Wednesday, December 4, 2024

As Queensland trials 50c public transport fares, experts say there are more ways to improve our commute

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How did you get to work this morning?

Nationally, most Australians opt to get behind the wheel, according to the previous Census.

But there might soon be fewer cars on the road – at least potentially in Queensland.

Over the weekend the state government announced bus, train, ferry and light rail fares will be dramatically reduced to a flat rate of just 50 cents.

The pre-election trial will run for six months starting in August, and is aimed at easing congestion and cost of living pressures, and getting public transport usage back to pre-pandemic levels.

While experts welcome the reduced fares, they say there’s more to do in improving the way Australians get around.

Australians overwhelmingly drive to work

The most recent Census found that 53.1 per cent of us drive to work each day.

However, it is worth noting that the last Census captured data from 2021, which saw 21 per cent of Australians working from home, up significantly from the pre-pandemic figure of 4.7 per cent.

Meanwhile, the percentage of commuters who rode public transport to work languished in the low single digits, down from just over 10 per cent in the previous Census.

Dr Mark Limb, a senior lecturer in Urban Regional Planning at the Queensland University of Technology, says the state’s reduced fares will “certainly” get more commuters using public transport.

“People’s use of cars at the moment is quite a rational decision that people take and they do it because cars are generally cheaper and often faster as well,” Dr Limb told ABC News.

“But I think this will sort of tip that equation for a whole bunch of people of whom this 50 cent public transport ride policy will make the public transport option that cheaper option and therefore they will take it.”

A ‘long way to go’ in improving Australia’s public transport

In Queensland alone, two major public transport projects are currently underway: the Cross River Rail and the Brisbane Metro.

The Brisbane Metro is due to start operating at the end of this year while the Cross River Rail – a project which runs for 10 kilometres, including under the Brisbane River and CBD – is due to open in 2026.

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