Aussie parents dish out $20bn in rides for kids
AUSSIE parents are giving their kids almost $20bn worth of free rides each year, research has revealed.
A survey of 1033 Australian parents of children aged under 12 found they spent 3½ hours a week on average behind the wheel driving kids around.
The study by comparison website Finder found that was equivalent to a staggering 182 hours a year on the road – collectively more than 600 million hours – chauffeuring kids to school activities and playdates, among other things.
According to Finder, based on the average hourly earnings of Uber drivers, parents are collectively providing $19.9bn worth of free rides per year – substantially larger than Australia’s rideshare industry.
The research shows one in six parents spends five to 10 hours a week driving their children around, while one in 12 parents spends 0 hours or more.
Parents in WA spend the most time giving their kids lifts (3 hours and 48 minutes), followed by Queensland (3 hours and 42 minutes). The data shows that leisure activities at 64 per cent were the biggest time offenders.