The results of four travel surveys, which questioned young people in France about their travel modes and their attitudes to those modes, are presented briefly. In the Paris Regional Transportation Survey for 1991-92, the mobility of people aged 10-24 was analysed for one day of the week. The Youth World study focused on people aged 11-24 in urban areas with over 100,000 inhabitants. The Younger Customers' Study was a qualitative study of people aged 15-25 in three French cities with different public transport policies. The quantitative study "Urban Public Transport: Consumer Attitudes and Behaviour" questioned about 1000 public transport users, whose young people seemed to be most uncertain about future bus ridership. The young people usually had a very strong urge to drive a car, first their parents' car, then their own. In most parts of France, demands for immediate travel "where and when I want" can only be satisfied by cars. Special 'youth' fares were significantly less well developed than 'senior citizen' discount fares, but this situation is being reviewed. There is a trend among young French people towards individualism and selfishness, and away from collective values. The trend to a strong and growing attraction for cars will be hard to reverse.
Abstract