New normal? Sydney and Melbourne public transport use still at 80% of pre-Covid levels

The latest data shows an average of two days a week of work from home, fewer cars on the road and less-crowded trains

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Average weekday public transport trips in Sydney and Melbourne are still down around 20% from pre-Covid levels, and experts say this level of use may become the “new normal”. But the data shows that even as total numbers are down, there are differing patterns across modes of transport, regions and times of day.

“The peaks have been dropping, and the off-peaks have been increasing” says Prof David Hensher from the University of Sydney.