Why Australians are getting too fat for public transport
Bus operators around the country are struggling to keep buses within their ideal load range under the burgeoning weight of Australians.
Authorities are considering raising weight limits on public buses to cope with Australia’s growing obesity problem, with the average person’s weight blowing out in the past 20 years, according to a new report by the National Transport Commission.
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The average weight of Australian adults was 65 kilograms when the laws were designed in 1989. Today the average Australian male weighs 86 kilograms.
“It is possible that buses can be technically overloaded even when within their maximum passenger operating limits,” the report explains.
But obesity is not the only thing placing strain on buses, with air conditioning units, wheelchair ramps and rollover protection also overloading buses.