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Data from DiDi suggests coronavirus restrictions have massively changed how Australians use rideshare services

  • Coronavirus restrictions have changed the way Australians get around.

  • Data supplied to Business Insider Australia shows that weekday rideshare trips have overtaken weekend jaunts as people appear to be following government advice to stay home.

  • Instead of going to the beach and events, individuals are increasingly using rideshare to complete their shopping, get to suburban train stations, and go to hospitals.

  • Visit Business Insider Australia's homepage for more stories.


As the coronavirus, government restrictions, and even $1000 plus fines have kept us largely confined, the way Australians are moving about has changed dramatically

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Gone for one are the leisurely weekend trips we used to look forward, according to rideshare company DiDi, replaced by weekday runs to take care of more pressing needs.

"Nationally we’re seeing weekend social trips via our platform decline, showing that people are heeding the government’s advice and only venturing out when necessary," DiDi general manager Lyn Ma said.

While Friday, Saturday and Sunday had previously been the time users rush to book rides, weekends have now become something of a quiet period, as the majority of those still active on DiDi move to mid-week.

Exactly how much business rideshare companies like DiDi are doing also remains a mystery, with it, along with Uber and Ola, refusing to share how much business has declined in recent weeks. With the latter two shifting to provide a delivery service, along with taxi company 13cabs, you can only assume quite a bit.

But it's not just when Australians are travelling that has changed, with where they're going also being transformed during the crisis.

"Before COVID-19 restrictions came into effect, we saw beaches, bars and restaurants as the top destinations but this has dramatically changed with entertainment centres and locations currently off-limits to the public," Ma said.

Instead, analysis provided to Business Insider Australia shows a substantial, if not unsurprising, shift in where the country is headed.

Two of Melbourne's top destinations, the Crown Casino and Rod Laver Arena, have both disappeared after closing to the public, while traffic to the city's CBD has also dried up as businesses close their offices.

They've been instead replaced by a greater number of shopping centres, supermarkets and train stations as grocery shopping increases and rideshare continues to carry people the last mile. The Royal Melbourne Hospital has also become one of the most popular destinations.

In fact, a trend of riders visiting hospitals appears in all of DiDi's major markets, with Perth's Royal Hospital and Brisbane's Princess Alexandra both getting a guernsey during the crisis. In fact, beside Brisbane Airport, the city's Royal and Women's Hospital is now the most popular place in town.

They've pushed out what had been some of the most popular nightspots in each capital. Gone is Brisbane's Fortitude Valley and drinking holes like the Victory Hotel and Felon's Brewing Company. So too for Perth's Lookout Bar and The Camfield, along with Melbourne's Revolver.

While DiDi had the unfortunate timing to launch in Sydney at the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak, the locales there are still telling, with Broadway, East Village shopping centre and IKEA all making the top ten.

One of the few things that remains the same curiously is airports, with each capital's terminals still topping the list for each city. With international transport all but cancelled, it seems domestic travel is still subsisting.

A little bit of good news, considering taxpayers are now footing the bill for all domestic flights from now on.