Half of the residents in Perth’s outer suburbs — that is, half a million people living in an area extending out from Sorrento, Thornlie and Anketell — are not within walking distance to a frequent public transport service, a new national report has found.

Low frequency leads to low use: a vicious cycle, the report warns. Credit:Emma Young

The newest release in Infrastructure Australia’s Reform Series, Outer Urban Public Transport: Improving accessibility in lower-density areas, assessed public transport services in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide as their populations braced for unprecedented growth.

Perth’s population is projected to reach 2.6 million by 2026 and 3.5 million by 2050 — up from a population of 2.1 million currently.

The report found communities on the outskirts of all cities were being left behind by a lack of access to public transport. And Perth had lower public transport accessibility across the inner, middle and outer sectors than others cities due to its lower density.