Commuters angry over Brisbane City Council’s changes to bus network

Commuters have criticised an overhaul of Brisbane’s bus network which will see 41 stops axed, but council has defended it, saying it adds 44 new stops and cuts travel times. SEE THE MAPS

• 8 key changes: For better and worse

Brisbane’s transport committee chair said the “world will not end’’ on June 30 when the city’s biggest bus network changes in two decades begins.

Councillor Ryan Murphy also said the consultation was “award winning’’ and had included four months of citywide surveys, drop-in-sessions and other information.

Councillor Ryan Murphy. Picture: Lachie Millard

He said there were “people who think that transferring buses or walking to a new stop or station is the end of the world’’.

“But I can tell you this, on the 30th of June the sky will not fall in and the seas will not boil, but Brisbane will have the backbone of a network that has the capacity to grow into the future,’’ he said.

“I have no doubt that there will be issues but we will be ready to respond and remedy these.

“Passengers will not be alone in this change. There will be on-the-ground support at busway stations before and after the implementation to assist our passengers on their journey.’’

But Mr Murphy’s comments came in the wake of a massive backlash on social media from commuters who said they would either stop catching the bus or face significant inconvenience, with many claiming they would be forced to walk hundreds of metres to catch connecting buses.

That was despite council’s online information reassuring residents that changing buses would be restricted to the same platform, with connections “nearby’’.

Councillor Nicole Johnston, whose southside ward was heavily affected by the changes, claimed council had repeatedly “lied’’ to her about the 106, a school route used by children from St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School and a local Catholic primary school.

She said council had assured her there would be no changes to the hours of operation, route and stops, but they now faced not being able to connect with parts of Corinda, Oxley and Seventeen Mile Rocks.

Nicole Johnston claimed council had repeatedly “lied’’ to her about school route 106. Picture: Steve Pohlner

Mr Murphy denied her claims amid rowdy scenes in which Ms Johnston and Moorooka councillor Steve Griffiths were repeatedly warned by the chair of council’s Tuesday meeting.

“Why don’t you expel us all, that’s what you want,’’ Mr Griffiths told chairwoman Councillor Sandy Landers.

Mr Murphy responded by saying Mr Griffiths “acted like a clown’’.

He said five bus stops had been axed in the Moorooka ward, but three had been added, also claiming that only about 20 stops overall would be removed.

He pointed out that former Labor Transport Minister Bart Mellish had signed off on the network, waving a photo of the ceremony in the council Chamber as proof.

“See how happy he (Mr Mellish) is. Isn’t it wonderful to have photos, to have memories,’’ he said.

But Mr Mellish last week said he had been “verballed’’ and had not endorsed how the new network was implemented.

Question Time was ended four minutes early on Tuesday, despite Labor still having questions to ask about the bus network, which the chair claimed was allowed under rules.

Ms Johnston’s interjections alone took up about 14 minutes of Question Time.

She accused Ms Landers of breaching the Meetings Local Law and had to leave the meeting while a vote was held. The LNP won the vote on numbers.

It comes as Brisbane’s new bus network faces a tidal wave of backlash, with commuters taking to social media to slam the move to decommission 41 stops and force many on to multiple buses.

But Brisbane City Council has argued the new bus network has 44 extra stops and has promised commuters travel times will now be shorter.

The uproar came as Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner announced that Mr Murphy, who was forced to apologise for ‘’poor communication’’ when it was revealed the Metro launch late last year was actually a four-week trial, would be replaced as transport committee chair by current infrastructure chair Andrew Wines.

Despite the uproar, TransLink and council are pressing ahead with the June 30 launch, leaving students, workers and workers fuming over longer commutes and increased stress.

The Brisbane New Bus Network, touted as a way to streamline inner-city travel, is leaving many feeling stranded.

While some routes promise faster travel times within the city, those who journey into Brisbane are bracing for a more complicated reality.

Griffith University students, for example, will no longer enjoy a direct route from Mount Gravatt to Eagle Lane.

Instead, they face a multistage journey involving an intercampus bus, a walk, and a second bus – a logistical headache many are struggling to comprehend.

“I’m not sure how this is improving things,” said Addison Lovett, whose commute is set to double.

Under the network changes, those travelling from the outer southern suburbs could arrive at their destinations faster, but will have to walk and transfer between two buses.

Commuters travelling from Carindale Shopping Centre to Fortitude Valley will arrive up to 14 minutes faster, but they will need to catch two buses.

Alternatively, they can catch just one bus but that would push their travel time to over an hour.

On the northside, those travelling to the Cultural Centre from Aspley Hypermarket will only have the option of disembarking at the Roma Street busway and transferring to Route M1, or walk the 10 minutes from Queen Street station to the Cultural Centre station.

Taking multiple buses and having to walk between stations simply does not work for Stacey King, who is disabled. She described the new routes as a “major fail,” highlighting the added walking distance and stress.

“The route I take four times a week … is now two buses and an extra minimum 300m walk each way,” she posted on the TransLink Facebook page.

“How is this serving anyone?”

Jen Macdonald echoed these concerns, stating the changes will negatively impact her health due to the added strain on her mobility.

Parents are also voicing outrage.

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner announced new bus routes at the Cultural Centre Station last month. Picture Lachie Millard

Sophie Ballinger fears for her 11-year-old son, who will now be forced to navigate multiple buses or undertake a perilous 1.2km walk to school, laden with heavy equipment.

“This isn’t safe or practical at his age,” she wrote, questioning whether the council considered the impact on children.

The changes come during a challenging time for Brisbane’s public transport network, with the satisfaction rating dropping from 4.05 in October to 3.73.

A TransLink spokeswoman told The Courier-Mail that the new bus network was based on customer feedback and consultation led by Brisbane City Council in 2022.

“TransLink has worked with Brisbane City Council on Brisbane’s New Bus Network to improve frequency, reliability, and connectivity for customers,” she said.

Brisbane City Council’s Transport Chair Cr Ryan Murphy said the changes allowed the council to provide additional services for commuters.

“The Schrinner council is delivering the biggest boost to bus services in generations with 160,000 new services to be added to the network,” he said.

“Changes to Brisbane’s bus network will make 85 per cent of trips faster or similar as we shift from a legacy bus network to bus rapid transit.

“The Brisbane Metro is a first-in-class, all-electric, bus rapid transit system that is the most accessible public transport in Australia.

“These changes are all about delivering more services, more often to help make it easier for people to use our public transport network and ease congestion on our roads.”

Originally published as Commuters angry over Brisbane City Council’s changes to bus network