Public transport travel patterns in the greater Sydney metropolitan area: 1981 to 1991

Evidence from Australia and around the world shows a declining mode share for public transport. At the same time however, society is becoming increasingly concerned about the deterioration of the environment due to car dependence. In response to these concerns governments are trying to develop policies to encourage greater use of public transport. In order to redress the decline in public transport's mode share it is important to identify the who, where, when, why and how of travel behaviour and mode choice. That is, who travels, where people travel to and from, when people travel, why people travel, and what modes people use. Once we accurately understand these factors and identify opportunities for mode choice flexibility it will be possible to formulate policies to effectively influence a shift towards public transport use. This paper analyses travel patterns from the data collected in the Transport Data Centre's Home Interview Surveys of 1981 and 1991 to identify the factors influencing mode choice and how these factors can change over time.