50c fares bring public transport back from COVID cliff into record territory

The news

Transport Minister Bart Mellish has hailed record-breaking public transport patronage in the first week of the state government’s trial of flat 50-cent fares across the network – particularly in south-east Queensland.

The number of train, bus, ferry and light-rail trips during the first seven days jumped 11.1 per cent – an extra 400,000 journeys – from the week before to 98.5 per cent of pre-COVID levels, with the weekend the busiest ever.

Ferry trips were their busiest ever on Saturday – up 47.8 per cent on pre-COVID levels.Credit: Matt Dennien

Train trips passed the 1 million mark for the first time since they fell off the COVID cliff in March 2020. The number of Airtrain passengers rose 18 per cent from the previous week, including a 69 per cent jump in airport staff tickets.

More than 4 million trips were taken across all services from last Monday to Sunday. A government media release said this represented more than $7 million in fare savings.

Why it matters

Premier Steven Miles announced the six-month trial of the flat fare for all trips back in May – five months out from the October election – as something he had always wanted to pursue.

At the time, he described the $150 million trial as a “use it or lose it” attempt to ease household costs and traffic congestion, while trying to drag stubbornly low patronage above pre-pandemic levels.

The LNP opposition has supported the measure, but raised concerns, along with some experts, about capacity to meet the increased demand. The Greens have long called for public transport to be free.

What they said

“We put the call out for Queenslanders to make the most of this trial and they are doing just that,” Miles said in a joint statement with Mellish. “These are encouraging results that are delivering real savings for commuters.”

Mellish said the weekend data showed residents and tourists also took advantage of the fares to “explore some of the great locations across our region”.

Translink’s Roman Gafa, appearing with Mellish at a media conference, said while 37 extra buses were on standby to meet demand, only 10 were used.

While the weekend figures were boosted by sports fans attending three games across Suncorp and the Gabba, standard free travel arrangements were in place and meant patrons didn’t need to tap on.

“We saw busy days across all modes of public transport ... but still within capacity of existing services, which is exactly what we hoped for.”

Transport Minister Bart Mellish

By the numbers

Public transport use sat around 13 per cent below pre-COVID levels when the trial was announced. According to government data from last week:

• Wednesday was the busiest day on south-east trains since March 12, 2020 – up 11.9 per cent from the previous week.
• More bus (up 15.8 per cent from pre-COVID) and train (up 11 per cent) trips were taken on August 10 than on any other Saturday.
• August 11 was the busiest Sunday of all time on the bus network (up 16.6 per cent from pre-COVID) and the second-busiest on trains (up 6.9 per cent).
• Ferries recorded their busiest ever Saturday – up 47.8 per cent from pre-COVID levels.