Gold Coast light rail figures surpass pre-Covid levels, but other modes of transport still behind

Commuter numbers on buses, ferries and trains are still lagging behind pre-Covid rates, with new peak periods emerging, but one form of transport is surging ahead and showing signs of a full recovery.

Patronage levels on the Gold Coast light rail are finally exceeding pre-Covid rates, but commuter numbers on buses, ferries and trains are still lagging.

As of November, light rail passenger levels reached 109.8 per cent of what they were before the pandemic hit – making it the first form of public transport to fully recover following Covid.

Bus patronage rates are about 84.1 per cent of pre-Covid levels, while heavy rail is still lagging behind at about 83.6 per cent and the ferries are sitting on 61.4 per cent.

Across the entire network, commuter levels were at 84.6 per cent of pre-pandemic rates as of November – which was up noticeably from the 66.8 per cent of pre-Covid levels recorded in July.

Bus patronage rates are about 84.1 per cent of pre-Covid levels, while light rail passenger levels reached 109.8 per cent of what they were before the pandemic hit. Photo: Kit Wise

Transport Minister Mark Bailey suggested there had been a shift in public transport habits following the pandemic, with more commuters avoiding public transport on Mondays and Fridays.

“How people work has changed,” Mr Bailey said.

“We used to have a consistent, for instance, pattern Monday to Thursday and drop-off on Friday as people would take that day off and make it a three-day weekend.

“We now have a peak around Tuesday to Thursday, because people take the Monday as well as the Friday often working from home. So some things will not be exactly the same.”

Mr Bailey released new figures this month – following a question on notice from the LNP Opposition – that highlighted the average weekday passenger trips across the South East actually reduced in 2021-22.

Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey. Picture: Richard Walker

The average weekday patronage on buses in 2021-22 was 242,117 – down from 254,372 the year before and 392,752 in 2018-19, which was the final full financial year before the pandemic hit.

Similarly, the average number of weekday trips on the heavy rail was down to 107,956 in 2021-22, compared to 112,512 in 2020-21 and 190,058 in 2018-19.

The average weekday patronage on the trams last financial year reached 18,685, which was up from 17,782 the year before, but still down from the 31,294 average weekday trips in 2018-19.

In response to the parliamentary question on notice, Mr Bailey said passenger trips continued to be affected by Covid in 2021, due to lockdowns, border closures, and the Omicron variant outbreak.

“This led to high levels of sickness and extended periods of quarantine and self-isolation across the community,” the Minister said.

“Passenger trips were further impacted by the severe flooding event in early 2022.”

An Auditor-General’s report warned last year that the cost of the government’s signature Cross River Rail project could outweigh the benefits if public transport patronage did not increase.