As Maitland's population continues to grow, wait times at peak hour bottlenecks across the city are increasing too.
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According to the NSW Electoral Commission, just 1.91 per cent of people in the Maitland electorate use public transport to get to work, much lower than the state median of 16 per cent.
Meanwhile 79.09 per cent of Maitland workers drive a vehicle to commute, compared with 64.6 per cent throughout NSW.
This comes as no surprise to Ashtonfield couple Erik and Abbey Sattler, who highlight train costs, convenience of driving and mismatched timetable schedules as deterrents for using public transport.
"Hardly anyone we know catches public transport to work, many of them drive," Mrs Sattler said.
"Driving is convenient for me and I can make sure I get to work on time, without relying on the trains."
While Mrs Sattler has caught the train a few times, she mostly drives her 40 minute commute to work in Newcastle and Mr Sattler carpools to Muswellbrook - an 80 minute trip each way.
"Car pooling helps me save money on fuel, reduces the amount of kilometres I put on my car and less services required on the car," Mr Sattler said.
Public transport would be more practical for Mrs Sattler's trip to Newcastle, but her cost and timing concerns outweigh the positives.
"I pay $8 parking per day and the train also costs me $8 per day," she said.
"I can see the benefit in catching the train as I pay the same in parking per day and if I catch the train then I don't pay for fuel.
"The week I caught the train and the new tram was good, however, I felt that the timetables between trams and trains were not lined up well.
"There were three out of the five days that the tram I was on turned up to the station just as the train was leaving, meaning that I had to wait another 20 to 30 minutes for the next train."
Overall, Mrs Sattler believes it is the reputation of public transport that is a big deterrent.
"I think that a lot of people find the trains feel unsafe and unhygienic," she said.