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LEARN MORE ABOUT .idOn Census day 2021 in Greater Melbourne, 49.7% of people travelled to work in a private car, 5.3% took public transport and 2.7% rode a bike or walked. 28.8% worked at home.
Greater Melbourne'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 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greater Melbourne - Employed persons (Usual residence) | 2021 | 2011 | Change | ||||
| Main method of travel | Number | % | Australia % | Number | % | Australia % | 2011 to 2021 |
| Train | 87,812 | 3.6 | 2.5 | 191,996 | 10.0 | 6.3 | -104,184 |
| Bus | 20,367 | 0.8 | 1.8 | 29,205 | 1.5 | 3.5 | -8,838 |
| Tram | 20,408 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 42,661 | 2.2 | 0.5 | -22,253 |
| Ferry | 426 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 444 | 0.0 | 0.1 | -18 |
| Taxi/ride-share | 5,424 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 3,967 | 0.2 | 0.2 | +1,457 |
| Car - as driver | 1,136,186 | 46.5 | 52.7 | 1,165,462 | 60.5 | 60.2 | -29,276 |
| Car - as passenger | 78,084 | 3.2 | 3.9 | 83,746 | 4.3 | 5.3 | -5,662 |
| Truck | 11,602 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 14,281 | 0.7 | 1.0 | -2,679 |
| Motorbike | 5,747 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 7,868 | 0.4 | 0.6 | -2,121 |
| Bicycle | 18,099 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 25,628 | 1.3 | 1.0 | -7,529 |
| Walked only | 48,326 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 56,341 | 2.9 | 3.7 | -8,015 |
| Other | 23,670 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 20,562 | 1.1 | 1.3 | +3,108 |
| Worked at home | 705,329 | 28.8 | 21.0 | 70,708 | 3.7 | 4.4 | +634,621 |
| Did not go to work | 273,414 | 11.2 | 11.8 | 185,081 | 9.6 | 10.2 | +88,333 |
| Not stated | 10,098 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 29,901 | 1.6 | 1.5 | -19,803 |
| Total employed persons aged 15+ | 2,444,992 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 1,927,851 | 100.0 | 100.0 | +517,141 |
Dominant groups
In 2021, there were 129,013 people who caught public transport to work (train, bus, tram or ferry) in Greater Melbourne, compared with 1,231,619 who drove in private vehicles (car – as driver, car – as passenger, motorbike, or truck).
Analysis of the method of travel to work of the residents in Greater Melbourne in 2021, compared to Australia, shows that 5.3% used public transport, while 49.7% used a private vehicle, compared with 4.5% and 56.6% respectively in Australia.
The major differences in persons between the method of travel to work of Greater Melbourne and Australia were:
- A larger percentage of persons who worked at home (28.8% compared to 21.0%)
- A larger percentage of persons who travelled by train (3.6% compared to 2.5%)
- A smaller percentage of persons who travelled by car (as driver) (46.5% compared to 52.7%)
Emerging groups
The number of employed people in Greater Melbourne increased by 517,141 between 2011 and 2021.
The largest changes in the method of travel to work by resident population in Greater Melbourne between 2011 and 2021 were for those nominated:
- Worked at home (+634,621 persons)
- Train (-104,184 persons)
- Did not go to work (+88,333 persons)
- Car - as driver (-29,276 persons)
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