Bus transport in Queensland

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Brisbane Transport MAN 18.310 with Volgren CR228L body

Public bus services in Queensland are coordinated by the Queensland Government's Department of Transport and Main Roads. The vast majority of bus services in Queensland are coordinated by the Translink division of the Department, who manage timetabling and ticketing systems, and contract operations to over 1000[citation needed] private service operators around the state.

History

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A trolleybus in Edward Street shortly after the service commenced in 1951.
Main articles: Trolleybuses in Brisbane and Trams in Brisbane

Historically, Brisbane operated a network of trolleybuses and trams which were closed in 1969 in favour of an increased bus fleet for Brisbane.

Urban services

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South-East Queensland

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go card top-up machine
Main article: Translink (Queensland)

Translink is the division of the Department of Transport and Main Roads that coordinates the provision all public bus services and some school bus services across South East Queensland. Operation of these bus services are contracted to the Brisbane City Council within the bounds of that local government area, and various private operators in the rest of South-East Queensland. Services are pursuant to Translink's timetabling and integrated ticketing system, including the go card.[1]

Translink also oversees Queensland Rail suburban trains and RiverCity Ferries on the Brisbane River to enable an integrated public transport system for the region.[2]

Regional Queensland

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Main article: QConnect

As of April 2023, nearly all qconnect services have been transferred to Translink.[3] qconnect was established an agency of the Queensland Transport in December 2007 as a regional counterpart to Translink, in order to bring coordination of public urban buses, regional air routes, and long-distance coaches throughout regional Queensland under the same banner.[4] The bus networks of large regional towns, such as Warwick and Cairns, were formerly managed by qconnect. The only network still managed by qconnect as of July 2025 is North Stradbroke Island.[5][6]

School bus routes not falling under the administration of qconnect regional and rural Queensland are managed directly by the Department of Transport and Main Roads, and delivered by over 700 local providers.[1][better source needed]

Long-distance services

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Icon to represent coach services; used by qconnect and Translink

The Department of Transport and Main Roads issues contracts for long-distance and intercity coach services throughout regional Queensland. When a public passenger service area is declared, only public services contracted by the Department may operate.[7] These operations were formerly managed by qconnect,[4] but are now under the administration of the Translink division;[8] though they do not carry any Translink branding, unlike urban bus networks. Unlike interstate government coach services, such as NSW Trainlink and V/Line, Queensland's coach network has no central brand identity. Timetables are published by the service operator, and ticketing is managed by the service operator.

Queensland Government contracted coach routes as of 10 December 2021[9][10]
Operator Routes
Greyhound Australia Brisbane to Charleville and Mount Isa
Rockhampton to Emerald and Longreach
Rockhampton to Miles
Townsville to Mount Isa and Tennant Creek
Murrays Coaches Brisbane to St George (via Moonie Highway) and Cunnamulla
Brisbane to St George (via Gore Highway) and Lightning Ridge
Trans North Bus & Coach Cairns to Cooktown (via Mulligan Highway)
Cairns to Cooktown (via Cape Tribulation Road)
Cairns to Karumba
Townsville to Charters Towers
Bowen to Collinsville
Mackay Transit Coaches Emerald to Mackay
North Burnett Regional Council Mundubbera to Bundaberg (via Ceratodus)
Mundubbera to Bundaberg (via Childers)
Mundubbera to Maryborough
Ceratodus to Monto

There are also a number of coach routes that are not directly contracted by the Queensland Government. These include interstate public coach services, which are managed by the New South Wales Government, and scheduled railbuses connecting to Queensland Rail's regional train services.

Additional public coach services operated in Queensland[10]
Network Operator Routes
NSW Trainlink Sunstate Coaches Brisbane to Casino
Robina to Casino
Surfers Paradise to Casino
Queensland Rail Travel Queensland Rail Travel Proserpine to Airlie Beach
Maryborough West to Hervey Bay
Gympie North to Gympie
Eckel Bus Service Charleville to Cunnamulla
Charleville to Quilpie
Outback Aussie Tours Longreach to Winton

Beyond those services listed above, operators such as Greyhound, Murrays, and Premier also operate private coach services within Queensland and to interstate destinations, including Sydney. These private services operate where a declared service area has not been deemed by the Department of Transport and Main Roads. Despite this, the Department has assisted coordinate transport planning with private service operators,[11] and attempted to introduce a uniform route numbering system.[12][better source needed]

Infrastructure

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Busways

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Northern Busway, Brisbane, 2014

In Brisbane, a 25 km network of busways has been constructed to allow public transport buses to bypass traffic congestion whilst providing interconnectivity with the Queensland Rail network. Dedicated bus lanes and general high-occupancy vehicle lanes (transit lanes) can be found throughout the state, giving buses a further mechanism to bypass traffic congestion, albeit in a slower (but cheaper) way as those lanes are rarely grade separated.

Bus stops

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A 'flag pole' sign used at regular bus stops. The sign contains zone information and Translink's phone number.

Bus stops are designated places where buses stop for passengers to board or leave a bus. There are four bus stop types which are used throughout Queensland. The type of bus stop used depends on the number of passengers that will use the bus stop. These bus stop types include regular, intermediate, premium and signature.[13] 'Regular' bus stops are used for low frequency bus services with low passenger volumes and are located in outer suburban or non-urban areas.[14] 'Intermediate' bus stops are used by moderate frequency bus services with moderate passenger volumes and are located in suburban areas.[15] 'Premium' bus stops are serviced by high frequency bus services with moderate to high passenger volumes and are located at major attractions (e.g. shopping centres). Premium bus stops may be located near bus priority measures such as bus queue jumps, bus lanes or transit lanes.[16] 'Signature' bus stops are located on busways, interchanges and streets in Brisbane CBD. The bus stop is used by high frequency bus services with moderate to high passenger volumes. These bus stops have adequate space for indented or off-road bus bays and standing room for three or more buses.[17]

Located on every bus stop is signage called the 'bus stop marker' which is used to indicate where the front door of the bus is located while the bus is at the stop.[18] There are three types of signages: Regular bus stops uses the 'flag pole';[14] Intermediate bus stops uses the 'j-pole';[15] both Premium and Signature bus stops use the 'blade'.[16][17]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Welcome". Queensland Buses. Archived from the original on 4 August 2012. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
  2. ^ Translink Transit Authority. "Ticket and Fare Integration" Archived 15 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine. 2012. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
  3. ^ "We're growing across Queensland". Translink. Archived from the original on 28 March 2023. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  4. ^ a b Mickel, John (20 December 2007). "Qconnect - a better soultion in regional transport". The Queensland Cabinet and Ministerial Directory. Archived from the original on 16 September 2025. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  5. ^ Department of Transport and Main Roads (14 July 2025). "North Stradbroke Island timetable network guide" (PDF). Queensland Government Publications Portal. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  6. ^ Translink. "Our service Area". Archived from the original on 16 September 2025. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  7. ^ Department of Transport and Main Roads. "Service contract areas and routes". Archived from the original on 15 June 2025. Retrieved 23 September 2025.
  8. ^ North Burnett Regional Council. "North Burnett Transport Service". Archived from the original on 23 September 2025.
  9. ^ Greyhound Australia. "Greyhound Australia awarded six new Queensland services". Archived from the original on 12 August 2025. Retrieved 23 September 2025.
  10. ^ a b Department of Transport and Main Roads (7 December 2021). "Long distance and interstate services". Archived from the original on 8 April 2025. Retrieved 23 September 2025.
  11. ^ Department of Transport and Main Roads (7 August 2012). "Public transport". Archived from the original on 20 September 2012. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
  12. ^ Duffin, Graham (3 August 2012). "Brisbane Private Bus Operator Timetables". Australian Association of Time Table Collectors. Archived from the original on 17 December 2012. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
  13. ^ TransLink Transit Authority (June 2007). Public transport infrastructure manual. p. 9. Archived from the original on 30 July 2010. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
  14. ^ a b TransLink Transit Authority (June 2007). Public transport infrastructure manual. pp. 9, 13–18. Archived from the original on 30 July 2010. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
  15. ^ a b TransLink Transit Authority (June 2007). Public transport infrastructure manual. pp. 10, 12–13, 19–24. Archived from the original on 30 July 2010. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
  16. ^ a b TransLink Transit Authority (June 2007). Public transport infrastructure manual. pp. 10, 12–13, 25–31. Archived from the original on 30 July 2010. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
  17. ^ a b TransLink Transit Authority (June 2007). Public transport infrastructure manual. pp. 10, 12–13, 32–37. Archived from the original on 30 July 2010. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
  18. ^ TransLink Transit Authority (June 2007). Public transport infrastructure manual. pp. 7, 58. Archived from the original on 30 July 2010. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
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