Brisbane CBD office occupancy jumps from 78 per cent to 88 per cent on back 50c transport fares

The Queensland government’s 50c public transport fares has sparked the fastest return of office workers to the Brisbane CBD over any other capital city.

Brisbane office workers are returning to the CBD on the back of the introduction of the 50c public transport fares.

The Queensland capital has experienced the biggest improvement in CBD office occupancy in the past 12 months, with average weekly attendance rates rising from 78 per cent to 88 per cent, according to CBRE’s latest Australian Return to Office Indicator.,

The report found CBD office attendance nationwide averaged 75 per cent of pre-Covid levels in the last quarter of 2024 – up from 72 per cent in the prior quarter and 70 per cent at the start of last year.

CBRE’s Australian head of Office Research Tom Broderick said while office attendance has risen across all of Australia’s CBD markets, the smaller cities of Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide have maintained the strongest attendance rates, which are close to pre-Covid levels on peak days.

Average weekly office attendance rates in the Brisbane CBD have risen from 78 per cent to 88 per cent because of the 50c transport fares.

“Brisbane has been the standout following the now permanent cut in public transport fares,” he said.

“While most of the boost to public transport usage has been on weekends, there is also clear evidence of a lift in peak hour weekday usage, which is driving better office attendance.”

Queensland’s new LNP government announced earlier this month that 50c fares on public transport will become permanent after a successful six month trial.

The initiative is expected to cost $1.5bn across the next four years.

CBRE’s data highlights that average weekly attendance rates have climbed from 89 per cent to 90 per cent in Perth, by 81 per cent to 83 per cent in Adelaide and by 54 per cent to 65 per cent in Canberra since the fourth quarter in 2023.

In Sydney, office attendance has improved from 72 per cent to a weekly average of 76 per cent. Interestingly, Sydney is showing the largest discrepancy of any city between the weekly average and peak day attendance, which is averaging 87 per cent pre-Covid levels on Tuesdays.

Average weekly office attendance rates in the Brisbane CBD have risen from 78 per cent to 88 per cent because of the 50c transport fares.

Melbourne office attendance has improved by about the same rate as Sydney over the past 12 months, rising from 57 per cent to 61 per cent as of Q4 2024. Peak day Melbourne attendance has climbed to 71 per cent on Thursdays, while Fridays are still the quietest day.

The report found that hybrid work remains prevalent across the country, although CBRE’s report points to organisations placing a heightened emphasis on the benefits of physical office attendance, including collaboration, strengthening company culture, networking and mentoring younger employees.

And its not just an Australian trend, with early February data suggesting that office attendance in the US has reached 54 per cent of pre-Covid levels after stagnating at around 50 per cent over the past two years.

This follows Trump’s executive order last month requiring more than 3 million federal workers to return to the office full-time.