Fuel crisis drives Aussies to rethink how they travel
Adam Bratt couldn’t help but feel stressed about his finances after seeing fuel prices skyrocket.
This week has reached breaking point for the Melbourne charity manager, who has opted to ditch her car and use public transport for her daily commute.
He is far from alone.
Many Australians are changing their travel habits, reporting similar changes to their commutes, turning to walking or cycling, or cutting back on travel altogether.
“Filling a tank of petrol has suddenly become a lot more painful,” Mr Bratt told AAP.
He now walks from his home, takes two trains, and walks back to work, increasing his commute by at least an hour.
“I’m not looking to get rid of my car, but in terms of commuting, it’s part of the overall cost-cutting,” he said.
“Before the fuel crisis, the cost of living was an issue, but fuel has absolutely no benefit.”
If fuel prices continue to rise, more people will change their travel behaviour, University of Sydney transport expert Geoffrey Clifton told AAP.
“We’ll start to see a long-term shift in the way people travel, and we’ll see more people switching to public transportation, leaving their cars at home, or doing things like downsizing their vehicles,” he said.
The US-Israeli war against Iran triggered a global energy shock, leading to soaring oil prices and a sharp increase in fuel costs.
It has also reignited debate about fuel rationing, which was last implemented during the 1979 oil crisis, when supply disruptions caused prices to soar, leading to widespread shortages and higher oil costs.
“This has certainly led to people moving away from driving and also buying smaller cars, so that very large classic family-sized cars have given way to more modern, smaller cars,” Dr Clifton said.
College student Ebony May decided to complete her education from home this week instead of going to campus.
“It’s a bit expensive, and parking is also a bit expensive,” he told AAP.
“It’s a shame because I really enjoy being on campus, but sometimes you think I can’t really justify it.”
The 22-year-old business student believes many of his peers are struggling with the sudden rise in prices, although early trends in Australian cities show no major change in transport habits.
In Victoria, there was a slight decline in use across Greater Melbourne’s declared road network; Midweek travel between March 9 and 20 was down one percent.
In the third week of March, there was a slight increase in Myki connections on the city’s public transport network compared to the previous week.
Ridership on Queensland’s public transport system, where fares are 50 cents, has increased by five per cent since March 1.
People are also turning to alternative options, such as e-bike and e-scooter provider Lime, which reported a 10 per cent increase in trips in Sydney from the first to the second week of March.
Zaur Tomaev owns Port Melbourne Cycles and told AAP he had seen a slight increase in bike sales last week.
He said the end of March is usually a quiet time for the store.
“I think if fuel prices continue to rise, a lot more people will choose to commute and cycle.”
