the time taken for a cross-suburban trip can be barely faster than walking. Improved planning of public transport, especially coordination of services and more cross-suburban services, plus improvement in the availability of taxis, might persuade more people to leave their cars at home. "the time taken for a cross-suburban trip can be barely faster than walking" OTOH, cycling is virtually always the cheapest and most convenient way possible of travelling any distance under 20km in an urban area (providing you don't have too much stuff to carry), and quite often the fastest. And providing the weather's good and you're fit and have a half-decent bike, I'd also consider it the most comfortable. Plus...you can always take them on the train with you if you can't manage the whole distance. Wiz Aus, "not having own transport" is listed as a separate category. They asked for the main reason, which creates its own distortions. For people taking p/t 3-7 days per week cost or not having own transport was the main factor 40% of the time, similarly for 1-2 days per week in zone 1. It is certainly a factor for city commutes. It is worth noting though, that if you don't have a weekly/monthly ticket, off-peak visits to the city with more than 1 person in the vehicle are roughly the same cost (or possibly cheaper for the outer suburbs) than driving. Similarly, as I'm in the habit of walking or riding as often as possible, the cost of single trips