Travel time to major employment centres in the Greater West of England, 2019

17 Mar 2026

This data insight describes the accessibility of major employment centres in the Greater West of England. The data draw on travel time statistics published by the Department for Transport (DfT). The statistics measure average journey times and accessibility by different modes of transport, including by car, and public transport or walking.

The statistics are derived from analysis of public transport timetables and transport networks combined with population data to estimate journey times to employment centres. Journey times are calculated for weekday morning peak travel between 7am and 10am.

A major employment centre is defined in the dataset as a location with 5,000 or more jobs, representing the largest category of employment centre in the journey time statistics dataset.

The Greater West of England is defined here as Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, Gloucestershire, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon and Wiltshire.

The dataset was last published for 2019 and has since been discontinued.

11.1 mins

Average journey time to a major employment centre by public transport or walking in Bristol

10

Major employment centres accessible within 30 minutes by public transport or walking in Bristol

76.9%

Working age population within 30 minutes of a major employment centre by public transport or walking in Gloucestershire

Travel time to major employment centres by mode of transport in the Greater West of England, 2019

This visualisation shows the average journey time to major employment centres in the local authority areas of the Greater West of England by mode of transport in 2019.

For travel by public transport or walking, average journey times ranged from 11.1 minutes in Bristol to 24.7 minutes in Gloucestershire. The England average was 31.2 minutes.

For travel by car, average journey times ranged from 9.2 minutes in Bristol to 22.6 minutes in Swindon. The England average was 15.9 minutes.

In most local authority areas, journey times by car were shorter than those recorded for travel by public transport or walking.

Major employment centres accessible within 30 minutes in the Greater West of England, 2019

This visualisation shows the number of major employment centres accessible within 30 minutes in the local authority areas of the Greater West of England.

For travel by public transport or walking, the number of accessible employment centres ranged from 2.4 in Swindon to 10.0 in Bristol. The England average was 1.9.

For travel by car, the number ranged from 2.4 in Swindon to 7.8 in Bristol, compared with an England average of 6.7.

Across the areas shown, Bristol recorded the highest number of accessible employment centres by both modes of transport.

Working age population within 30 minutes of a major employment centre in the Greater West of England, 2019

This visualisation shows the proportion of the working age population within 30 minutes of a major employment centre across local authority areas in the Greater West of England.

While the previous visuals show average journey times and the number of employment centres accessible within 30 minutes, this visualisation shows the proportion of the working age population within 30 minutes of a major employment centre.

For travel by public transport or walking, the proportion ranged from 76.9% in Gloucestershire to 100% in Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire. The England average was 60.2%.

For travel by car, the proportion ranged from 76.2% in Swindon to 99.3% in Bristol. The England average was 92.1%.

Across all areas shown, a large proportion of the working age population was within 30 minutes of a major employment centre by both modes of transport.