Reform in the transport sector has been disappointingly slow and has not delivered the expected productivity gains, according to this Productivity Commission draft report. The report suggests that moving to national regulation should be seen as one practical step towards improving safety and productivity.

This report explores autonomous (also called self-driving, driverless or robotic) vehicle benefits and costs, and implications for various planning issues.

This supplementary report to the 2019 Australian Infrastructure Audit provides a snapshot of urban congestion and crowding in 2016, based on the population and transport networks of our six largest capital cities and their satellite cities and regions.

The Productivity Commission has been asked to complete this inquiry by April 2020, and to consult with stakeholders, including transport operators, drivers, industry groups, end users and State, Territory and local governments. This issues paper outlines a range of issues and questions on which the commission seeks information and feedback.

With Australia’s long distances between large urban centres, the transport sector will be one area that is both significantly disrupted and revolutionised by technological transformation. This report identifies sustainability and climate change, productivity and health as the three key challenges that will need to be addressed within the transport sector over the next decade.