Factors associated with public transport use to school and non-school destinations among adolescents

Even before they can legally drive, the majority of Australian adolescents are car-dependent. Public transport can play an important role in reducing car dependence and increasing independent travel among adolescents. To date, much of the research on this topic focuses on younger age groups or school-based travel. The socio-ecological framework suggests that four categories of factors could influence the use of public transport among adolescents: personal, household, physical, and trip characteristics. This paper aims to measure the impact of these factors on adolescents’ use of public transport for both school and non-school destinations in Melbourne. Analyses were based on 7,690 “tweens” (aged 9–12) and “pre-driving teens” (aged 13–17; the driving age in Victoria is 18) using 24-h travel diary data from a household travel survey. Binary logistic regression analyses demonstrate that several factors are consistently associated with adolescents’ use of public transport for both school and non-school trips. Older adolescents tended to use public transport more than their younger counterparts. Living near higher-quality public transport services, residing in an inner-city neighbourhood, and longer trip distance also increased the chances of opting for public transport. In contrast, adolescents who made a greater number of trips during their travel day, those living in households with more cars, and those travelling on weekends were less likely to use public transport. These findings highlight key determinants of adolescent public transport use. The broader literature points to several policy directions consistent with these determinants, including simplified routes, provision of real-time information, increased service frequency and reliability, and improved weekend services.