The Greens are announcing their plan to grow bus patronage by 50% in the next 2 years
We estimate that our plan to double high frequency bus routes would mean 85,000 extra trips per day within 2 years.
In 2023, based on Transport for Brisbane’s numbers, only around 170,000 trips were made per day on average, and the Greens project that this number would jump to 255,000 per day within 2 years.
In a city of 1.3 million, the current patronage is shockingly low, and reflects that most people just can’t rely on Brisbane’s current bus network. Huge swathes of Brisbane don’t have any frequent public transport nearby, or their bus would get caught in traffic, or the cost of a fare at $3 with a go card, or $5 for a paper ticket, is just too high to bother.
Late last year, the Greens proposed 15 new and 10 upgraded bus routes that would run just as often as BUZ routes - at least every 15 minutes. High-frequency routes like these already serve more than half of trips in Brisbane, and the Greens bus boost would more than double the number of these routes.
The routes can all be found via this link, overlaid with existing high-frequency bus routes, and high-frequency sections of Brisbane’s train network. Residents can see for themselves how we want to better connect their neighbourhoods.
Last month, the Greens also announced a plan to make all forms of public transport in Brisbane free for under-18s, and for everybody off-peak - as well as a 3 month trial of universal free public transport.
All of this is on top of the patronage improvements that the Metro will bring when it eventually opens.
An example of the kind of routes that the Greens are proposing is the B1 from West End to Woollongabba and Bulimba. It starts outside of the Montague Markets shopping centre in West End, taking Vulture St to Woolloongabba and East Brisbane, continuing to Norman Park, Hawthorne, Balmoral and Bulimba via Wynnum and Riding Road, before turning along Oxford Street to terminate at the Bulimba ferry terminal.
This east-west route by itself would serve the very densely populated West End riverside and Woolloongabba precincts, as well as several schools, the Mater Hill hospital complex, the Vulture St, Boundary St, and Oxford St high streets, several underserved suburbs such as East Brisbane, Norman Park, and Hawthorne, and several large parks, not to mention the Gabba stadium itself. It also connects to all of the frequent buses through West End, as well as the South Bank and Woolloongabba bus and train stations.
Comments attributable to Greens candidate for Mayor, Jonathan Sriranganathan:
“Many of Brisbane’s bus routes are so infrequent and expensive to ride, and don't connect to adjoining suburbs, so most people don’t have any choice but to drive. But it doesn’t have to be like that. We’ve got a plan that would make switching from the car to public transport a serious option.”
“This would be the biggest, most significant expansion of public transport in most people’s lifetimes, filling major gaps in the network and giving more people the freedom to leave their car at home.”
“We support the Metro, but it's not enough by itself, so we've mapped out 15 proposed new bus routes to run directly between neighbourhoods, and 10 upgraded routes to take you into the city, all running at least every 15 minutes, from 6am to 11:30pm. You can take a look at them for yourself right now.”
“The fundamental problem with transport around Brisbane is that most people have no convenient alternative to driving. We have a plan to change that, so that thousands more people can get a bus to work, school or the shops.”
“The Greens are putting forward the kinds of proposals that are needed to dramatically improve transport in Brisbane. We don't need to be stuck in bumper-to-bumper congestion.”
“The LNP has proven that their main response to traffic congestion is to waste billions building more car tunnels and widening roads and intersections, but all the evidence tells us that improving public transport should be the priority, and that building more roads creates more traffic.”
Comments attributable to Greens candidate for Coorparoo Ward, Kath Angus:
“Every time I've mentioned the B1 Bulimba to West End bus, people are really excited. It would make a big difference to how a lot of people travel.”
“I’ve been chatting with hundreds of people at their doors about how they get around Brissie. Locals are really excited about a free public transport trial to attract people back to using our excellent bus system”
“We have a plan to give thousands more Brisbane residents the option to rely on hassle-free public transport.”
“This isn’t just about congestion-busting - this is a social and economic justice issue. Everyone should be able to get where they need to go, regardless of whether they can drive or afford to run a car.”
“You can see just how busy the traffic is around East Brisbane State School in the middle of the day, so wouldn’t it be great if families could just get a bus to school and not have to stress about it.”
Further background details of the Greens public transport plan:
- The full bus network expansion proposal is here: jonathansri.com/busboost
- It creates 15 new high frequency bus routes, doubling the number of high frequency services to link suburbs directly without needing to go through the CBD
- It upgrades 10 existing bus routes with frequency upgrades or extensions
- It lets buses skip traffic jams by creating 13 bus priority corridors on key arterial roads which already carry frequent buses
- Overall it would more than double the number of high-frequency bus routes in Brisbane
- We’re also proposing free public transport for under 18s around the clock, and free off-peak public transport for everyone, as well as a 3 month trial of universal free public transport to demonstrate how transformative it can be for a city: jonathansri.com/freepublictransport
- All of our public transport announcements are linked here