Inverness is one of the top rated cities in the UK for ease of travel, according to a new survey.
A total of 3,331 people were surveyed in 33 cities across the nation, and an easy travel index was commissioned by ESP Group which showed Scottish cities fared better than their English counterparts.
Cities outside of Scotland scored a rating of six out of 10 on average but Edinburgh was rated overall highest at 6.6, with Glasgow at 6.4, Stirling at 6.3 and both Dundee and Inverness on 6.1.
The survey took into account both the ease of travel within a city and long journeys from that city.
Inverness finished in the top half of both tables, with Aberdeen trailing slightly at 5.73 and finishing near the lower end of the spectrum – but above the lowest score of 5.31 posted by Bristol.
Research showed that national travel passes such as the National Railcard, including 16-25 Railcard, Senior Railcard and Disabled Persons Railcard played a key role in making travel more accessible.
And Scotland is unique in having the National Entitlement Card which delivers travel concessions alongside other services on one smart card.
Steve Cassidy, director of future transport at ESP Group, said: “It’s great to see Scotland leading the way when it comes to transport. Having Edinburgh, Glasgow, Stirling, Dundee and Inverness all scoring above the UK average for local travel, with Edinburgh voted best overall in the UK, really is something to be proud of”.
“Our research shows that respondents who held a national transport card, such as the National Entitlement Card (NEC) or a National Railcard were more likely to rate travel as being easier. These schemes make local and national travel simpler and add to a feeling of simplicity in an often complex public transport landscape”.
A spokeswoman said that a possible reason for Aberdeen scoring lower than average is that a quarter of those surveyed said there is not enough choice of different modes of transport available for long distance travel.
And 34% of Aberdonians said that timetables are not convenient for them for long distance travel.