The most popular routes in Brisbane revealed as public transport surges
More than 190 million public transport journeys were recorded in South East Queensland last year and new data has revealed the most popular bus routes.
Tuesday marks 12 months since 50-cent fares were funded as an ongoing initiative.
Buses were by far the most popular means of transportation at the time, with 122 million trips.
54 million train and 14 million tram trips were made.
“Queenslanders are jumping on board with more people taking buses, trains, ferries and trams,” Transport and Main Roads Minister Brent Mickelberg said in a statement.
The M2, which runs from UQ Lakes to the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, has been used more than any other bus route, with more than 4.6 million trips.
60, 199, M1 and 130 were in the top five, and these buses accounted for approximately 14 percent of all bus travel.
Earlier this month, Mayor Adrian Schrinner said bus use has increased 27 percent since the beginning of 2024.
“I have no doubt that this will continue to increase,” he said at the time.
New state government data on all public transport in Brisbane shows a 22 per cent increase in the last 12 months alone.
Gympie experienced the largest increase in users, with a 58 percent increase recorded.
The 50-cent wage initiative was designed and implemented by the former Labor government before the last election.
The LNP has since argued that it deserves sole credit for securing the reduction as an ongoing policy, and that the current opposition has never allocated permanent funding.
The LNP government estimated in its latest data dump that a family of four living in Caboolture, where one parent commutes to work every day and two children take the bus to school, could save more than $3,500 last year.
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