It will take at least five years before Melbourne’s public transport use returns to pre-coronavirus levels, a new report has found.

The report from the Monash Public Transport Research Group suggests one-in-five public transport users will not return to it after the pandemic.

Chair of Public Transport at Monash University’s Faculty of Engineering, Professor Graham Currie, said congestion will increase after COVID-19, despite about six per cent fewer journeys.

“We found a slight decline in travel, about six per cent, due to people working from home,” Professor Currie told Ross and Russel.

“20 per cent of public transport users will stop using public transport and start driving.

“The last thing we need is more cars.”

Professor Currie said public transport will be less crowded than it was before coronavirus, and it won’t recover for years.

“Ridership will return to the same levels in about five to seven years,” he said.

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