside. The public transport connections there simply aren't good enough."
Andrew Constable, a 36-year-old Edinburgh solicitor, said he was also changing his methods of getting to work.
"I do have a car, but try to use it as little as possible, and usually take the bus," he said. "The rise in petrol prices definitely makes me more likely to prefer public transport to driving."
Alasdair Hardman, a 55-year-old advocate from Perthshire, said he had decided to use the train to get to Edinburgh. "Living in the countryside and driving a four-wheel-drive car, I have made a concerted effort to conserve fuel as the cost continues to rise.
"Those living in the country are much harder hit by high petrol prices. I haven't noticed any serious issue with overcrowding on trains but this might change if there's a large shift to public transport."
Although public transport companies themselves face higher fuel costs, they are less concerned than airlines because fuel accounts for only 10% of their costs.
FirstGroup, which also owns ScotRail, says rapidly escalating oil prices are boosting its business. In Glasgow, passenger numbers had increased by 3% in the last year.
Lothian Buses said passenger numbers increased by eight million last year, up to 114 million, with rising fuel prices a significant factor.
A spokesman said: "We have been seeing an average increase of around 4%-5% a year every year since 1998. A combination of factors is behind this,
but the rising price of fuel for private motorists has had an effect, especially in recent months."
Motoring organisations said it was too early to tell whether the shift to public transport would be permanent.
A spokesman for the AA said: "If there is to be a significant move to public transport, a great deal will depend on the public transport experience: the lack of flexibility encountered by many public transport users can prove incompatible with the demands of a busy schedule."
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The Virgin chairman warned that disruption caused by closures on the Scotland to London line could get worse if Network Rail sticks to a plan to complete the work by December.
