Extra 160,000 bus services a year under landmark fare deal
By Tony Moore
An extra 160,000 services will be added to Brisbane’s bus network in a landmark deal to share ticket revenue between Brisbane City Council and the state government.
The council has been pressing the state government for two months for extra money from fares as it injects funds into the city’s bus network with the $1.4 billion Brisbane Metro service.
Under the LNP’s Metro plan, the 60 mega buses will collect passengers from suburban hubs – such as this one at UQ – and carry them through the CBD on a five-minute frequency.Credit: Brisbane City Council
To date, all fare revenue has been collected by the state government.
A special council meeting will be held soon to sign the new deal. All ticket revenue will continue to go to the state government in the meantime.
Under the new $560 million revenue-sharing deal, the state government will fund 75 per cent of operating costs for Brisbane’s entire bus network, while the council will fund 25 per cent.
The council budget shows that 66 per cent – equating to $467.69 million – of “bus network revenue” comes from the state government at present, while 27.6 per cent – $195 million – comes from the council.
Another $41.5 million is generated from advertising, the federal government and “other revenue”, the budget papers show.
The Queensland government is going to share revenue from buses with Brisbane City Council for the first time. Credit: Lucy Stone
Under the new arrangement, the state government would also pay an additional $75 million to Brisbane City Council for an extra 160,000 bus services.
The LNP council argued this was necessary because the state Labor government announced it would introduce 50¢ fares from August 5, without consulting City Hall.
The council, which runs 224 bus routes, stepped up its campaign for additional public transport money after Premier Steven Miles announced the 50¢ fare program.
Miles acknowledged the introduction of 50¢ fares could be so popular it could create overcrowding on buses and leave some commuters stranded.
“Today’s agreement with Brisbane City Council will make sure we have on-demand bus services ready to roll out from day one to make sure no commuter gets left behind,” he said.
Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner had been locked in talks with Miles and senior Translink officials for almost two months about the funding deal.
“Brisbane is one of the fastest-growing cities in Australia and one of the most effective ways to reduce congestion is to get more people on our buses,” Schrinner said.
Buses provide two-thirds of public transport journeys in Brisbane.
The new Brisbane Metro will open by Christmas, when 60 all-electric buses capable of carrying 170 commuters each would ferry people to and from the city.
“We need to make public transport services more frequent and the introduction of Brisbane Metro along with the additional services this agreement funds ensures that happens,” Schrinner said.
The Brisbane Metro, funded by the council, would add another 30 million bus services each year, by the 2032 Olympic Games. The council opposition disputed the number of new services.
The first Brisbane Metro service would hit the road in October on the 169 route between Eight Mile Plains and the University of Queensland at St Lucia.