The outbound platform of the Cultural Centre Busway Station will be a pre-paid-only zone in the evening peak from February
The outbound platform of the Cultural Centre Busway Station will be a pre-paid-only zone in the evening peak from February 18, following a successful trial last year.
Queensland Minister for Transport, Trade, Employment and Industrial Relations John Mickel says excellent results from the October trial had convinced TransLink to introduce the pre-paid zone permanently.
A survey during the Cultural Centre trial found 83 percent of travellers were in favour of the pre-paid zone remaining.
“The pre-paid-only system made a huge difference to efficiency at the Cultural Centre,” Mickel says.
“Buses were able to quickly move through, pick up their passengers and continue their journey.
“This is in contrast to the bus queuing that often happens during peak times at the Cultural Centre through people buying tickets as they board buses.
“We can now look forward to faster pick-ups and less waiting every evening.”
The pre-paid-only rule will apply from 3.30pm to 7pm weekdays for the outbound platform (platform 2).
Ticket sellers will be positioned on the pedestrian overpass, as they were during the trial. A new public address system at the station will announce the arrival of buses.
The Cultural Centre Busway Station is the busiest bus station in Queensland in the evening peak. Between 3.30pm and 6.30pm, 471 services pass through the station, which amounts to one bus every 23 seconds.
About 2,300 passengers use the outbound platform during the evening peak.
Mickel says Mater Hill Busway Station and South Bank Busway Station would also become pre-paid only during the evening peak in the near future.
“The efficiency gains at the Cultural Centre have actually caused some queuing down the line at South Bank and Mater Hill because buses are getting there much faster,” he claims.
“The best way to combat that is to make these stations pre-paid only as well, resul ting in quicker travel times on the Southeast Busway and people getting home faster.”