City of Brisbane

Local workers - Method of travel to work - All industries

Within the City of Brisbane, there is a higher proportion of local All industries workers using public transport to get to work than the Queensland workforce.

This data reveals the main modes of transport used by local workers in a particular industry to get to work. Workforce transport data for the City of Brisbane is very useful in transport planning as it informs decision-makers about the effectiveness and availability of public transport.

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 between place of residence and place of work (For instance, industries located near railway stations are likely to have higher public transport use than those located away from main public transport routes);
  • The number of motor vehicles available from within a household; and
  • The travel distance to work, which for example, can allow people to walk or bicycle to their place of employment.

Method of Travel to Work data should be viewed in conjunction with Workers place of residence and resident place of work for a clearer picture of where people come from to work in the City of Brisbane, and Employment locations for the Destination Zones they work in and how they arrive there.

Data source

Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) – Census 2016 & 2021 – by place of work

Current area:
Current industry:
Current benchmark:
reset
Local workers method of travel to work
City of Brisbane - All industries20212016Change
Main method of travelNumber%. Queensland%Number%. Queensland%2016 - 2021
Car, as driver403,69649.660.3407,31857.064.3-3,622
Car, as passenger27,8513.44.632,1954.55.3-4,344
Train38,3444.71.862,4818.73.2-24,137
Bus32,8864.02.053,0887.43.4-20,202
Ferry1,9530.20.22,2190.30.1-266
Tram1140.00.1800.00.1+34
Truck3,2550.40.83,5010.50.9-246
Motorbike/Motor scooter6,8620.80.78,5111.20.9-1,649
Bicycle7,7461.00.710,4801.51.0-2,734
Taxi/Other3,1470.40.31,4300.20.2+1,717
Other - multiple methods3,5300.40.68,6021.21.5-5,072
Walked only20,8032.62.623,5343.33.3-2,731
Worked at home172,31221.213.828,3944.05.3+143,918
Did not go to work88,54510.911.067,6299.59.7+20,916
Not stated2,9690.40.54,7510.70.9-1,782
Total 814,013100.0100.0714,213100.0100.0+99,800

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing 2016 and 2021. Compiled and presented by .id (informed decisions)

Please refer to specific data notes for more information
Did you know? By clicking/tapping on a category in the chart below you will be able to drilldown to the sub categories.
loading animation
loading animation

Dominant groups

In 2021, there were 71,344 people who caught public transport to work (train, bus, tram or ferry) in the City of Brisbane, compared with 441,664 who drove in private vehicles (car – as driver, car – as passenger, motorbike, or truck).

Analysis of the method of travel to work in the City of Brisbane in 2021 compared to the Queensland workforce within the City of Brisbane shows that 8.8% used public transport, while 54.3% used a private vehicle, compared with 3.9% and 66.3% respectively in Queensland.

The major differences between the method of travel to work of the workforce in the City of Brisbane and the Queensland workforce were:

  • A smaller percentage of local workers who travelled by car, as driver (49.6% compared to 60.3%)
  • A larger percentage of local workers who worked at home (21.2% compared to 13.8%)
  • A larger percentage of local workers who travelled by train (4.7% compared to 1.8%)
  • A larger percentage of local workers who travelled by bus (4.0% compared to 2.0%)

Emerging groups

The largest changes in the method of travel to work of the workforce in the City of Brisbane between2016 and 2021 were:

  • Worked at home (+143,918 local workers)
  • Train (-24,137 local workers)
  • Did not go to work (+20,916 local workers)
  • Bus (-20,202 local workers)

City of Brisbane

economic profile