'It could take years' for Sydney's public transport system to recover from pandemic
Public transport users in Sydney are slowly returning with a surge of 10 million commuters in June but experts warn it may take years before passenger numbers go back to pre-coronavirus levels.
"I don't think things will ever return to quite what they were," University of Technology transport expert Mathew Hounsell said."There has been a significant behavioural change among the professionals in the CBD, as a lot of people realised they can work from home." Opal trips fell by more than 30 million between March and April alone, with more than half of the drop on the city's trains. However the number of trips went from 18.9 million in May to 28 million in June.
While trains were running at just over 40 per cent compared to June last year, buses had more than half of the usual commuters on board, Transport for NSW data shows.Buses in the city's inner west and eastern suburbs, as well as the Hills district and lower north shore, have remained quieter than those in Sydney's outer suburbs, especially the south-west.
He added that there was likely a higher proportion of people able to work from home in the inner suburbs equating to less people using public transport.A lack of tourists was likely affecting passenger numbers across the city and east as travellers were not visiting places like the Opera House and Bondi Beach.
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