20% car kilometre reduction route map

The Scottish Government’s strategy to achieve net zero emissions by 2045 comprises a number of different elements. One car-related policy outcome in its Climate Change Plan update, published in December 2020, was to reduce car kilometres by 20% by 2030, in order to meet Scotland’s statutory obligations for greenhouse gas emissions reduction by 2045. 

Transport Scotland, in collaboration with COSLA, co-developed a draft route map to achieve a 20% reduction in car kilometres by 2030, which was published in January 2022. This draft route map set out the interventions that would support people to reduce car use wherever possible and identified four key behaviours for people to consider when planning a journey. These were:

• To make use of sustainable online options to reduce the need to travel.
• To choose local destinations or reduce the distance travelled.
• To switch to walking, wheeling, cycling or public transport where possible.
• To combine a trip or share a journey to reduce the number of individual car trips made, if the car remains the only feasible option.

Views were sought on the proposed route map, including the behaviour change approach and proposed interventions.

In total, there were 679 responses to the consultation, of which 64 were from organisations and 615 from individuals.

Key themes from the consultation responses were as follows:

• There was general support for the holistic approach suggested in the route map, with respondents agreeing that behaviour change will be necessary to support the actions within the route map. Of the four behaviours outlined in the route map, the least supported was combining trips and sharing journeys.
• There was support for the route map actions to provide long term capital investment in bus transport and increased investment in active travel, with some respondents requesting greater levels of funding and development to help bring about the actions and policies contained within the route map.
• There is a desire for a fully integrated public transport system offering connectivity between and across all forms of travel. For example, having a hub and spoke system offering good connections between public transport and active travel options and offering universal ticketing so that it is easy to switch between different modes to complete journeys. There were also calls for the public transport system to be cheaper, safer, efficient and far more extensive than at present.
• There were some views that the route map is less appropriate for rural areas and island communities where public transport provision is poor, and for disabled people who use cars as a mobility aid.
• There was support for the action within the route map for changes to the planning process so that towns and new developments are built around people; creating 20 minute neighbourhoods that have local services and amenities and reducing the need for residents to have to travel elsewhere to obtain the services they need.
• A number of disincentives to car use were suggested. These included low traffic zones, bans from city centres, traffic calming measures, living street designs, road user charging and high parking charges, although based on the proviso that viable alternatives to car use need to be in place before any disincentives are introduced

The feedback received from the public consultation has led to various changes in car use policy documents from the initial draft that was published in January 2022. A key piece of feedback was that the use of kilometres (km) for the headline target was distracting from the overarching policy aim, when the majority of the general public use imperial measurement units such as miles when referring to car use. The policy has been changed to remove reference to ‘car km’ and refer instead to ‘car use’. This intends to separate out the policy aim and the measurement while making the language more accessible.

The development of the 20% reduction in car KM target was informed by the statutory emissions target of net zero by 2045 and the interim target to reduce emissions by 75% by 2030. We will be revising the 20% by 2030 target for car use reduction taking into account the Climate Change Committee’s advice on Scotland’s Carbon Budgets and informed by other relevant evidence, to develop a new, longer term target which is aligned with the timelines for the Climate Change Plan and supports our 2045 net zero target. We continue to work jointly with local authorities to consider the evidence base and to set a successor target as part of our joint commitment to car use reduction.

On 12^th June 2025, we published our renewed policy statement on car use reduction. The publication of this policy statement is the first step in our renewed approach to achieving sustainable car use reduction in Scotland. In this document, we reaffirm our commitment to this policy outcome, setting out the current national context, the societal benefits to pursuing this ambition, and our overarching approach to the policy. The overall holistic approach and behaviour change framework, supported by the consultation, is retained.

We are acutely aware that Scotland is largely a rural, sparsely populated country, and that we will always need vehicles, including private cars, in some capacity to enable people, goods and services to get around, to, and from Scotland and beyond. Our policy approach, and the development of delivery plans will necessarily be a regional and differentiated one which takes into account place-specific measures to enable positive change in rural and island communities.

Our aim is to empower people to choose a transport option that contributes to reducing emissions while also fitting their circumstances and travel needs. We recognise an enabling environment is created through cross-sectoral working and decision making, to enable people to reduce their car use via a combination of policy measures.

Next steps:

The Scottish Government and COSLA will continue to work in partnership with our key local, regional, and national stakeholders to ensure a holistic approach is taken. 

We will revise the existing car use reduction target, informed by the advice of the Climate Change Committee and other relevant evidence, to develop a new, longer-term target which will support our 2045 net zero target.

We will undertake a regulatory check of existing Transport (Scotland) Act 2001 powers for discretionary local road user charging schemes so that local authorities and/or regional transport partnerships can use those existing powers should they want to do so at any point in the future.

We will work with key stakeholders at national, regional, and local level to develop place-based and experience- specific delivery plans to support reduced car use and alternative transport options.

Along with a broad coalition of partners, we will drive a national communication and engagement campaign and set out a positive vision around how reducing car use can deliver outcomes for public health, air quality, and the environment.