For the first time in 10 years, Queensland’s political scene is seeing quite a change. Following the recent state election in late October, the Liberal National party, led by new premier David Crisafulli, became the new state government.
It ended three consecutive terms for the Queensland Labor party, bringing about plenty of change across the state. In the bus and coach industry, Queensland Bus Industry Council (QBIC) executive director Jason O’Dwyer says the change in government comes at a critical time.
“It’s the first change in government in nearly 10 years, and it’s come at a critical juncture for the bus industry due to where we are in the renewable energy and decarbonisation process,” O’Dwyer told ABC.
“We haven’t had a big indication from the government as of yet about their policies when it comes to passenger transport and decarbonisation.”
O’Dwyer’s current indications suggest not much will change in that space immediately, with O’Dwyer looking to get in touch with new transport and main roads minister Brent Mickelberg to discuss what the government has in store for the industry. Mickelberg takes over the role in the Liberal National party from Steve Minnikin, who served as shadow transport minister in recent years.
With Minnikin now being the new customer services minister, O’Dwyer has a wish list for both Minnikin and Mickelberg when it comes to the bus sector.
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“One critical thing with transport in this state is how the finances, contracts and relationships will work,” he says.
“Brett has agreed to open the QBIC conference for us next year in Cairns, so we’re looking forward to that.
“With Steve now being in the customer services sector, we see that as critical in regards to how it relates to passenger services and public transport. This industry relies on customer service, so it’ll be good to share our thoughts with him on that and what we want to happen.”
The only immediate announcement made by the new Queensland government following its election win related to a policy already instilled by the previous government in 50c fares. With the public transport cost-of-living measure proving popular in the lead-up to October’s election, the new government revealed on December 2 that it would make the initiative permanent.
“This is a great move for Queenslanders with the cheapest public transport fares in the state’s modern history here to stay,” Mickelberg says.
“I have a clear focus to deliver better public transport options for all Queenslanders, to get them to school and work on time and home to their families faster.”
Transport and Main Roads data says that 14.3 per cent more people rode the bus from August to October this year following the announcement of the 50c fare trial, with trains and other public transport also increasing in ridership. The measure also drew the praise of O’Dwyer, with the QBIC leader glad that the low-fare movement is here to stay in the state.
However, he’s now pushing for more bus focused reform from the government to make services even better in Queensland.
“We appreciate both sides giving us certainty on the 50c fares decision,” he says.
“What we need as an industry is not just 50c fares, but also the frequency of services to ensure the network expands as our population grows.
“Our one concern with 50c fares at this stage is ensuring the government understands that it’s one part of the triangle to get people onto public transport – the other one is making sure the services are safe and frequent too.
“We’re keen to see what expansion we can get in terms of bus services in the state.”
One area in particular that O’Dwyer sees a need for more frequent and improved bus services is the local government area of Redland City. According to a current transport and main roads study, around 97 per cent of the transport in the area is through private vehicles. Being a high growth area, O’Dwyer is hoping some operators currently completing services in the area without Translink’s support soon receive the help they need to expand their timetables.
“We’ve heard the term of ‘Uber suburbs’ for areas with limited or no public transport, and South East Queensland has lots of suburbs like that,” he says.
“We hope the new transport minister focuses on this to ensure Translink supports the expansion of more services into areas like Redland City.”
With both interstate and international migration being high in Queensland, O’Dwyer wants Mickelberg and the new government to complete a “listening tour” with members of the state’s transport industry to determine what they can do to improve the sector. While many facets of the industry should maintain the status quo, O’Dwyer is awaiting the upcoming new urban contracts and how government handles the process.
“We’re about to enter into new contract negotiations for urban passenger services, or fifth generation contracts,” he says.
“They’ll be critical to see how it plays out, as the previous government indicated that they wanted to own the buses and depots and lease them out to operators, but we haven’t heard what the current government’s view is on this.
“The industry is interested to see where that goes and is willing to work with the government to determine who owns the assets involved.”
Another major current talking point in Queensland’s bus and coach industry is the recent opening of the Metro project. Following the trial this year, permanent operations will begin on January 28 between the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital and the University of Queensland.
As part of a landmark agreement between the Brisbane City Council and the new state government, the Metro will be rolled out in stages, starting with the M2 route (Route 66) alongside the early implementation of nine Brisbane new bus network routes in January. In April to June, the next stage will see the council launch its biggest bus network change in a decade when Metro services replace route 111 and 160 services to become the permanent M1 Metro service that runs at five-minute frequencies. From there, five new routes will launch and 12 will be combined before the next stage in July to September will see the completed construction of the Adelaide Street bus tunnel.
The final stage, to occur in late 2025 and beyond, will see rapid business cases get underway to expand the Metro to Carseldine, Springwood, Capalaba and Brisbane Airport. All of this is to O’Dwyer’s liking, as expansion is key to meeting the upcoming demands of some major events.
“The expansion of the Metro is necessary ahead of the 2032 Olympic Games,” he says.
“The three levels of government have realised it’s had to happen. While the extension will impact other parts of Brisbane for operators, it’s also an opportunity for the industry to address areas inside their networks currently not getting enough attention.”
The upcoming Olympics will continue being a major topic for the Queensland bus industry and its new government, with the clock ticking towards the global event. Looking at the overall ability for the state’s tourism to benefit from the Olympics, O’Dwyer is turning his focus to outside Brisbane and urban services.
“The approach to the Olympics has to be multi-faceted, so I want to look at the long distance tour and charter sector too to maximise the customer experience both before, during and after the event,” he says.
“To do this, the Bruce Highway is a major issue. We want to see a bipartisanship approach to fixing the road, much like what the NSW government did on the Pacific Highway.
“It’s also about caring for our drivers, so amenities need to be upgraded and alternative fuels need to be a focus.
“Brisbane’s public transport system must be well planned for the Olympics – we’ve learnt from the 2016 Commonwealth Games and we know how to move people, so it’s about ensuring the government allows us to bring our expertise to this planning process.”
Moving forward, O’Dwyer will keep talking with other associations, such as the Queensland Trucking Association (QTA), to ensure some of these shared priorities are actioned by the new state government. When talking with tourism councils in the state, grand ideas of new road projects has O’Dwyer wishing the Queensland government takes inspiration from its neighbour’s approach to the Pacific Highway to ensure transport is made easier in Queensland.
“We’ve heard tourism councils talk about creating our own great drives, such as having an equivalent of Route 66 in Queensland – it’s hard to do that if you’re driving on a dirt road or on poor pieces of infrastructure,” he says.
“We need to invest in the Bruce so that it’s up to scratch. Seeing what has been done on the Pacific Highway is a great example of what can happen when a bipartisan approach is taken to reduce accidents and make major roads more enjoyable to drive for transport companies.”
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