It's been a big week for train catchers and bus riders everywhere. Here's everything going on with Queensland’s public transport right now.
Bus, Train And Tram Fares Will Cost Just 50 Cents From August
In amazing news for anyone currently forking out big bucks to get to and from work each day, Queensland Premier Steven Miles has just announced his plan to make public transport “as close to free as you can get," which means that as of Monday 5 August, all Queensland Translink public transport fares, including buses, trains, trams and ferries, will be reduced to a 50-cent flat rate. Yes, really.
An initiative designed to help alleviate cost of living pressures, the almost free fares are also hoped to get people ditching their cars in favour of public transport. "Public transport usage has never returned back to pre-COVID levels,” Miles says. “If you drive to work, you’re stuck in peak hour traffic every day and paying a lot more than that.”
While the 50-cent fares are currently only planned to be around for six months, if they are uber successful, more permanent changes may be in store. The biggest winners from this initiative are set to be those who travel between the Gold Coast and Brisbane, who will save $140.50 a week for those travelling five days a week at peak times.
For now though, from 5 August you can expect to pay just 50 cents for any fare—for any distance and any direction—across the Translink network, whether by bus, train (excluding Airtrain), tram, regional buses or ferry. The flat rate will automatically apply when using Go Cards, paper tickets and debit/credit card payments. You can find out more here.
You Can Now Tap On And Off Trains And Trams With Your Debit Card
Leave your GoCard at home, because smart ticketing has finally rolled out across the Gold Coast’s public transport network, with trains and trams now using the convenient method. Thanks to a (long overdue) tech upgrade, you can now tap on and off using your debit or credit card, even those stored on your phone.
While those on concession fares and those on buses will still need to use their GoCards, full paying adults can ditch one extra card from their wallet (who even has one of those anymore?). Fingers crossed the system hits buses soon, because carrying around slices of plastic is so 2003. Find all the nitty gritty here.
Image Credit: y.yone | Flickr