Fuel crisis exposes Australia’s transport gaps, financial inequity and appetite for change

New research from Monash University researchers shows almost half of Australians have changed the way they travel as a result of the fuel crisis, with those under financial hardship far more likely to seek alternatives.

In a study of 2,177 Australians from across the country just four weeks after fuel prices started climbing, 45 per cent reported changing how they travel and a further 37 per cent were considering changing to a new mode of transport. 

One in five Australians said they had already started walking for more of their trips, while two in five had cut their total number of trips. 

The crisis is disproportionately affecting lower income Australians, with 85 per cent of those experiencing financial hardship changing their travel behaviour.

In comparison, only 56 per cent of those not financially struggling had already changed their travel behaviour.

Lead author Dr Lauren Pearson, Research Fellow at the Monash School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, said the research shows the changes brought on by the fuel crisis have been forced rather than freely chosen.

“The fuel crisis has opened a genuine window for healthier, more sustainable travel, but it has also exposed how unevenly that opportunity is distributed,” Dr Pearson said. 

“Younger people and those under financial strain are doing most of the adapting, often because they have no other choice. 

“The question for governments now is whether we build the conditions that let these changes stick, or let them fade as soon as prices fall.”

More active modes of travel have increased as fuel prices climb, with 62 per cent of respondents open to walking more of their trips, 35 per cent to bike riding and 27 per cent to e-biking.

Free fares encouraged new or increased public transport use among 45 per cent of Victorian respondents, compared with just 25 per cent in Tasmania. 

This was largely driven by existing users, however Victoria saw a 12 per cent increase in new users, and 8 per cent in Tasmania. 

Senior author Associate Professor Ben Beck, from Monash School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, said acute fuel price shocks can act as a powerful catalyst for healthier, more sustainable travel, but only where safe, affordable alternatives already exist. 

“The environments we have created aren’t supporting people to make these changes to healthy and affordable modes of transport,” Associate Professor Beck said.

“What we need is rapid investment in policies that work for those that need them most. 

“The opportunity is on our doorstep to ensure people have healthy, affordable and sustainable transport options - the kinds of changes communities have been asking for and transport, public health and climate disciplines have long called for.”

The research estimates as many as one in three Australians are considering keeping their crisis-period changes in place if fuel prices fall. 

Dr Pearson said this makes the next 12 months crucial for policy and decision makers.

“This is a window of opportunity to see some real progress for more affordable and sustainable travel patterns,” Dr Pearson said.

“Changing behaviours and attitudes is incredibly difficult, so it is incumbent on us to seize this opportunity.

“This could be the moment we look back on in decades to come and are proud that we acted to improve the health of our people and our planet.”

Read the research paper: https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/hgx9d_v1

This study is currently available as a preprint and has not yet undergone peer-review. The findings should therefore be considered preliminary.