Is your bus or train busier than 2018? We have the official figures

Cheap public transport has enticed Brisbane commuters to hop back on public transport like it’s 2018.

But while Queensland is experiencing a “population explosion”, bus and train trips in August were still lower than they were in August 2018 and 2019, even though patronage jumped last month.

Brisbane Times can exclusively reveal how many trips have been taken on buses, trains, ferries and trams in south-east Queensland every month since July 2018.

More than 2 million extra trips were taken on public transport in August 2024 compared with the month before.Credit: Courtney Kruk

The data shows exactly how COVID lockdowns, border closures, floods and working from home drove people to shun public transport, and how 50¢ fares are bringing them back.

Public transport use has slowly edged towards pre-COVID numbers since 2022 – with expected dips over Christmas – despite many employees still opting to work from home one or two days a week.

The launch of 50¢ fares on August 5 caused a noticeable spike in public transport trips last month – 2.4 million more than in July – taking August’s total to 17.53 million.

But there were still about half a million fewer trips that month compared with August 2018 – a drop in patronage of 3 per cent. And there were 354,596 fewer trips in August 2024 compared with the same month in 2019.

This was despite south-east Queensland’s estimated population growing by 10 per cent between mid-2018 and 2023.

But the public transport uptake could be even higher this month – a full 30 days of 50¢ fares versus 27 days in August – although school holidays, which started this week, could also put a dent in the usage.

September’s full monthly figures will be revealed next month, but Translink has already reported positive results.

In the week of September 2 to 8, there were 4.06 million trips, with overall south-east Queensland patronage 5.3 per cent higher than the comparative pre-COVID week.

Bus patronage was 3.6 per cent higher than pre-COVID levels, ferry use increased 22.7 per cent, light rail was up 34.9 per cent, and rail was 1.6 per cent higher.

From August 5 to September 8, 50¢ fares saved south-east Queensland public transport customers $36.8 million.

Both Labor and the LNP have promised to make 50¢ flat fares permanent if they win the state election on October 26, at an expected cost of $300 million annually in foregone revenue.

The annual cost of road congestion in Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast was $2.1 billion in 2016, according to Infrastructure Australia.

One full bus can take more than 50 cars off the road, while one full train can take more than 600 cars off the road, Translink reports.

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