New Brisbane bus network: All you need to know

Brisbane’s new bus network will go live on June 30, bringing a raft of changes – and benefits – for commuters.

The new Brisbane bus network goes live on June 30, 2025.

This article has been produced in partnership with Brisbane City Council.

Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner says the city’s new bus network will deliver “more services, more often” when it launches on Monday, June 30.

However, the new network is likely to result in changes to existing bus journeys, meaning some passengers may have to transfer during their trip, change where they get on and off, travel on a new route or use a different bus service.

With so much change happening on the bus network, Brisbane City Council says it could take time for customers and drivers to adjust.

Commuters have been urged to check timetables and route changes on the Council or Translink websites.

It is expected more than 70 per cent of bus journeys will be impacted as Council looks to reduce bottlenecks, improve connections and provide capacity for future improvements to the network.

“We are the only Council in Australia delivering major congestion-busting and city-shaping transport projects,” Cr Schrinner said.

“Brisbane’s new bus network will link local buses with turn-up-and-go services on dedicated busways to deliver more services, to more places, more often.

“This is the same world-class transport model adopted in cities like London, Hong Kong, Auckland and San Francisco, but tailored to meet Brisbane’s growing needs.

“More than 600 people a week are moving to Brisbane and public transport must grow with our city, or we risk more cars and more congestion.

“Brisbane’s new bus network is a big shift, but it’s the only way to grow our network and ease congestion.

“Brisbane is one of Australia’s fastest-growing cities and our new bus network is the right solution to make the step-change from public transport to mass transit and help keep Brisbane moving.”

The new network will include the launch of Brisbane Metro M1 services from Eight Mile Plains to Roma Street.

The Metro M1 and M2 routes are a key part of the plan to provide high-frequency and high-capacity services.

The Metro services will increase capacity on the network by more 19.8 million customers per year.

Buses are known to do the heavy lifting in Brisbane, carrying two thirds of public transport passengers.

Infrastructure Chair, Councillor Ryan Murphy, said the city was one of Australia’s fastest growing and the new network was part of Council’s commitment to keeping Brisbane moving into the future.

“Brisbane’s buses carry around two-thirds of all public transport passengers and the new bus network is the answer to busting congestion through better public transport,” he said.

“We’re here to help make sure your transition to the new bus network is a smooth one. So we’ll be joining Translink at key bus stops and stations to answer any questions and get you where you need to go.”

The changes will mean some commuters, mainly in Brisbane’s south, will take more “two-seat journeys” to improve network efficiency.

“We know many of our customers are already transferring between bus services at major busway stations including Cultural Centre, Buranda and Boggo Road,” a Council spokesperson said.

“These stations provide high-frequency service options across the network to keep customers moving and connected to more destinations across our city.

“While an introduced transfer might feel like a big change, we’re making it as easy as possible with same-platform or nearby transfers.”

Brisbane’s new bus network explained

- 5 new routes delivering improved connections to local places of interest between the South East Busway and Fortitude Valley, including new peak period services

- 12 suburban routes redesigned to connect with busway services

- 12 routes combined for greater efficiency

- 3 routes divided to improve service reliability

- 4 routes with low patronage or frequency removed so that service improvements can occur across other parts of the network

- Integrated and direct connections with high frequency busway and metro services, and rail

- New all day services to provide more travel options and increased access to key destinations

- More suburban connections to key education, healthcare, leisure, shopping and employment destinations

Benefits of the new bus network

- Increase bus capacity to reduce congestion in the CBD

- Free up busways to provide more high-frequency services

- Turn up and go Brisbane Metro services arriving every 5 minutes during peak times

- New routes, extended all-day services or improved service frequency in the suburbs

- Faster travel times and less bottlenecks

- Seamless connections from suburban services to more high-frequency services via same platform transfers

- Increased connections with rail, creating more interchange opportunities

This article has been produced in partnership with Brisbane City Council.