TRANSPORT


Overview

This chapter provides information on various aspects of transport, including:

• Ability to get to places;
• Access to motor vehicles;
• Transport use; and
• Possession of a driver's licence.

Ability to get places

People aged 15 years and over were asked if they were able to get to places they need to go. If a person could get to places, they were asked if they had ever had problems getting to places they need to go. If a person could not get to places or they never had problems getting to places, they were sequenced to questions about access to motor vehicles. People who had problems at sometime in their lifetime were asked if these problems occurred:

• often; or
• sometimes.

People who reported they never go out or were housebound were not asked any further questions about transport and were sequenced to the next survey topic.

Access to motor vehicles

People aged 15 years and over were asked about their access to motor vehicles. Motor vehicles include:

• all cars, including company/work cars and station wagons;
• trucks;
• utilities;
• vans;
• motorbikes, mopeds and motor scooters; and
• motorised bicycles.

Caravans, horse floats, boats and trailers are not included. These questions refer to 'access' only and not whether the vehicle is or has been used. People were asked to only report having access to a vehicle if it was registered.

People were asked if there are any cars (or 4WDs or trucks in remote areas) that they could use when they want to. The response options included:

• yes;
• no, but know how to drive (or learning); and
• no, and don't know how to drive

Where a person responded, 'no, but know how to drive, they were asked if there were any cars (or 4WDs or trucks) that they could use if it was an emergency.

Number of working motor vehicles owned by household members

A single transport data item was output at the household level. Information was provided by the household spokesperson on behalf of the household, in response to two questions:

• whether anyone in the household owned any cars (including those that were being paid off) that work; and
• if so, how many.
  

The resulting output data item at the household level is, 'Number of working motor vehicles owned by household members'.

Comparison to the 2008 NATSISS

The following information was collected in 2008, but was not collected in 2014–15:

• Owners of motor vehicles that can be used whenever needed (multiple response); and
• Owners of motor vehicles that can be accessed in an emergency (multiple response).

Transport use

Information was collected on the use of transport in the two weeks prior to interview. People aged 15 years and over were asked to identify all the ways they got from place to place in the previous two weeks. More than one response was allowed. Response categories included:

• walk
• car/4wd/truck (as passenger);
• car/4wd/truck (as driver);
• bus - regular public;
• bus - regular community;
• bus - irregular or chartered;
• train;
• tram/light rail;
• boat/ferry - regular public;
• boat/ferry - regular community;
• boat/ferry - irregular or chartered;
• taxi;
• motorcycle/motorised scooter;
• bicycle;
• regular aircraft service;
• chartered aircraft; and
• other.

People who did not use some form of public transport in the two weeks prior to interview were asked about the availability of public transport in their area. Possible responses were yes, no, and don't know. Public transport includes transport that travels on fixed routes at regular times and is available to anybody. Public transport does not include services that are available on demand, such as taxis. People who did not report using any of the following, were considered to have not used public transport:

• a regular public or community bus, boat or ferry; or
• a train or tram/light rail.

People who had public transport available in their area, but did not use it in the two weeks prior to interview, were asked their main reason for not using public transport, based on the following:

• prefer to use own transport or walk;
• no suitable service available;
• takes too long;
• concerned about own personal safety;
• costs too much;
• treated badly because Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander;
• health reasons; or
• other.

Comparison to the 2008 NATSISS

In 2008, the question about the main reason public transport wasn't used in previous two weeks included two categories, 'no service available at right/convenient time' and 'no services available to take you where you need to go', that were collapsed in 2014–15 to form the category 'no suitable service available'.

Possession of a driver's licence

People aged 18 years and over who:

• did not report that they never go out/are housebound; and
• could access a car when they want to; or
• knew how to drive.

were asked if they have a current 'full' or 'P plate' driver's licence. If not, they were asked if they have a learner driver's licence. People who did not have any of these types of driver's licences (current full, P plate or learner) were asked if they had ever had one. People who did not have a 'full' or 'P plate' driver's licence were also asked their main reason for not having one. Response categories included:

• recently got learner's licence (only for people with learner driver's licence);
• no support available for learning;
• nowhere nearby to get one from;
• cost of licence too much;
• afraid to go to do test;
• health reasons;
• unable to read the test;
• licence was taken away;
• afraid of driving;
• afraid of being, or expect to be, treated badly because Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander;
• have fines;
• need to renew;
• do not need or want one; and
• other.

Comparison to the 2008 NATSISS

The response categories, 'too old' and 'lost it somewhere' were included in main reason for not having a driver's licence in 2008. However, these response categories were omitted from 2014–15. In addition, the 2008 categories, 'don't need one/don't have access to a car' and 'not interested/don't want one' were collapsed to a single category in 2014–15, 'do not need or want one'.