![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Screenshot-2026-02-15-at-4.03.15-PM-1024x585.png\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nRoute 96 takes the crown for Melbourne\u2019s busiest service. Patronage numbers for the St Kilda Beach to East Brunswick route have consistently sat above one million people per month since September 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The 96 runs through high-density residential areas in Melbourne\u2019s inner-north, many of which are not serviced by trains, and stops at popular attractions including Bourke Street Mall, Crown Casino, MSAC and Melbourne Museum, which might be why it\u2019s the most crammed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Other popular services include the routes 109 and 86, which are among the longest routes, as well as the 58 and 19, which both stop near The University of Melbourne and run through the CBD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Katya Finnegan is primarily a train user, but catches the 96 tram between her work and university. She said that the trip is generally efficient, but the design of the E-class trams means people often block the doors.<\/p>\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image-9.jpeg\")
\u201cNo one really gets off when someone\u2019s trying to get off, which I guess makes them feel even busier,\u201d Finnegan said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For Petra and Matthew, who are on holiday from Germany and didn\u2019t want to give their last names, the 96 trams felt busier than the other routes they\u2019d travelled on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cA lot of the time I feel squeezed in. And we\u2019d [rather] walk!\u201d Matthew said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Comparatively, route 82 is Melbourne\u2019s quietest tram. Servicing a short 9.2km distance between Footscray and Moonee Ponds, its patronage hovers around the 100,000 people per month mark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The 82 tram is one of two services that are entirely outside the Melbourne CBD \u2013 along with the route 78 between North Richmond and Balaclava. The 78 is also among the quietest tram services, as are routes 57 and 64.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yudha Korwa, who lives in Melbourne\u2019s west and regularly catches the route 82 tram as part of his work commute, said he was surprised to hear about its low patronage rates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He has a couple of local transport options \u2013 including two bus routes \u2013 but prefers to catch the tram as its path is more direct.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe tram is more [safe]. It\u2019s easy to go to the train station,\u201d Korwa said.<\/p>\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image-8.jpeg\")
Talia Dalipis used to be a regular on the route 82 tram when she was attending high school \u2013 but this time she\u2019s catching it to Highpoint Shopping Centre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The service is often full of students outside of school hours because Footscray High and Maribyrnong College are both close to stops, she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDuring the day it\u2019s pretty chill \u2026 But definitely in the mornings and the afternoons it gets really crowded,\u201d Dalipis said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n