Skip to main content

Australia’s public transport needs investment, says report

According to Australasian Bus and Coach, a new report warns that public transport investment in Australian needs an increase to avoid overcrowding The State of Australian Cities report shows patronage on public transport has grown significantly over the last decade, with a rate of average annual growth of 2.4 per cent. The report warns investment in Melbourne and Sydney’s public transport network should be increased to meet future demand, since patronage is growing fast and overcrowding becomes an is
July 14, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
According to Australasian Bus and Coach, a new report warns that public transport investment in Australian needs an increase to avoid overcrowding

The State of Australian Cities report shows patronage on public transport has grown significantly over the last decade, with a rate of average annual growth of 2.4 per cent.

The report warns investment in Melbourne and Sydney’s public transport network should be increased to meet future demand, since patronage is growing fast and overcrowding becomes an issue. It shows Melbourne has a much lower proportion of inner-suburb residents using public transport to access the city and inner-suburbs for work, compared to Sydney. Only 35 per cent of inner-city Melbourne residents use public transport compared to 50 per cent of inner-city Sydney residents.

The report highlights the investment in Perth and Brisbane which has possibly encouraged and accommodated increased patronage of public transport.

The report also found people tend to use public transport only if they work in the city or inner-suburbs and if they work in the outer-suburbs they are much more likely to drive.

In Parramatta, New South Wales, for example, 72 per cent commute by private vehicle.

Related Content

  • October 30, 2013
    HS2 ‘crucial to Britain’s future transport needs’
    Britain cannot meet its future transport needs without HS2, according to new evidence published by the government. Even with over US$80 billion of planned transport investment over the next six years the country’s railways will be overwhelmed. The strategic case for HS2 sets out in detail the need for a new railway line to provide the vitally needed extra capacity. Central to the case is new data that reveals the true extent of the crisis facing the UK rail network and the impact alternatives to buildin
  • February 26, 2019
    AV technology ‘could reduce congestion’, says Australian minister
    Congestion costs would drop by more than a quarter if automated vehicles (AVs) account for 30% of kilometres travelled, says Alan Tudge, Australia’s minister for cites urban infrastructure and population. Speaking at the Australia-New Zealand Cities Symposium in Sydney, Tudge revealed findings from the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics. “They estimate it would drop from $37 billion of avoidable congestion to $27 billion,” Tudge says. A 30km freeway journey in Melbourne has increas
  • June 22, 2017
    New South Wales budget ‘builds for the future’
    Australia’s New South Wales Government has committed US$55 billion (A$72.7 billion) over the next four years to infrastructure investments, including US$31 billion (A$41.4 billion) for roads and transport.
  • August 26, 2015
    Washington, DC, tops list of gridlocked US cities
    The 2015 urban mobility scorecard for the US, published jointly by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute and Inrix, indicates that urban areas of all sizes are experiencing the challenges seen in the early 2000s and population, jobs and therefore congestion are increasing. The US economy has regained nearly all of the nine million jobs lost during the recession and the total congestion problem is larger than the pre-recession levels. Cities of all sizes are experiencing the challenges last seen before t