Monthly Public Transport Patronage by Mode in Victoria

Monthly total patronage for metropolitan and regional train, bus, tram, and coach services in Victoria, published by the Department of Transport and Planning. The data is updated monthly with a two-month lag and includes patron boardings for persons aged 5 and over, excluding transfers that do not involve a direction change.

Use Cases

• Analyze patronage trends by transport mode (e.g., metropolitan train, regional bus) over time to assess service demand.
• Compare monthly patron boarding estimates between metropolitan modes derived from myki ticketing data and regional services based on conductor counts.
• Model the impact of the 5% 'transfer uplift' applied to metropolitan train station entry counts on total patronage figures.

Strengths

• Data is updated monthly, providing regular insights into public transport usage trends.
• Patronage estimates are derived from multiple sources including myki ticketing data, barrier counts, and operator surveys for a more complete picture.
• Covers multiple transport modes (train, bus, tram, coach) across both metropolitan and regional Victoria.

Limitations

• Patronage data is an estimate, boosted from ticketing transactions using a surveyed 'transaction rate', which may introduce estimation error.
• Data publication has a consistent two-month lag, limiting real-time analysis.
• Excludes children under 5 years old, drivers, and station staff from the patron count.

Provenance

Source

Department of Transport and Planning, Victoria, Australia.

Collection Method

Metropolitan and regional bus patronage derived from myki ticketing data supplemented by patronage surveys; metropolitan train uses barrier counts and a 5% transfer uplift; regional train and coach data provided by V/Line based on conductor/driver counts.

Freshness

Updated monthly with a two-month lag.

Geography

Victoria, Australia.