Novocastrians have largely deserted public transport with the latest passenger numbers revealing patronage may have fallen by almost 90 per cent compared to pre-pandemic figures.
The NSW government's latest Opal ticketing data shows Sydney's lockdown in late June prompted a sharp drop in public transport use in the Hunter, with patronage on some transport modes in July down more than 60 per cent compared to the same month two years earlier.
But more up-to-date network-wide passenger numbers suggests some of the city's trains, buses, trams and ferries have this week been running all but empty on the back of stay-at-home orders.
Asked for patronage data over the past week when the Hunter has been locked down, Transport for NSW said it was only able to provide a figure for the broader network, showing patronage is down about 87 per cent compared to two years ago.
It said on Thursday, about 328,000 trips were taken across the state's public transport network - which includes all modes in Sydney; Newcastle's privatised buses, trams and ferries; and the train lines running into the Hunter, Blue Mountains and southern NSW - compared to 2.4 million trips on a similar day in 2019.
"This shows people are adhering to the Stay At Home orders and only using the network for essential trips," a spokesperson said.
"The COVID-safe transport plan is in place across the network including extra cleaning and green physical distancing dots."
Transport for NSW did not directly answer a question about whether any services had, or would be, reduced in the Hunter given the lack of people using them.
A spokesperson said the agency was "running a dynamic timetable and adjusting services" when necessary across the state network because 560 staff were in home isolation after being identified as close or casual contacts. The agency would not say how many Hunter-based staff were isolating.
"We apologise for any inconvenience caused due to COVID-related staffing issues and ask that customers consider all their travel options," the spokesperson said. "Please only use the network if you are making essential trips and please plan ahead before you leave home. Our priority is keeping our staff and customers safe, while continuing to provide transport services that are necessary for the functioning of the community."
July passenger numbers show the flow-on impact of Sydney's lockdown on public transport use in the Hunter.
Patronage on the Central Coast-Newcastle train line was down 87.5 per cent compared to the same month two years earlier. Only 198,076 trips were taken on the line, compared to more than 1.5 million in July, 2019.
With Newcastle not in lockdown like the Central Coast, the drop in patronage (51.4 per cent) was less severe on the Hunter train line, on which 41,133 trips were recorded compared to 84,587. Newcastle light rail passenger numbers were 62.5 per cent down with only 38,149 trips recorded compared to 104,494.
The city's buses were less affected with patronage down only 37.9 per cent. About 233,000 trips were recorded on the Keolis Downer-run network, compared to 374,938 in July, 2019.
About 26,500 people used the Newcastle-Stockton ferry, down from 51,623.
