Stats show public transport is bouncing back in Canberra
Date: 23/03/2023
February data shows buses help boost public transport passenger numbers in Canberra as they reach milestone peak
Public transport passenger numbers have risen dramatically in Canberra
Recent data suggests Canberrans are embracing public transport again, including the territory’s prominent bus fleet, for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The statistics show more than 1.207 million journeys were taken across the city of Canberra in February, with data from MyWay Public Transport Journeys suggesting a return to more than 80 per cent of pre-COVID patronage was seen in February.
This is the highest number of trips recorded in a month since the pandemic began, in the shortest month of the year, and represents a return of 94.5 percent of 2019 protection in the same month.
Weekend numbers last month were particularly impressive, with 26 per cent more weekend trips compared to February 2019, averaging 18,177 daily weekend trips.
“It’s great to see more Canberrans returning to public transport after the pandemic has reduced patronage in cities around the world,” Canberra Transport Minister Chris Steel said.
“More than 100,000 passenger journeys were recorded during the National Multicultural Festival alone, which means that our public transport recovery is speeding up considerably.”
Festivities around the National Multicultural Festival’s big return as well as numbers for the Royal Canberra Show helped boost patronage in February, but both of these events also took place in February 2019.
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The ACT Government will continue to invest in its public transport network with a range of new service improvements.
“Our goal is for public transport to make a full recovery from the impact of the pandemic and for public transport protection to continue to grow in the future,” says Steel.
“This is an exciting time for public transport in Canberra with 12 electric buses joining the fleet, another 90 electric buses being purchased, light rail being extended south and a new ticketing system being rolled out.
“These improvements are about making it as easy and comfortable as possible to use public transport in Canberra and will encourage even more people to jump on board.”
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