Sunlight Impacts Daily Choices
Government data reveals that daylight saving influences how New South Wales residents spend, socialise, and travel during the NSW night. Longer daylight hours in the evening increase public activity and reduce dependence on private vehicles after dark. However, this trend reverses once daylight saving ends, as earlier sunsets significantly curb mobility and night-time spending across NSW.
Sydney at night
Public Transport Usage Drops Post-Clock Change
In April 2024, when daylight saving ended, public transport trips dropped 14.8% during night-time hours. Tap-offs on NSW’s Opal network fell from 450,000 to 383,000 during the 6pm to 6am timeframe. Night-time trips as a share of daily total tap-offs dropped from 23.6% to 22% over the two weeks.
Evening Movement Sees Decline Without Extra Light
Mobile phone tracking data showed a 9.7% drop in night-time movement post-daylight saving. Figures fell from an average of 5.46 million to 4.93 million trips during the 6pm to 6am window. The share of night-time movement dropped from 30% to 28.3% compared to all-day activity.
Spending Falls Without Daylight Saving
Evening in-person spending dropped 12.9% during the same fortnight without daylight saving. Spending fell from a nightly average of $44.1 million to $38.4 million. Night-time spending share dropped from 18.5% to 16.5% of total daily consumer transactions.
No Morning Compensation for Lost Evening Activity
The data showed morning light did not offset reduced night-time movement, spending, or travel. Instead, total daily economic activity decreased across the board after daylight saving ended.
Government Acknowledges Importance of Daylight Saving
“This analysis underscores daylight saving time’s key role in boosting night-time economic activity and community engagement in New South Wales,” the NSW 24-hour commissioner’s office said. “The data demonstrates a uniform reduction across the week and across all metrics, indicating that the shift back to standard time broadly diminishes participation in evening activities.”
Weekends Feel Greater Impact
The data showed stronger reductions in movement and activity during weekends post-daylight saving. The government noted these changes especially affected leisure and social behaviour. “The impact on public transport usage over the weekend nights is the strongest, suggesting a growing preference to private transport options … as the evening gets darker and colder earlier,” the report stated.
Return of Daylight Saving Boosts Evening Activity
After clocks shifted forward on 6 October 2024, all three night-time activity measures rose significantly. Opal tap-offs increased 11.1%, from 400,000 to 445,000 between 6pm and 6am. Night-time tap-offs rose from 21.1% to 26.1% of daily totals.
Movement and Spending Jump With More Light
Mobile data recorded a 7.7% rise in night-time trips, from 5.13 million to 5.53 million. Night activity share grew from 27.8% to 33.9% of all daily movement. Spending rose 10.5%, up from $39.8 million to $44 million in the evening period. Night-time spending grew from 16.8% to 20.5% of total daily consumer transactions.
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Tuesday to Sunday See Notable Increases
A 24-hour economy commissioner spokesperson linked midweek increases to after-work activity. “People going out after work” drove weekday evening boosts, especially on Tuesday and Wednesday. Sunday showed strong increases in tap-offs and spending but only a modest movement rise. “This pattern suggests that a large proportion of the increased night-time visitation on Sunday was by public transport, indicating that many visitors are willing to take public transport in the evening while it remains light outside,” the spokesperson said.
Safety Concerns Affect Women’s Mobility
Studies highlighted reduced safety for women travelling after dark. A 2023 Transport for New South Wales survey showed 59% of women felt unsafe walking at night, compared with 31% of men. Poor lighting was the main concern.
Economic Value of Evening Light
The University of Queensland reported daylight saving could add $4 billion annually to Queensland’s economy. The state does not currently observe daylight saving. A UK campaign once projected daylight saving could create 80,000 jobs and generate £2.5 to £3.5 billion in economic benefit annually.
Government Report Supports Evening Daylight
The NSW government’s data strongly associates daylight saving with increased public transport use, night-time spending and broader economic engagement. More evening daylight consistently resulted in higher activity across mobility, spending, and transport.
