46.1% ▲ +11.9%
Higher than 99% of sub-region (sa3) areas.
- 2011: 41.2%
- 2016: 48.2%
- 2021: 46.1%
Share of occupied private dwellings with no registered motor vehicle.
Melbourne City · Sub-region (SA3)
Transport & Vehicles in Melbourne City
How households get around — the vehicles they keep and the journey to work.
Nearly half of all homes in Melbourne City do not own a motor vehicle, marking one of the highest rates for this level. This reliance on non-car travel is reflected in the way people get to work and the high frequency of nearby public transport services.
Vehicles
Motor vehicles per home, and homes with no car.
About 46.1% of households have no motor vehicle, a figure that rose 4.9 points since 2011. This is far above the 7.6% seen across Victoria and the 7.4% national figure.
Motor vehicles per home
View on map →Melbourne City splits fairly evenly between No vehicle (46%) and 1 vehicle (42%), with 2 vehicles at 10%.
Getting to work
How people travel to work.
Working from home is common here, with 38.6% of people doing so—far above the national figure of 21%. While 13.1% use public transport to get to work, which is well above the Australian average, this is down 8.2 points from 2011.
38.6% ▲ +892.6%
Higher than 91% of sub-region (sa3) areas.
- 2011: 3.9%
- 2016: 4.1%
- 2021: 38.6%
Share of employed people aged 15+ who worked at home on census day.
13.1% ▼ -38.6%
Higher than 99% of sub-region (sa3) areas.
- 2011: 21.4%
- 2016: 26.7%
- 2021: 13.1%
Share of employed people who got to work by train, bus, ferry or tram/light rail as their only method of travel on census day.
Public transport access
Stops, services, routes and how far you can get by public transport.
The area has one of the highest numbers of weekly public transport departures per 1,000 people at 4,370.8, far above the state figure. Trams and light rail are the most common modes, making up 66.6% of the network.
561
Higher than 79% of sub-region (sa3) areas.
Scheduled public-transport stops (bus, train, tram and ferry) located in the area, from the state GTFS feeds.
3.75
Lower than 63% of sub-region (sa3) areas.
Public-transport stops per 1,000 residents — a measure of how densely an area is served (GTFS stops; population from the 2021 Census).
4,370.8
Higher than 99% of sub-region (sa3) areas.
Scheduled weekly public-transport departures from stops in the area, per 1,000 residents — how often transit actually runs, not just whether a stop exists (GTFS schedules for a representative week; population from the 2021 Census).
137
Higher than 90% of sub-region (sa3) areas.
Distinct public-transport routes serving stops in the area (GTFS feeds).
Getting around
Walking distance to transport and driving time to the city.
Getting to the city is very quick, with a typical drive time of just 4 minutes. Similarly, the walk to the nearest transport stop is only 2 minutes, which is much lower than in most areas.
2
Lower than 86% of sub-region (sa3) areas.
Walking time, in minutes, from the centre of the area to the nearest public-transport stop, along the OpenStreetMap pedestrian network (Valhalla). Blank where no stop is within a reasonable walk.
4
Lower than 99% of sub-region (sa3) areas.
Free-flow driving time, in minutes, from the centre of the area to its state/territory capital city centre, along the OpenStreetMap road network (Valhalla). Excludes live traffic.
Sources
- Census of Population and Housing — Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 (CC BY 4.0).
- Public transport timetables (GTFS) — State & territory transport agencies, 2026 (CC BY 4.0 (WA: custom PTA licence)).
- Road & path network (OpenStreetMap, via Valhalla) — OpenStreetMap contributors, 2026 (ODbL 1.0).
More for Melbourne City
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Transport & Vehicles in Melbourne City [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/sa3/20604/melbourne-city/topic/transport