How we travel in real time: Perth's public transport hotspots revealed

The travel patterns of Perth's public transport users have been captured for the first time in a fascinating snapshot that shows hotspots across our metro system.

The RAC-driven year-long project Pulse of Perth maps travel patterns based on Public Transport Authority data to paint a typical day in the life of our public transport system and peak travel time hot spots.

The data captured in October 2017 showed the busiest hour on Perth's public transport system was between 7.20am and 8.20am, when 920 buses and 45 trains service 63,000 people – the equivalent to 23 freeway lanes of traffic across the city or 50,000 cars.

There are 360,000 boardings across buses, trains and ferries on a typical weekday of public transport use, which equates to a staggering 3.8 million kilometres of distance travelled daily across Perth.

Almost a third of all typical weekday travel is between 7am and 9am during the morning rush to work, with absolute peak use hitting bang on 8am, when 21,750 passengers are aboard PTA services.

The average distance a Perth commuter travels per trip per day is roughly 13km, which equals approximately 18.5 minutes of travel.

The RAC said early departures for bus services were more common during the AM peak, while late arrivals were more frequent during evening use.

"The Pulse of Perth project helps us see beyond the numbers and identify patterns and trends emerging across our public transport network," RAC public policy general manager Anne Still said.

"Understanding how commuters get around Perth is critical for planning and managing our road and transport networks, to improve efficiency and make our journeys easier and more reliable.

Top 5 Destinations:

AM Peak (7:00am – 9:00am):

1. Perth (31,332 passengers alighting)
2. West Leederville (1855)
3. Fremantle (1755)
4. Bentley (1402)
5. East Perth (1394)

PM Peak (4:30pm – 6:30pm):

1. Perth (3353 passengers alighting)
2. Joondalup (1301)
3. Warwick (1156)
4. Murdoch (1144)
5. Cockburn Central (1068)

Busiest bus stations and stops:

Morning:

• Perth Busport
• St Georges Terrace (near William Street)
• Elizabeth Quay Bus Station
• Wellington Street (before Forrest Place)
• Murdoch Station

Evening:

• Elizabeth Quay Bus Station
• Morley Bus Station
• Perth Busport
• Canning Bridge Station
• St Georges Terrace