Toowoomba
Local workers - Method of travel to work - All industries
Within Toowoomba, there is a lower 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 Toowoomba 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 Toowoomba, and Employment locations for the Destination Zones they work in and how they arrive there.
Data source
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) – Census 2011 (experimental imputed) & 2016 – by place of work
Local workers method of travel to work | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Toowoomba - All industries | 2016 | 2011 | Change | ||||||
Main method of travel | Number | % | Queensland% | Number | % | Queensland% | 2011 - 2016 | ||
Car, as driver | 48,488 | 69.9 | 64.3 | 44,586 | 66.9 | 61.3 | +3,902 | ||
Car, as passenger | 4,084 | 5.9 | 5.3 | 4,697 | 7.0 | 6.1 | -613 | ||
Train | 39 | 0.1 | 3.2 | 31 | 0.0 | 3.5 | +8 | ||
Bus | 266 | 0.4 | 3.4 | 313 | 0.5 | 3.8 | -47 | ||
Ferry | 15 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.1 | +11 | ||
Tram | 3 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | ||
Truck | 631 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 814 | 1.2 | 1.3 | -183 | ||
Motorbike/Motor scooter | 550 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 569 | 0.9 | 0.9 | -19 | ||
Bicycle | 514 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 562 | 0.8 | 1.1 | -48 | ||
Taxi/Other | 159 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 200 | 0.3 | 0.2 | -41 | ||
Other - multiple methods | 848 | 1.2 | 1.5 | 729 | 1.1 | 1.4 | +119 | ||
Walked only | 2,344 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 2,640 | 4.0 | 3.7 | -296 | ||
Worked at home | 3,991 | 5.8 | 5.3 | 3,675 | 5.5 | 4.9 | +316 | ||
Did not go to work | 6,802 | 9.8 | 9.7 | 6,912 | 10.4 | 10.2 | -110 | ||
Not stated | 620 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 954 | 1.4 | 1.4 | -334 | ||
Total | 69,354 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 66,689 | 100.0 | 100.0 | +2,665 | ||
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing 2011 and 2016. Compiled and presented by .id informed decisions Please refer to specific data notes for more information |


Dominant groups
In 2016, there were 323 people who caught public transport to work (train, bus, tram or ferry) in Toowoomba, compared with 53,753 who drove in private vehicles (car – as driver, car – as passenger, motorbike, or truck).
Analysis of the method of travel to work in Toowoomba in 2016 compared to the Queensland workforce within Toowoomba shows that 0.5% used public transport, while 77.5% used a private vehicle, compared with 6.9% and 71.4% respectively in Queensland.
The major differences between the method of travel to work of the workforce in Toowoomba and the Queensland workforce were:
- A larger percentage of local workers who travelled by car, as driver (69.9% compared to 64.3%)
- A smaller percentage of local workers who travelled by train (0.1% compared to 3.2%)
- A smaller percentage of local workers who travelled by bus (0.4% compared to 3.4%)
- A larger percentage of local workers who travelled by car, as passenger (5.9% compared to 5.3%)
Emerging groups
The largest changes in the method of travel to work of the workforce in Toowoomba between 2011 and 2016 were:
- Car, as driver (+3,902 local workers)
- Car, as passenger (-613 local workers)
- Worked at home (+316 local workers)
- Walked only (-296 local workers)