Public transport fares have temporarily been slashed to a flat rate of 50 cents across Queensland in an effort to alleviate congested roads and cost of living pressures.
Premier Steven Miles this morning announced the new fare will apply to all Translink services in the state, regardless of the distance, in a six-month trial starting from August 5.
The “almost free” initiative is estimated to save people up to thousands of dollars which could be allocated to other bills.
“These days you can’t get much for 50 cents,” Miles said at a press conference today.
“Think of all of those savings on petrol, on car parking, on time stuck in the car when you could instead be reading a book or listening to a podcast.”
Miles said public transport use has never returned to pre-Covid levels, which has contributed to congestion on roads and caused a headache for commuters.
“We’re hoping that this trial of 50 cent fares will give people a reason to rethink their habits, a reason to go back to public transport when they can, and everyone benefits from that,” he said.
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There will be an estimated 50 cars off the road for each bus on the road and 600 cars off for each train on a major line, Deputy Premier Cameron Dick added.
Resources will be allocated accordingly to deal with the expected surge in public transport use.
Miles encouraged commuters to continue to tap on and tap off on public transport to allow authorities to understand whether the trial received well.
If it is, the 50 cent fare could become permanent after the six months.
“If it works, then we will look at keeping it,” Miles said.
