MELBOURNE, June 20 (Xinhua) -- A year-long trial of round-the-clock public transport in Australia's second-largest city Melbourne is "clearly working," according to the Victorian state government on Monday.
Statistics have revealed that late-night revelers are increasingly turning to cheaper, late-night public transport options while shunning expensive taxi services, vindicating a government decision to introduce the controversial services earlier this year.
All-night public transport began on Jan. 1, operating only on weekends as part of the trial, and the government said on Monday that more than 35,000 commuters were taking up the option every weekend.
The services operate between the hours of 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. in the city, with trains depart the main station, Flinders Street, for the outer suburbs every hour on the hour, while buses and trams run every half hour on some routes and every hour on others.
Rural partygoers are also serviced by overnight services to major rural cities Bendigo, Ballarat, Traralgon and Geelong.
Public Transport Victoria figures showed that train use jumped 11 percent soon after the policy launch and has kept growing, while the use of taxis -- more expensive at unsociable hours -- dropped 8 percent.
The state's Public Transport Minister, Jacinta Allan, said the figures "were really strong" and not only gave late-night revelers -- 75 percent of which are under the age of 35 -- a cheaper option to get home, it also offered shift workers a safe alternative to driving to and from work.
"I think it demonstrates the value in having the night network run as a trial for this year because it shows that there are many people who work in and around Melbourne who benefit greatly from this service," Allan told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on Monday.
She said the figures would "grow strongly" after the winter months, something which could result in the service being permanently adopted, while there is an option for it to extend into weeknights.
"I think we'll see those figures continue to grow strongly," Allan said.
"Unlike Sydney, which shuts down late at night, Melbourne's night economy is booming, creating jobs and making our city safer and easier to enjoy."
