Indicator Fact Sheet

External costs of transport

Indicator Fact Sheet

Prod-ID: IND-175-en

Also known as: TERM 025

This is an old version, kept for reference only.

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Topics: Transport

This page was archived on 08 May 2015 with reason: No more updates will be done

Assessment made on 01 Jan 2001

Generic metadata

Classification

Topics:

Transport

DPSIR: Impact

Identification

Indicator codes

TERM 025

Contents

Policy issue: Reduction of external costs of transport

Figures

Freight transport

Passenger transport

Key assessment

The external costs of transport in the EU amount to around 8 % of GDP. Motorised road transport - which takes the highest share in both freight and passenger trips - accounts for more than 90 % of these costs. Accidents, noise, air pollution and climate change are the most important external costs.

Passenger transport is estimated to be responsible for 65 % of total external costs. The average external costs (per passenger-km) of cars are the highest, then aircraft, bus and train. For freight, water and rail transport have the lowest external costs per tonne-km, with air transport and trucking 10 and 5 times, respectively, more than rail.