Traffic across Brisbane is reaching crisis point and the suburban bus network is cracking under the pressure.
Instead of ensuring the city’s bus fleet is modern and keeps pace with our growing city, Brisbane Now can reveal that 24 buses will be retired this year alone.
Coupled with the fact that the Lord Mayor and the LNP in Council have not built a new bus in the last two years, urgent action is now required.
Leader of the Opposition Jared Cassidy has called on the Lord Mayor to immediately build 60 buses to meet this growing demand.
“The retirement of 24 buses from Brisbane City Council’s bus fleet, and the lack of new buses being made to replace them means less seats, less buses, and ultimately more congestion.”
“We need more buses built, and Brisbane Labor thinks they should be built right here in Brisbane” he said.
There are several local bus builders who are crying out to get on with the job of getting more Brisbane made buses on our roads.
Instead of looking to the local manufacturing sector, the Lord Mayor and his LNP team have chosen to purchase buses from China and from Switzerland for the Brisbane Metro.
On Wednesday, Labor’s Lord Mayoral candidate Tracey Price joined Councillor Cassidy and local bus drivers to announce that if elected, she will ensure that all future electric buses will be built in Brisbane.
“In a city like Brisbane, that is desperate for more traffic busting measures it’s so important for our public transport system to be of a world-class standard.”
“You don’t solve a congestion crisis by cutting public transport services.”
“This is also about boosting the local manufacturing industry and creating hundreds of secure jobs.”
“I am committed to bringing bus manufacturing back to Brisbane – where it belongs, and where it will stay under a Labor administration.”
Brisbane Now understands the Lord Mayor and the LNP still hasn’t made any commitment to restarting bus building in Brisbane.
