Brisbane Transport

Brisbane Transport is a business unit of Brisbane City Council, operating suburban and urban bus services under the TransLink integrated public transport scheme in Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia. The origins of Brisbane Transport can be seen as far back as 1885 when horse trams serviced Brisbane. Before the council had withdrawn support in 1961, the council supported the trams by expanding the network and upgrading the fleet of trams. This was the start of the Brisbane City Council's investment in public transport.

In 2010, the Government of Queensland and Brisbane City Council's support for public transport has never been higher with over 1061 buses in service, Translink and the construction and upgrade of key infrastructure such as busways. Brisbane Transport enjoys the use of the South-East Busway, Boggo Road Busway, Inner-Northern Busway and the Northern Busway, which are grade separated from other roads and are served by large stations.

History

The origins of Brisbane Transport can be seem as far back as 1885 where the Metropolitan Tramways and Investment Company established horse trams to service Brisbane under franchise from the Queensland Government. The tram system remained in private hands until 1922 when the Queensland government established the Brisbane Tramways Trust, compulsorily acquiring the tram network and supporting infrastructure, then in 1925 creating the Brisbane City Council and transferring responsibility for the tram network to the council. Before the council withdrew support in 1961, the council supported the tram network by expanding it and upgrading the fleet of trams.

First bus services was started in 1925 by the Brisbane City Council.^[1] Brisbane City Council shut down bus services due to financial loss in 1927, but bus services was recommenced 13 years later, in 1940.^[1] By 1940 the council was operating 12 diesel buses.^[3]

The first Rocket services began on the morning of 18 April 1977 between Garden City and the Brisbane CBD.^[4] These services were based on the idea that bus travel time could be reduced to less than the travel time by car by the removal of most embarkation stops.

In the 1990s, Brisbane City Council corporatised its transport services to form Brisbane Transport, a council-owned commercial businesses managed at arm's length from the council and providing consultancy services back to it. In 2010 however government and Brisbane City Council support for public transport have never been higher with over 1061 buses in service, Translink, construction of key infrastructure such as busways and upgrade of key infrastructure.

Services

Bus upgrade zone

Bus upgrade zones (BUZ) are high-frequency bus routes mostly running direct to the Cultural Centre. All BUZ services run at least every fifteen minutes from around 6:00am to 11:00pm seven days a week and at least every ten minutes during peak hours from Monday to Friday.^[5][6]

CityGlider

CityGlider is a high frequency pre-paid bus service around the Brisbane CBD, operating every five minutes during peak and every 10 to 15 minutes during off-peak. This is the first service in Brisbane to operate 24 hours on Friday and Saturday and 18 hours every other day.^[7] Bus stops serviced by the CityGlider are identified with signs and painted kerb.

CLEM7

CLEM7 (Route 77) is a bus route using the Clem Jones Tunnel (CLEM7) which links the suburbs of Eight Mile Plains and Chermside, the route runs every 15 minutes at peak times and 30 minutes at off-peak, Monday to Friday.^[8]

The route started on 22 March 2010 with a cost of $1.6 million. The route have made it easier for commuters travelling from Eight Mile Plains to get to Chermside and vice versa, without transferring at Cultural Centre. The route completes the 30 km cross-city journey in 39 minutes instead of up to 55 minutes via the Brisbane CBD.^[8]

P88

P88 is a prepaid fare bus route using the South East Busway, Captain Cook Bridge and Coronation Drive which links the suburbs of Eight Mile Plains, Brisbane City and Indooroopilly. The route runs every 10 minutes at peak times and 15 minutes at all other times.

The route started on the 13 December 2010. The route have made it easier for commuters travelling from Eight Mile Plains to get to Indooroopilly and vice versa, without transferring at Cultural Centre or Brisbane City. The route takes 41 minutes to travel from terminus to terminus.

Fleet

Brisbane Transport currently operates approximately 1162 buses.^[9]

Depots

Brisbane Transport operates its services from eight different depots around the Brisbane City Council area. Many of these depots can share routes with other depots in overlapping areas. Generally, each of Brisbane Transport's buses are allocated to a particular depot, and displays a letter prefix for that depot before its bus number on at least the front and rear of its body, and occasionally rooftops.

Current

• Bowen Hills ("A") – serves some northern routes and operates all routes between New Farm and West End.
• Carina ("C") – serves all eastern routes and some south-eastern routes from Garden City to Wynnum and Bulimba.
• Garden City ("G") – serves south-eastern routes from Browns Plains and Sunnybank, to Wishart and Coorparoo. This depot is also the location of Brisbane Transport's head office.
• Larapinta ("L") – a satellite depot of Carina, Garden City and Willawong depots, it shares southern, western and eastern services. Originally a temporary bus depot until the Willawong depot opened, it still remains open as a satellite depot, sharing routes with other southern depots.
• Richlands ("R") – a satellite depot of the Toowong depot, it shares services on western routes, and some services to Garden City.
• Toowong ("T") – serves South Western and North West Routes from Brookside and The Gap, to Inala and Forest Lake.
• Virginia ("V") – serves the majority of northern routes from Nudgee Beach and Brighton, to Brookside and the Gap.
• Willawong ("W") – serves primarily Southern routes, and shares routes with other southern depots.

The Garden City, Toowong, Virginia and Willawong depots are equipped with compressed natural gas refilling facilities for gas-powered buses.

Former

• Bracken Ridge ("B") – only ever considered a short-term depot by Brisbane Transport, it was closed in 2001, several years after the Virginia depot had opened.
• Cribb Street, Milton – never a formal depot, this area of land was occasionally used by the council as temporary storage for buses owing to its proximity to the Milton bus and tram workshops. Last used in 1983.
• Ipswich Road, Woolloongabba – shared with trams, buses parked in the depot forecourt and at the rear (eastern end) of the tram sheds. Between 1969 and 1974, the depot was used solely by buses. The site was subsequently sold by the Brisbane City Council for commercial redevelopment. One bay of the depot building was dismantled and re-erected at the Brisbane Tramway Museum at Ferny Grove.
• Light Street, Newstead ("L") – closed for commercial redevelopment, first used as a transport depot in 1885 when it was the main tram depot for Brisbane's horse tram network. Until 1968, the depot was shared with trams with buses parked along the western (Wickham Street) frontage and north of the tram shed. When the tram shed was demolished, buses were parked where the shed once stood.
• Milton – shared with trolleybuses and closed when the trolleybus network was abandoned in 1969. The site is now part of the King's Row business park, although the Brisbane City Council still has a parks works depot there.

Workshops

See also

• Public transport in Brisbane

References

External links

• Brisbane City Council
• The Enthusiasts Guide to Brisbane Transport