Carbon emissions on daily commute to work: How every mode of transport compares

Your choice of transport may have you contributing 40 times more CO2 than your mate. See how you can save the planet.

Car drivers who make the switch to a more environmentally friendly mode of transport can reduce their carbon dioxide emissions by as much as a factor of 40.

It is significant given transport accounts for 18 per cent of Australia’s emissions, according to the National Transport Commission.

Although walking is the best choice for the planet, long distances do not always make this possible. See how different transport options compare:

AVERAGE CAR

Driving is Australia’s most popular mode of transport, with 79 per cent of people who travelled to work on 2021 Census Day opting to take the car – but it is also the most costly for the environment.

With a single person in a non-electric car, Institute for Sensible Transport data shows driving produces an average of 243.8g of CO2 emissions per person per kilometre travelled, based on the average Victorian car.

ELECTRIC VEHICLE

Electric vehicles (EVs) produce lower emissions than their petrol counterparts, but if you are charging off the grid, fossil fuels are still ultimately being burned to get you from point A to point B.

Sensible Transport data reveals an EV on grid power that is transporting only the driver produces 209.1g of CO2 per person per kilometre, based on a Tesla Model S in Victoria.

The same car charged using green power, however, produces zero emissions.

Outbound chief executive Luke Rust with a communal Tesla. Picture: Supplied

Luke Rust, founder of e-mobility company Outbound, is switching to a Tesla this year.

Through his company, he provides shared electric vehicles, bikes, and chargers to residential developments such as Newlands in St Leonards, Sydney, enabling residents to book and open cars using the Outbound app.

“Car sharing has typically functioned with petrol-powered cars but we quite consciously prefer to use electric vehicles for the operational and environmental benefits they bring,” he says.

CAR POOLING

If you don’t have an EV and solar power, the best way to reduce your emissions while taking a car to work is by sharing the driving with a friend.

The average car with two occupants produces 121.9g of CO2 per person per kilometre.

Almost half a million workers were passengers in a car last Census, making up about 6 per cent of people who travelled to work that day.

MOTORCYCLE

Motorbikes have a similar level of emissions, averaging 119.6g of CO2 per person per kilometre, assuming a single rider. Fewer than 50,000 Australians rode a motorbike or moped to work last Census – less than 0.5 per cent of commuters.

Transport emissions per person per kilometre. Picture: Monash Climate Change Communication Research Hub

TRAIN

With the capacity to hold a lot more passengers than private transport, trains average just 28.6g of CO2 emissions per person per kilometre, according to the Institute for Sensible Transport figures.

It was the commute of choice for 2.1 per cent of people who travelled to work on August 10, 2021, however the Census was conducted during a Covid wave when many people were avoiding public transport, so current numbers are likely higher.

An exclusive brief prepared by the Monash University Climate Change Communication Research Hub shows innovations in this space could reduce emissions even further in the future.

For example, the world’s first 100 per cent solar powered train was introduced in Byron Bay in 2017 and NSW Government pledged in 2021 to make Sydney’s train network the first emissions-free in Australia by transitioning to hydro, solar and wind power.

Byron Bay’s solar train. Picture: Supplied

TRAM

Trams average 20.2g of CO2 per person per kilometre, and have made a comeback in recent years as cities aim to reduce emissions.

The Monash brief highlights that Sydney Light Rail is projected to save almost 700,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide over 30 years, while Canberra light rail projects a 30 per cent reduction in emissions.

Light rail may become even more sustainable if it is powered by renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar.

Melbourne’s tram network already receives its electricity from large-scale solar plants.

BUS

About 2.2 per cent of Aussies who travelled to work on Census Day took the bus, which produces an average of 17.7g of CO2 per person per kilometre.

Many bus companies and governments have moved away from emissions-heavy vehicles, instead opting for hybrid-electric, hydrogen fuel cell and battery-electric technology.

One in 100 Aussie commuters ride a bike to work. Picture: iStock

BIKES AND E-BIKES

About 1 per cent of Australians who travelled to work on 2021 Census Day rode a bike.

Push bikes are a zero-emissions option and great for people who live close to their workplace, but for those who have to travel a little further, an electric bike – or e-bike – may be a better option.

E-bikes produce about 6g of CO2 per person per kilometre, making them about three times better than catching the bus and 40 times better than driving a non-electric car.

The Monash brief shows e-bikes exploded in popularity in recent years.

Sales tripled from 2016 to 2019, according to Bicycle Industries Australia, and retailer 99 Bikes noted a doubling of sales between 2019 and 2020 alone.

Just be sure to check local legal restrictions for using e-bikes on public roads.

Generally, the motor just needs to be 250 watts or less and speed limited to 25 km/h.

WALKING

This is the most environmentally friendly mode of transport as not only are no emissions produced during the trip, but there is no manufacturing required.

About 4 per cent of people who travelled to work last Census walked the entire way.

Originally published as Carbon emissions on daily commute to work: How every mode of transport compares