The average trip on Gold Coast public transport costs just under $4 but can take twice as long as driving

CATCHING public transport may save you money but it could end up costing you double your time. We’ve broken down how long each trip will take you and the results are startling. SEE THE FIGURES

IT is a battle of cost over convenience for Gold Coasters looking to catch public transport.

There is no doubt the light and heavy rail have been a massive success over the Commonwealth Games, moving more than a million people around the city to events and restaurants.

If you live within cooee of the light rail you are in luck, with the convenient service running to some of the Coast’s top spots, at a relatively cheap price.

Unfortunately if you live in suburbs where you have to rely on a bus connections to either light or heavy rail, you may feel short changed, not necessarily in the form of dollars, but the cost of your time.

The Gold Coast Bulletin crunched the data, revealing the average trip on public transport around the Coast will cost you under $4, but will take, in most instances, twice as long as driving.

Crowds at Surfers Paradise waiting for the tram. Picture: Mike Batterham

The figures pulled from the TransLink Journey Planner site show if you don’t live within walking distance to light rail, you’ll more than likely be catching multiple buses to get where you want to be.

GOLD COAST LIGHT RAIL PATRONAGE FIGURES

THE BREAKDOWN:

Ashmore Plaza to James St Burleigh Heads

Public transport: 1 hour 13 minutes, costs $3.96

Driving: 22 — 35 minutes

Foxwell Rd Coomera to Southport tram station

Public transport: catching a bus, a train and then a tram — 1 hour 1 minute, costs $3.96

Driving: 20 — 30 minutes

Swanton Dr, Mudgeeraba to Broadbeach

Public transport: walk, two buses, walk — 1 hour 5 minutes, $3.25

Driving: 19 minutes

Gold Coast hwy Currumbin to Cavill Ave

Public transport: Bus, walk, tram — 58 minutes, cost $3.96

Driving: 31 minutes

Southport Tram Station to Gold Coast Airport

Public transport: tram, walk, bus — 1 hour 3 minutes, cost $3.96

Driving: 30 — 55 minutes

Southport Tram Station to Brisbane Domestic Airport

Public transport: tram, walk, train — 2 hours 5mins, cost $32.22

Driving: 55 minutes to 1 hour 10 minutes

*Trips are based on leaving about 8.30am on a Saturday morning.

SEE THE COMMUTE TO BRISBANE BELOW

Light Rail Delays, crowds at Surfers Paradise platforms. Picture: Mike Batterham

If you commute to Brisbane every day for work the cost of the commute is relatively close to what you would spend on petrol every week.

The below data shows a trip from Southport Tram Station to Brisbane Central Station and compares it to the drive every day.

Southport Tram Station to Brisbane Central train station — Go Card cost is $10.47 per trip, equating to $104.70 per week. The trip takes 1 hour and 44 minutes each way, which means you’d be spending 17 and a half hours on a train a week to get to work.

This is assuming you work in the city and can walk to your work, it does not include further bus or train fares.

Driving the exact same trip is 74.8kms one way, 748kms a week, taking anywhere from an hour to up to two hours.

Depending on what car you drive you would be spending about $100 a week on petrol just for the commute.

When you take into account you should service your car every 10,000kms, you would need a service every 13 weeks, plus new tyres every year.

This does not take into account if you work outside of the city and the cost of parking.

Lynda Hoarau, Lui Basile and Dianne Isichei use public transport. Photo: Richard Gosling

Catching the train to Brisbane every day for your commute looks to be cheaper than driving and takes about the same time.

Riding on public transport around the city on the other hand is a bit of a nightmare.

Yes, there are options to drive to a park and ride, to not have to bother with a bus, but that kind of defeats the purpose of easing traffic on the Coast’s roads.

If you live in Pacific Pines, are you going to drive to Helensvale to catch the tram and then a bus to Burleigh? Probably not, you’re more likely to belt down the M1 and find a park.

Until the light rail is extended to capture more of the Coast, and the bus services link more directly into the rail, then the average person is more likely to get behind the wheel and head to their destination.