Queensland transport and main roads minister Mark Bailey has credited improvements to the state’s fare model for a significant rise in public transport patronage in the June quarter.
The latest data from TransLink SEQ shows 3.1 million more trips were taken in the three-month period from April to June this year, compared to the same period a year ago.
47.52 million trips in this June quarter represented a 7% increase on the 44.42 million trips taken in the June quarter last year.
Bailey said the increase in patronage had been supported by the Palaszczuk Government’s action on fare prices.
“We are seeing the numbers of people using public transport continue to build and those numbers have gained momentum since the introduction of Fairer Fares in late 2016,” he said.
“By reducing the average adult fare by about 13.5% compared to January 2014 levels, Fairer Fares has encouraged more people to give public transport a go and saved families more than $117 million.”
Bailey said the opening of the Redcliffe Peninsula Line, and stage two of the Gold Coast Light Rail, had also driven patronage upwards.
“These latest figures are especially positive given they do not include the extra 5.3 million event trips taken during the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games,” he noted.
The full 2017/18 financial year saw 182.83 million taken on the TransLink SEQ network, up 3.1% on the 2016/17 figure.
“Buses, trains, ferries and trams all showed an increase in patronage,” Bailey noted.
He concluded saying planning is underway for more projects to support patronage growth, including the $5.4 billion Cross River Rail project.