Types of Transport in Britain

Roads and motorways are Britain's primary domestic transport routes. There are some 225,000 miles (362,000 km) of roads in Britain. Travel by car, van or taxi is by far the most common means of transport, accounting for 85 per cent of passenger mileage in Great Britain. W Most people in Britain travel by car. About 75% of households have at least one car. Motorcycling is popular in Britain, both as a means of transport and as a pastime with over one million motorcyclists.

A moped with an engine capacity up to 50cc can be ridden at the age of 16 with a provisional licence. The maximum legal speed a moped can be ridden is 30 mph (50kph).

A full motorcycle licence can be obtained at the age of 17 after passing a test.

Most goods are transported by roads in lorries

At the beginning of the 20th century, railway trains and canal barges were the main means of transporting heavy goods. Now around 65% are carried by lorries.

We have single decker and double decker buses. You can see them in our towns and cities. We use coaches for travelling longer distances or for going on school outings. The red double decker buses (pictured below) are famous all over the world. You can see loads of them in London. There are two main kinds of buses in London: the red double-decker and the red single-decker

The main places a bus goes to are shown on the front of the bus. Some double-deckers have automatic doors and you pay the driver when you go in. On single-deckers you sometimes buy your ticket from a machine in the bus. Most London buses have a conductor who will come round and collect fares.

There are many sightseeing, open top, buses in London and other cities.

In London, the taxis are black but in the rest of the country they are different colours.

Black Cabs are the only taxi you can hail from the street (though they now come in other colours as well). With the "for hire" sign lit, the driver is obliged to stop for you.

The rail network in Britain is one of the most extensive in Europe with over 11,000 miles (17,500km) of lines, some 2,500 stations and around 1,500 trains a day.

Interesting Facts: Britain pioneered railways. The Stockton and Darlington railway (1825) was the first public passenger railway in the world.

The major stations in London are:

Euston, St Pancras, Victoria and Charing Cross.

The London underground railway system (or 'tube', as it is known locally) celebrated its centenary in 1990 and is internationally famous, ranking alongside the Paris metro and the New York subway. London's tube network covers the largest area of any underground rail system, with 253 miles of tracks, of which 20 miles are in shallow tunnels and 93 miles in deep tunnels. The tube runs to all areas of central and greater London, connecting all mainline stations.

When in London, "the Tube" is a great means of getting around!

Interesting Fact: London was the first city in the world to have an underground railway, called the 'tube'. The first line was built in 1890.