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What Brisbane can learn from the city’s happiest commuters
Brisbane needs 50¢ public transport fares to work, and we can learn something from the city’s happiest commuters – those who travel by CityCat – in setting it up for success.
Public transport use is still 13 per cent below pre-pandemic levels, but we need more bums on train, bus and ferry seats if we have any chance of busting congestion as Brisbane’s population soars.
People who use the CityCat in Brisbane have consistently been the happiest commuters for years. So what can we learn from them as Queensland urges people to hop on board public transport when 50¢ fares begin on August 5?Credit: Matt Dennien
We can’t take a private vehicle for every journey and keep building expensive car tunnels, or we risk becoming Australia’s answer to Los Angeles, which is infamous for its urban sprawl, bad traffic and car-centric culture.
A single bus can take 50 cars off the road, and a train can remove 600.
But will the statewide six-month 50¢ fare trial – at a cost of $150 million – be enough to lure people back?
Beyond cost, people need public transport to be convenient, with stops or stations close to them, as well as access to frequent, fast and reliable services. But it also needs to be enjoyable.
Many years ago when I worked at the now-defunct mX, an afternoon newspaper handed out at train stations in the city, commuters emailed us every day complaining about the annoying behaviour of other travellers.
People playing noisy music in the quiet train carriage, putting their feet on seats, cutting their nails, placing a bag on the seat next to them, man-spreading, not standing up for pregnant or elderly people, and coughing.
Gail Savage, who lives in The Gap, told us last year that she trialled catching public transport due to cost-of-living pressures but trains breaking down or not running on time made her late to work, and concerns about safety meant she returned to her car, of which she and her partner own three.
But we can learn a lot from CityCat commuters, who are consistently south-east Queensland’s happiest passengers.
Ask a ferry commuter about the overall experience of their last trip, and they would probably give it 4.4 out of five.
Ask a train commuter, and they would say 3.95, while a bus user would give it a 3.91.
The data, from Translink’s April customer satisfaction snapshot, continues a longstanding trend of CityCat users’ contentment.
Riding a CityCat is like getting a sunset river cruise every day on the way home from work, with plenty of fresh air.
There’s a reason locals often suggest a CityCat trip as a tourist attraction to out-of-towners – all the benefits seem to evaporate any downsides.
Ferry is often not the fastest way to travel if you’re going further than just a hop across the Brisbane River, but that doesn’t bother its biggest fans.
CityCat users rate their journey time at 4.47 out of five, compared with 4.14 for train travellers, and 4.17 for bus users.
At least CityCats don’t get stuck in peak-hour traffic.
Griffith University expert Professor Matthew Burke previously analysed go card data for trips from Bretts Wharf in Hamilton to the city, which was next to a bus stop, and found many people chose the “really pleasant experience” of a CityCat over the bus, even though it took longer.
Premier Steven Miles says the flat fare is a “use it or lose it” trial, and Transport and Main Roads will monitor its impact to “make sure we have services there for people” if demand skyrockets.
While more employees working from home may temper any potential uptick in patronage, we won’t find out until after the October state election.
But if people can’t get what they want out of public transport – including comfort, better efficiency, reliability, more routes that connect suburbs and don’t just head to the city, and some human decency from fellow travellers – they just won’t use it.
Los Angeles might be ahead of us in hosting the Olympics in 2028, but let’s beat them to the realisation that when you’re stuck in your car in traffic, you are the traffic.