50 cent Public Transport Fares for 6 months in South East Queensland

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Mon 05 Aug 2024 - Tue 04 Feb 2025

How to get the most out cheap public transportation offer

The Queensland Government has announced that for 6 months from August 5, 2024, all trips on the Translink network in Queensland will be 50 cents each. Here is how it will work, how to take advantage of the deal, what problems you might expect, and of course lots of suggestions about where you can go by bus, train, tram and ferry, including 40 great destinations and over 20 hikes in South East Queensland that are public transport accessible.



So what's the deal and how does it work

Normally when you get on a train, bus or ferry, your fee is calculated by looking at the number of zones you pass through on your journey based on where you tapped on and where you tapped off. It is also based on peak and off-peak fare rules. In addition, the system lets you transfer between services, so you can get on and off buses, trains and ferries but still be charged only for one trip. There are some time limits, such as a maximum of 1 hour between transfers, up to 3 transfers in one journey, and a time limit of up to 3.5 hours for the longer journeys. This also applies to there and back journeys, where you can pop up to the shops on the bus, shop, and return home while only being charged for one journey as long as you don't exceed the time limits.



As far as I know, this will continue with the 50 cent journeys, except now all journeys, including ones with multiple transfers, cost only 50 cents. So a trip of a few stops up to the shops will cost 50 cents, but so would a bus, train and tram journey from Brisbane to the Gold Coast. You will need to tap on and tap off as normal even though fees are not going to be any different. Not sure what happens when you fail to tap on and off properly, but as fares are a maximum of 50 cents, you should only be charged 50 cents while in the past, they would charge you something like $5.

Be aware that the Airtrain service to the airport will not be providing 50 cent fees for normal travellers, but the fees will be reduced to $10.95. Though airport workers who have special tickets will get 50 cent trips to and from the airport. There are a few services across South East Queensland that are not part of the Translink network that won't see any reduction in price.

This includes ferries to North Stradbroke Island, the buses on North Stradbroke Island, the Coochiemudlo Ferry and the buses in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland.



Why are they doing this

This deal starts in August and goes for 6 months. and 3 months into the 50 cent fare deal there will be a State Government election. Is this just a coincidence or is it part of the election campaign? I just don't know. Though the current opposition has promised to not overturn this offer, the electricity bill rebates or other cost of living discounts if they get elected, so it really doesn't make much difference to voters.

But there is a very good reason to reduce public transportation fees so dramatically. During the pandemic, people started driving to work or just working from home. Once people are locked into driving, it is less likely that they would switch back to public transportation. The idea is the same, by offering cheap fares people will switch back to public transportation and so become locked into using it instead of driving. So while some people will go back to cars at the end of the 6 months, a significant number of people hopefully will keep using the TransLink network. It is the sticky principle. Once someone is locked into doing something some way, they stick to that way of doing things.

Who does this benefit

Well basically anyone who takes or has the opportunity to take public transportation. Unfortunately, most public transportation in Brisbane is oriented around the city, where the highest-paying jobs are. But 80% of jobs are in the suburbs where there are poor transportation links. So essentially, the richest people benefit, while a lot of people trying to get across town to the factory job, tradie role, or service industry position probably won't benefit that much and will keep driving.

Though not to be too cynical, this plan will be useful for a lot of people. It will benefit students going to university or training. It will help people looking for work as getting to interviews will be cheaper. New workers who haven't saved up to buy a car will also actually be able to get to work while they save up. Then pensioners and other people will be able to get out more, take the bus to the shops, go to appointments and so on. So there will be a lot of benefits for a reasonable number of the most disadvantaged people.

It has the potential to also provide a positive impact for leisure. A family of 4 can travel from Brisbane to the Gold Coast and back for $4, and more people will want to pop into the city or South Bank on weekends knowing that they can get there cheaply on public transportation and not have to worry about the expensive parking.

Even people with cars can benefit. More people on public transportation means fewer cars on the roads and fewer people competing for parking spots. So if you have to drive, it should be easier than before.

Companies are often keen to get staff back into the office as the trend of people working from home has had a negative impact on productivity and quality of work. Companies have been experimenting with people telecommuting since at least the 1980s and we know that it often results in decreased productivity, so this is not even something up for debate. With lower public transportation costs, people will have fewer reasons to not come into the office more often, which, to be honest, will be a detriment to those who prefer to work from home.

What problems will this bring

The obvious one is that peak travel is likely to become more crowded again. If you take the Gold Coast to Brisbane train in the morning, the chance of getting a seat will be slimmer than ever. Popular bus routes too could become standing room only. So avoiding peak hours might be something to consider if possible.

Let's not forget the parking situation. Park 'n' rides are likely to fill up earlier and of course in Chermside, where the Brisbane City Council refuses to build a park 'n' ride as it is 9.8 kms from the city centre, not the magical 10 kms, the side streets are likely to fill up, as will other popular transport hubs. For people who do drive to catch public transportation, you might want to start earlier to ensure you can find a parking spot.

Not sure what the impact would be on weekend travel. Lots more people are likely to be using public transportation outside of peak hours, but it is unlikely to be that crowded. The only line that is likely to be greatly impacted will be the Gold Coast Tram which has remained popular thanks to its convenience and the large number of tourists using it.

Where to go & what to do

A lot of people don't really have much of an idea beyond the basics about where they can go with public transportation. Here is a list of 40 great destinations and 20+ hikess across the region. Here are the highlights










Warning: ticket inspectors will still to working

Ticket inspectors will still be out checking tickets during the discount period. This means if you don't buy a ticket or tap on with your card, you could get fined. This will happen because they are public service employees and still have to put in their hours during this period. They will also have to follow whatever rules there are for warnings and fines. Hopefully, they will be more lenient during this period, though in Western Australia, school kids were being fined for travelling for free on public transportation there without using their travel cards which would give them free travel anyway. But you know, rules are rules.

Overall

For many people the cheaper fares will mean a big cost saving getting to and from work. Though for some people it might mean that some buses are trains are very crowded during the 6 months. For others, it will be a chance to go out on trips across the region for very little money. Hopefully, that will mean more people will explore the advantages of public transportation as a way to get to some very interesting places, and they will keep using public transportation afterwards.

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