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By Rodrigo Santos Andrade
Hospital appointments can make greener travel harder
visibility comment0 event October 8, 2026 timer 07:43
Hospital journeys can be costly, exhausting and hard to plan. The timing and location of appointments can determine whether lower-carbon travel is possible.
Vinokurov Yury/ShutterstockThe timing of a hospital appointment does more than tell you when to see a doctor. It can also shape how you get there. For some older patients, an early appointment can fall before their concessionary bus pass, which provides free bus travel, becomes valid. An unreliable bus service can mean having to leave much earlier than necessary. And an appointment at a specialist hospital rather than the one closest to home can turn a straightforward journey into one that involves several connections.
For someone who is already unwell, these are not minor inconveniences. A short appointment can involve hours of travelling and waiting, followed by the challenge of getting home again.
Research shows that transport can affect access to healthcare. A 2024 review of research into repeated missed appointments found that transport problems, distance and access to services were among the reasons people struggled to attend. It also highlighted the value of more flexible, patient-centred appointment systems.
There are implications for the climate too. Patient and visitor journeys account for more than 40% of transport emissions from England’s NHS. The most recent figures from the Department for Transport’s now-discontinued journey-time statistics, which cover 2019, show that around two-thirds of households in England could not reach their nearest hospital within 30 minutes by public transport or walking.
More recent research illustrates how healthcare itself generates substantial travel. A 2025 study of 6,599 NHS patients in Greater Glasgow found that annual hospital travel varied considerably according to health condition and peaked around the year of diagnosis. Among the conditions examined, people with cancer travelled the furthest.
It is tempting to treat this as a question of persuading patients to drive less. But decisions about when and where healthcare is provided can make public transport practical or make travelling by car or taxi almost unavoidable.
Our research in Southampton and the Isle of Wight shows how some of these difficulties play out locally. The Community responsive digital twins for inequality alleviation and low-carbon mobility (Cordial) project explored connections between access to healthcare, transport disadvantage and carbon emissions. The Extreme temperature and health outcomes (Ethos) project examines how extreme heat and cold affect people who may be particularly vulnerable, including those living with several long-term health conditions.
Across this work, members of the public contributed their experiences of travelling to healthcare. Many were living with long-term conditions and regularly attending appointments. They described indirect and unreliable buses, long walks to bus stops and journeys involving several connections. Others spoke about the cost of repeated hospital visits when household budgets were already tight.
These experiences echo findings elsewhere. A study of cancer patients in north-east Scotland found that travelling for treatment could take up much of a day and create extra financial and physical strain. Some participants described fuel costs becoming difficult to manage, while others said transport problems affected when they sought help.
Repeated tests, treatment and follow-up appointments can make these difficulties particularly burdensome. Timing can make them harder still. Some contributors to our work said early appointments meant travelling before their concessionary passes became valid, so they had to pay for journeys that would otherwise have been free. Others caught an earlier bus to allow for delays. One person described spending around an hour travelling to hospital despite living in the same city. Another allowed as much as two hours to be confident of arriving on time.
Making healthcare travel greener also means making public transport practical and accessible for patients with different mobility needs.
Pixe1Power/Shutterstock
Bus stops that are far away or provide little shelter or shade can add further difficulties during periods of extreme heat or cold. A 2026 review of research found that people who are more vulnerable to extreme temperatures can face practical difficulties protecting themselves, showing why the design of environments and services also needs to be considered.
Getting home can be harder
The journey home may create different problems. People attending chemotherapy, blood tests, eye procedures and other appointments in our work described feeling tired or light-headed afterwards. One contributor said they would prefer to cycle because it was quicker but used the bus because they were worried about becoming light-headed on the journey home. People undergoing cancer treatment also raised concerns about crowded public transport while their immune systems were weakened.
Reducing healthcare travel emissions cannot depend principally on patients choosing a lower-carbon form of transport. Changes to healthcare itself can reduce the number or difficulty of journeys.
Remote consultations are one example. A review of 48 studies covering more than 68 million consultations found substantial reductions in travel and related carbon emissions when remote consultations replaced in-person appointments. However, many of the studies focused mainly on emissions saved through avoided travel rather than the full environmental impact of providing care remotely.
Where clinically appropriate, several appointments could also be coordinated for the same day. Appointment times could take account of local public transport and concessionary travel arrangements. Providing some services closer to patients could shorten journeys.
Transport support can help too. A review of research found that measures such as bus and taxi vouchers, shared transport and dedicated van services were linked with fewer missed appointments, although there was less evidence about whether they reduced costs or improved health.
Volunteer-led car services can provide another option for people who cannot readily use public transport. Contributors to our research noted that some were unavailable at weekends and bank holidays, could not accommodate wheelchair users and relied on an ageing pool of volunteers.
Reducing emissions from healthcare travel does not simply depend on persuading more patients to catch the bus. By considering where and when care is provided, and whether every appointment needs to happen in person, healthcare providers can reduce unnecessary travel while ensuring that patients still have workable ways of reaching care.
The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Tags: Academic Journalism, The Conversation, The Conversation Academic News
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