Coronavirus: Hand sanitiser stations at busy Brisbane city train, bus hubs

Brisbane commuters will have access to hand sanitiser when 58,000 additional public transport seats are added at peak hour next month.

Hand sanitiser will be provided to Brisbane commuters at busy train and bus stations as city workers and university students stage a return to normality.

It comes as the Queensland Government rolls out more public transport services during peak times to support social distancing.

The latest phase of the government’s COVID-19 Save Public Transport Plan will put an extra 960 buses and 105 trains, or 58,000 additional seats, into service between Monday and Friday from August 10.

Temporary hand sanitiser stations located at entry and exit points will be progressively rolled out at busy bus stops and all 152 train stations in southeast Queensland.

Hand sanitiser will be made available at busy southeast Queensland public transport hubs as more peak-hour services are rolled out. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Jono Searle

Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey said it was an extra option for passengers to practise personal hygiene.

“(It’s) in addition to the rigorous cleaning and sanitisation programs we’ve been running since March on public transport vehicles, stations and transport depots,” he said.

“Commuters have done an excellent job following the health advice, using common sense and social distancing where practical, and we need everyone to keep it up.

“Public transport is safe in Queensland.

“As more passengers return to public transport, we’re asking everyone to leave a gap, keep it clean by following health advice and adjust your travel to avoid travelling in peak periods if possible.”

Public transport patronage is down 50 per cent compared with the same time last year, but numbers are expected to climb as university classes resume and offices reopen.

Mr Bailey said there was no time for complacency.

“We expect more people to return to public transport over the next few weeks,” he said.

“We want to spread passengers out as much as we can, and these extra services will help do that.”

WHAT IT MEANS:

• The extra services start from August 10, Mondays-Fridays
• The extra services will shoulder peak commute times in the mornings and afternoons
• Trains – 11 extra morning train services and 10 extra afternoon train services
• Buses – 85 extra morning services and 107 extra afternoon services (around the CBD)
• Existing 30-minute gaps between train services will be filled to provide services every 15 minutes on the following lines: Beenleigh, Caboolture, Cleveland, Ipswich, Redcliffe Peninsula, Shorncliffe and Springfield
• That means 28,875 extra seats on trains and 28,800 seats on buses each week.