The first chart sets up the story by showing the overall disruption to Victoria’s public transport system. Monthly patronage fell sharply during the COVID period before gradually recovering. However, this total view hides an important question: did every transport mode recover in the same way?
Looking at yearly patronage shares shows the recovery from a different angle. Instead of focusing only on passenger numbers, this chart shows whether Victoria’s public transport mix changed during and after the COVID disruption. This helps reveal whether some modes became more or less dominant within the overall network. Note:Regional Coach contribution is below 1%, hence it’s barely visible in the chart but is present at the top.
Indexing each mode to its own 2019 average gives a fairer view of recovery. A value of 100 means the mode has returned to its pre-COVID monthly average, while values below 100 show that patronage is still lower than before the disruption. This makes it easier to compare large metropolitan modes with smaller regional services.
This chart compares metropolitan and regional services on a fairer scale by indexing each group to its own 2019 average. The dashed line marks 100, meaning patronage has returned to the pre-COVID monthly average. This helps show whether the recovery was similar across the two parts of Victoria’s public transport network, rather than simply showing that metropolitan services carry more passengers overall.
The final chart brings the story to a clear endpoint by ranking each mode according to its latest recovery index. The dashed line marks the 2019 average. Modes closer to or above 100 have returned nearer to pre-COVID patronage levels, while modes further below 100 remain further from their earlier travel patterns.