The growth in public road transport activity (transport for hire or reward) is due to several factors: firstly, economic growth; secondly, the decline in the market share of rail and waterway transport; and finally, the fall in own-account transport. This fall is considerable both in absolute terms and in terms of market share. Over a period of fifteen years, transport for hire or reward has lost 20 points, while at the same time overall road traffic has almost doubled.