Publication of Northern Ireland Transport Statistics 2016-17

The latest edition of Northern Ireland Transport Statistics, containing statistics for 2016-17 is now available.

This compendium publication is produced by the Analysis, Statistics and Research Branch (ASRB) of the Department for Infrastructure and contains information on vehicle registrations, driver and vehicle testing, the road network, freight, road safety, public transport, air transport, accessible transport and other transport statistics in Northern Ireland.  The publication is available at: Northern Ireland Transport Statistics

Key Points

Vehicle Registrations

• At 31 December 2016, there were 1,131,411 vehicles licensed in Northern Ireland, an increase of 3% from last year (1,103,082) and an increase of 7% since 2012 (1,060,328).  86% were Private Light Goods (PLG) vehicles and 8% were exempt from duty.  Over the period 2006 to 2016, licensed vehicle stock increased at a greater rate in Northern Ireland compared to the rest of the United Kingdom; stock increased by 18% in Northern Ireland, compared with 14% in Scotland, 13% in England and 11% in Wales.
• In 2016, the number of Private Light Goods (PLG) vehicles per 1,000 population aged 17+ in Northern Ireland was 667, an increase of 7% since 2012 (625).  Over the same time period, there has also been an increase of 6% in Great Britain (618 in 2012, 652 in 2016).  Since 2009, Northern Ireland has consistently had more PLG vehicles per 1,000 population aged 17+ than Great Britain.

Driver and Vehicle Testing

• The overall pass rate for car ‘Learner’ driving tests in Northern Ireland in 2016-17 was 54%, a decrease of 1 percentage point since 2015-16 (55%) and 2012-13 (55%).  The overall pass rate in Great Britain in 2016-17 was 47%, the same as in each of the previous four years (47%).
• In Northern Ireland, the pass rate for touch screen theory tests for private car drivers in 2016-17 was 47%, no change since 2015-16 (47%) and a decrease of 12 percentage points since 2012-13 (59%).  The Great Britain pass rate in 2016-17 was 49%, no change since 2015-16 (49%) and a decrease of 10 percentage points since 2012-13 (59%).
• Historically, for the practical driving test, the pass rate for males is higher than the pass rate for females.  This year continues the trend with 58% of males passing the practical car driving test in 2016-17 compared to 50% of females.  In contrast, for touch screen theory tests, the pass rate for females is historically higher than the pass rate for males.  In 2016-17, 49% of females compared to 45% of males passed the car touch screen theory test.

Road Network

• During 2016-17, maintenance (structural, routine and winter) accounted for 30% of the £388 million spend on our roads.  New construction and improvement accounted for 24% of the money spent, while public lighting accounted for 4%.  There was an increase of 4% in expenditure on the roads when compared to 2015-16. 

Freight

• During 2016, 49.3 million tonnes of freight were lifted within Northern Ireland and transported by road by heavy goods vehicles, an increase of 9% from 2015. 

Road Safety

• The number of road deaths occurring as a result of reported road traffic collisions has decreased by 8% from 74 in 2015 to 68 in 2016. 

Public Transport

• During 2016-17, there were 38.4 million passenger journeys on Ulsterbus, a decrease of 1% from last year (38.8 million) and a decrease of 6% from 2012-13 (40.7 million).  For Metro services, 27.3 million passenger journeys were taken in 2016-17, an increase of 3% since 2015-16 (26.4 million) and an increase of 4% from 2012-13 (26.2 million).
• There were 14.2 million rail passenger journeys made in 2016-17, an increase of 5% from 2015-16 (13.5 million).

Air Transport

• In 2016, Belfast International airport was the 10th busiest commercial airport in the UK with 5.15 million terminal passengers.  This accounted for 2% of all UK terminal passengers.  George Best Belfast City airport was the 17th busiest UK commercial airport with 2.67 million terminal passengers, accounting for 1% of all UK terminal passengers.
• Alicante in Spain was the most popular international route from Belfast International airport with 153,691 passengers flying there and back during 2016.  Palma de Mallorca in Spain was the second most popular international route with 147,410 passengers and Malaga in Spain was the third most popular with 130,342 passengers.

General Transport

• In 2016, there were 2.06 million sea passenger movements between Northern Ireland and Great Britain ports (including the Isle of Man), a 2% increase from the previous year (2.03 million) and less than 1% increase since 2012 (2.05 million).

Transport and Disability

• In 2016-17, 312,593 SmartPasses were held by older people (60+ SmartPass and Senior (65+) SmartPass).  Comparing this to the 2016 mid-year population estimate of those persons aged 60 and over, there was an approximately 79% uptake of these SmartPasses.
• In 2013-2015, almost a fifth (18%) of persons aged 16 and over, who were surveyed, reported having a mobility difficulty. On average those with a mobility difficulty made 590 journeys per year in 2013-2015, 40% less than those without a mobility difficulty (988 journeys per year).

Notes to editors: 

1. Background to Transport Statistics Publication

Northern Ireland Transport Statistics is an annual compendium publication and contains a variety of transport information.  The data are collated from a number of sources including the Driver and Vehicle Agency, Translink, the Civil Aviation Authority, DfI Roads (formerly TransportNI) and the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

2. Official Statistics

This is a National Statistics publication and therefore follows the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.  You can find further information about the Code of Practice at: Statistics Authority

3. For further information please contact:

• Telehone (public enquiries): 028 9054 0313 (Text relay prefix 18001)
• E-mail: ASRB@nisra.gov.uk
• Website: DfI Statistics and Research

4. Media queries should be directed to the Department for Infrastructure Press Office on 028 9054 0007.  Out of office hours please contact the duty press officer via pager number 07623 974 383 and your call will be returned. 

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