Public transport use is still lagging behind pre-pandemic levels, according to new data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
Head of Household Surveys with ABS, Lisa Scanlon, said the Bureau’s latest Household Impacts of COVID-19 Survey, conducted from 12 to 21 March, found one in seven Australians (14 per cent) reported using public transport last month, compared with nearly one in four (23 per cent) who reported regular use before COVID-19 restrictions began.
“Public transport use had increased compared with nine per cent reporting regular use six months ago in September 2020,” Ms Scanlon said.
“Of the people who reported regularly using public transport before COVID-19 restrictions began, around one in six (18 per cent) reported they had not used public transport since March 2020,” she said.
“After the COVID-19 pandemic, three in five people (61 per cent) expect their public transport use will remain the same, while 13 per cent expect their use to increase and seven per cent expect it will decrease.”
Ms Scanlon said the ABS’s latest Survey also asked respondents about unpaid volunteer work for an organisation or group, as well as unpaid help for others outside their household.
“One in five Australians aged 18 years and over (21 per cent) did unpaid voluntary work (volunteering) for an organisation or group in the last 12 months, compared with one in four (26 per cent) prior to 1 March 2020,” she said.
“Two in five Australians (43 per cent) provided unpaid help to someone living outside their household in the last four weeks.”
Ms Scanlon said that of those who provided unpaid help to someone living outside their household, women were more likely to provide help to a family member, 72 per cent compared with 54 per cent for men, and men were more likely to provide unpaid help to a non-family member, 68 per cent compared with 57 per cent for women.
Further results from the ABS’s Household Impacts Survey can be viewed online at this PS News link.
