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LEARN MORE ABOUT .idOn Census day 2021 in Australia, 59.9% of males travelled to work in a private car, 4.3% took public transport and 3.4% rode a bike or walked. 18.9% worked at home.
Australia's commuting statistics reveal the main modes of transport by which residents get to work. There are a number of reasons why people use different modes of transport to get to work including the availability of affordable and effective public transport options, the number of motor vehicles available within a household, and the distance travelled to work.
Commuting data is very useful in transport planning as it informs decision-makers about the availability, effectiveness and utilisation of local transport options, particularly when analysed with Residents Place of Work data and Car Ownership.
WARNING: Method of travel to work relates to Census day, which for the 2021 Census occurred during COVID-19 lockdowns for large parts of Australia. In lockdown, many occupations were required to work from home if possible, and some industries were closed, so people did not go to work. For this reason, these categories may have increased, with corresponding declines in other methods of travel. Use the data with caution when comparing over time. For more details, please refer to the data notes.
Q:
Derived from the Census question:
'How did the person get to work on Tuesday, 10 August 2021?'
| Method of travel to work | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia - Employed males (Usual residence) | 2021 | 2016 | Change | ||||
| Main method of travel | Number | % | Greater Capital Cities % | Number | % | Greater Capital Cities % | 2016 to 2021 |
| Train | 150,797 | 2.4 | 3.5 | 398,215 | 7.1 | 10.2 | -247,418 |
| Bus | 101,991 | 1.6 | 1.8 | 183,142 | 3.3 | 3.9 | -81,151 |
| Tram | 12,515 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 26,540 | 0.5 | 0.7 | -14,025 |
| Ferry | 2,806 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 6,964 | 0.1 | 0.2 | -4,158 |
| Taxi/ride-share | 12,859 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 11,936 | 0.2 | 0.2 | +923 |
| Car - as driver | 3,515,223 | 56.7 | 52.7 | 3,598,288 | 64.2 | 62.4 | -83,065 |
| Car - as passenger | 198,855 | 3.2 | 2.7 | 211,935 | 3.8 | 3.3 | -13,080 |
| Truck | 74,631 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 83,717 | 1.5 | 1.3 | -9,086 |
| Motorbike | 44,073 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 57,392 | 1.0 | 1.0 | -13,319 |
| Bicycle | 57,243 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 79,859 | 1.4 | 1.5 | -22,616 |
| Walked only | 150,642 | 2.4 | 2.0 | 186,392 | 3.3 | 3.0 | -35,750 |
| Other | 96,578 | 1.6 | 1.5 | 99,322 | 1.8 | 1.7 | -2,744 |
| Worked at home | 1,170,473 | 18.9 | 22.8 | 217,357 | 3.9 | 3.3 | +953,116 |
| Did not go to work | 578,561 | 9.3 | 9.4 | 389,565 | 6.9 | 6.4 | +188,996 |
| Not stated | 32,956 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 57,140 | 1.0 | 0.9 | -24,184 |
| Total employed persons aged 15+ | 6,200,203 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 5,607,764 | 100.0 | 100.0 | +592,439 |
Dominant groups
In 2021, there were 268,109 males who caught public transport to work (train, bus, tram or ferry) in Australia, compared with 3,832,782 who drove in private vehicles (car – as driver, car – as passenger, motorbike, or truck).
Analysis of the method of travel to work of the male residents in Australia in 2021, compared to Greater Capital Cities, shows that 4.3% used public transport, while 59.9% used a private vehicle, compared with 5.6% and 55.4% respectively in Greater Capital Cities.
The major differences in males between the method of travel to work of Australia and Greater Capital Cities were:
- A larger percentage of males who travelled by car (as driver) (56.7% compared to 52.7%)
- A smaller percentage of males who worked at home (18.9% compared to 22.8%)
- A smaller percentage of males who travelled by train (2.4% compared to 3.5%)
Emerging groups
The number of employed males in Australia increased by 592,439 between 2016 and 2021.
The largest changes in the method of travel to work by male resident population in Australia between 2016 and 2021 were for those nominated:
- Worked at home (+953,116 males)
- Train (-247,418 males)
- Did not go to work (+188,996 males)
- Car - as driver (-83,065 males)
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