Melbourne Public Transport Patronage Long Run Series report

[ozbob]

http://ptv.vic.gov.au/news/news-promotions/melbourne-public-transport-patronage-long-run-series-report-available-for-download

Melbourne Public Transport Patronage Long Run Series report available for download

Despite peaks and troughs over the past 64 years, the number of trips taken by passengers on Melbourne's public transport network is increasing.

The Melbourne Public Transport Patronage Long Run Series report examines patronage on metropolitan trains, trams and buses since the end of the Second World War (1946-47 to 2010-11).

Patronage is the number of trips taken on public transport. A single passenger journey may consist of multiple trips. For example, a person's journey to work may involve a bus and a train trip. These trips are counted separately to calculate the level of activity on each mode in patronage estimates.

You can download the report via the link below:

Melbourne Public Transport Patronage Long Run Series (PDF) 609 kB

[somebody]

Melbourne.  Doing better than Toronto.

[#Metro]

                        Year       Patronage
Melbourne         2011      517.7
Toronto             2011      500

Melbourne is in front, but by only about 3 BUZ routes. On a per capita basis, I think Toronto will be in front, and TTC's cost recovery is 60-70% which
leaves Melbourne for dead. I'd also suggest that mobility in Toronto (trains every 5 minutes off peak) is better than it is in Melbourne (20 min services)
- a lot of late night services are frequent.

TTC statistics for 2011: http://ttc.ca/About_the_TTC/Operating_Statistics/2011.jsp

[somebody]

Toronto is more populous than Melbourne.

Toronto Urban: 5.1 mil     http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toronto
Melbourne Metro area: 4.1 mil      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melbourne

Toronto is denser too, and should achieve more.

Melbourne's cost recovery leads Australia, but that's not saying much.

[#Metro]

While I think you are correct on this one, we should be careful about what the definition of 'Melbourne' and 'Toronto' are. TTC services are generally contained within TCC boundaries (almost reminds me of the BCC!) bar a few services that go beyond Steeles avenue.

Mees, Transport for Suburbia, page 92 has for 2000:

Melbourne 343 million patronage
Toronto     810 million patronage

so given that the TTC is only reporting half (500) of the 810, there must be some more patronage from other sources included beyond the Toronto City Council Boundaries (York Region?)

[colinw]

Go Transit would be another 60-80 million a year, which still leaves that count well short.

What agency operates bus services beyond the TTC boundary (e.g. in Hamilton?)

[#Metro]

Missassagua Transit (name has changed recently)
York Region Transit
Go Transit

Not sure - good question. I wonder if the figures included the paratransit services operated there. We don't really have a paratransit equivalent over here.

[somebody]

Go = approx 62 mil
York Region = 19 mil

Does Mees's book break down the sources?