Research from the nation's peak motoring body shows household transport costs rose steeply in the first three months of 2021 with the typical household now spending 14.6 per cent of income on transport.
The Australian Automobile Association's (AAA) latest Transport Affordability Index shows the average household spent $354 per week on transport in the first quarter of 2021, which is $44 more than the previous quarter. This 14.3 per cent increase represents the largest quarterly jump since the Index was established in 2016.
Managing Director of the AAA, Michael Bradley said: "this sharp rise in transport costs needs to be monitored by governments, which need to avoid polices and decisions that impact cost of living.
"Transport affordability needs to remain a priority for government, as Australia has not only just recorded the largest jump in transport costs since the affordability index commenced, but households are now paying the highest proportion of their income toward those costs."
The Index is a quarterly publication by the AAA that measures transport costs across all capital cities and a regional centre in each state and the Northern Territory.
