Inside new Brisbane Metro busway from Eight Mile Plains to St Lucia

Brisbane commuters have had their first taste of the new Brisbane Metro transit system, which could see an extra 30m passengers use the city’s busways each year.

A Brisbane Metro vehicle on the busy 169 bus route between Eight Mile Plains and UQ. Picture: Glenn Campbell/NCA NewsWire

Brisbane commuters have had their first taste of the new Brisbane Metro transit system, which could see an extra 30m passengers use the city’s busways each year.

Brisbane Metro services, which run every five minutes during peak hours, started on Monday on the busy 169 route from Eight Mile Plains to University of Queensland at St Lucia, with the first service pulling out at 6.30am.

The state-of-the-art vehicles, costing $3m each, have a capacity of 150 to 170 in “event mode” compared with just 70 in regular buses.

And on top of increased capacity and a service every five minutes, Metro buses also boast features including a low floor design, USB charging points and wi-fi.

Metro services on the 169 route also meant up to 21,300 people could use the vehicles, up from the previous total of just 14,000 per weekday.

Luci Loumeau (centre) was one of the first to board the new Metro. Picture: Glenn Campbell/NCA NewsWire

The preview on route 169 comes ahead of the launch of Metro 1 and Metro 2 services, which currently being negotiated with the State Government, but is expected to start late this year or next year.

Brisbane City Council civic cabinet transport chair Ryan Murphy said: “Today is an incredibly exciting day for Brisbane residents because Brisbane Metro services have started on the 169.

“This is the start of our city’s journey to ‘turn up and go’ mass transit.

“It’s our transition from a city where the bus network is seen to many as a life support system to a city that is a 24/7 city.

“A city where the timetable can be thrown away and Brisbane Metro can get people to where they want to go sooner and safer.

“It’s also the start of a preview on the 169 services that will start later this year or next year on the (Metro 1) and (Metro 2).”

Cr Murphy said the 169 services on Monday morning were “absolutely packed”.

A Brisbane Metro vehicle on the busy 169 bus route between Eight Mile Plains and UQ. Picture: Glenn Campbell/NCA NewsWire

“The 169 runs from Eight Mile Plains to UQ St Lucia, there’s a lot of uni students catching it at the moment, I was on the first service at 6.30am this morning and it was absolutely packed and probably had about 150 or 170 people on board,” he said.

“This goes to show you the difference in capacity the Brisbane Metro can provide.

“It means we can carry an extra 30m passengers on the busway each and every year.”

But Brisbane residents could have the final say in exactly how the Brisbane Metro launch will look, with the services facing the scrutiny of everyday commuters who have the chance to voice their opinions via a QR code on the buses.

“We’re asking Brisbane residents to give their feedback about what we can improve ahead of the full launch of M1 and M2 services,” Cr Murphy said.

“I heard great feedback from passengers this morning, they loved the low floor throughout the bus, they love the whisper-quiet travel on the busway, the wi-fi, the USB charging, the next-stop announcements and the passenger information displays.

Luci Loumeau (centre) was one of the first to board the new Metro. Picture: Glenn Campbell/NCA NewsWire

“A lot of people said it was more like a train than a bus and it’s really gratifying to hear that feedback and it’s gratifying for the thousands of people that have worked on the many elements of this project.”

The Brisbane Metro fleet features 60 three-compartment, Swiss-made electric buses, which are 24.4m long and will stop at 18 stations over 21km of busway.

When approved, Metro 1 will run from Eight Mile Plains, stopping at Upper Mount Gravatt, Griffith Uni, Holland Park West, Greenslopes, Buranda, Mater Hill, South Bank, Cultural Centre, King George Square and Roma St.

Metro 2 will run from the UQ Lakes stop at the University of Queensland’s St Lucia campus via Boggo Rd, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Mater Hill, South Bank, the Cultural Centre, King George Square, Roma St, Normanby, QUT Kelvin Grove, Herston and Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital.