Employment
Travel To Work
Method of travel to work shows how employed residents usually got to work on Census day, including private vehicle, public transport, active travel, and working from home. It provides a snapshot of commuting behaviour rather than the full transport system.
About this topic
Method of travel to work shows how employed residents usually got to work on Census day, including private vehicle, public transport, active travel, and working from home. It provides a snapshot of commuting behaviour rather than the full transport system.
This topic supports transport and infrastructure planning and helps show how residents access employment. The 2021 results need caution because many parts of Australia were affected by COVID-19 lockdowns, which increased working from home and reduced some other travel modes.
Interpretation notes
- Method of travel to work captures the journey to work on Census day, not a person's usual weekly travel pattern.
- It applies only to employed people and is most useful with place of work or car ownership when considering transport access.
- The 2021 Census occurred during COVID-19 restrictions in many places, so work-from-home and some travel modes need caution in trend comparisons.
Key insight
In 2021, car driver was the most common travel method among employed residents in Cairns (R), accounting for 58.1% (46,270 people). This share was lower than Regional Qld (64.2%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in working from home, which increased by 6,567 people and 7.9 percentage points.
Section overview
Method of travel to work
Cairns (R) - Employed persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises travel to work for Cairns (R) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional Qld and change since 2016.
Chart view
Method of travel to work snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Cairns (R), with comparison markers for Regional Qld.
Train
Bus
Tram
Ferry
Taxi/ride-share
Car - as driver
Car - as passenger
Truck
Motorbike
Bicycle
Walked only
Other
Worked at home
Did not go to work
Not stated
Method of travel to work change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Train
-18
-0.1pp
Bus
-483
-0.8pp
Tram
-3
0.0pp
Ferry
-22
-0.1pp
Taxi/ride-share
-3
0.0pp
Car - as driver
-3,185
-10.2pp
Car - as passenger
-451
-1.1pp
Truck
-51
-0.1pp
Motorbike
-171
-0.3pp
Bicycle
-452
-0.8pp
Walked only
-409
-0.8pp
Other
-36
-0.2pp
Worked at home
+6,567
+7.9pp
Did not go to work
+6,281
+7.0pp
Not stated
-320
-0.5pp
Data table
Travel To Work for Cairns (R). Method of travel to work. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Regional Qld.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Regional Qld% | Count | % | Regional Qld% | Count | pp | |
| Train | 38 | 0.0% | 0.4% | 56 | 0.1% | 0.6% | -18 | -0.1pp |
| Bus | 1,024 | 1.3% | 1.1% | 1,507 | 2.1% | 1.7% | -483 | -0.8pp |
| Tram | 3 | 0.0% | 0.1% | 6 | 0.0% | 0.2% | -3 | 0.0pp |
| Ferry | 36 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 58 | 0.1% | 0.1% | -22 | -0.1pp |
| Taxi/ride-share | 215 | 0.3% | 0.2% | 218 | 0.3% | 0.2% | -3 | 0.0pp |
| Car - as driver | 46,270 | 58.1% | 64.2% | 49,455 | 68.3% | 67.0% | -3,185 | -10.2pp |
| Car - as passenger | 3,972 | 5.0% | 4.9% | 4,423 | 6.1% | 5.5% | -451 | -1.1pp |
| Truck | 460 | 0.6% | 0.8% | 511 | 0.7% | 1.0% | -51 | -0.1pp |
| Motorbike | 504 | 0.6% | 0.6% | 675 | 0.9% | 0.8% | -171 | -0.3pp |
| Bicycle | 905 | 1.1% | 0.7% | 1,357 | 1.9% | 0.9% | -452 | -0.8pp |
| Walked only | 1,989 | 2.5% | 3.0% | 2,398 | 3.3% | 3.7% | -409 | -0.8pp |
| Other | 1,419 | 1.8% | 1.5% | 1,455 | 2.0% | 1.7% | -36 | -0.2pp |
| Worked at home | 9,375 | 11.8% | 10.6% | 2,808 | 3.9% | 6.0% | +6,567 | +7.9pp |
| Did not go to work | 13,052 | 16.4% | 11.2% | 6,771 | 9.4% | 9.7% | +6,281 | +7.0pp |
| Not stated | 393 | 0.5% | 0.6% | 713 | 1.0% | 1.0% | -320 | -0.5pp |
| Total employed persons aged 15+ | 79,655 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 72,411 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +7,244 | 0.0pp |