No new growth funding for more suburban bus services has been secured, Council documents reveal.
Reports for consideration at yesterday’s council meeting show that the bus funding deal reached between the State government and Brisbane City Council involves a $630 million spending cap split 75/25 between TMR and BCC respectively.
Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner claimed that the deal and bus network review would usher in the “biggest boost to bus services in decades”.
However, documents show that as part of the deal, 118 bus vehicles will be retired and 76 will replace them – a net loss of buses in the network.
A report last year showed Brisbane is the most congested city in Australia.
A massive advertising campaign by the LNP Council calling on the Labor State government to invest more in Brisbane’s buses was rolled out last year ahead of the state election, although the cost of this to ratepayers remains commercial-in-confidence.
Additionally, the Brisbane Times reported yesterday that less than 90% of Brisbane’s bus network has been running on time for two years.
Jared Cassidy, the Brisbane Labor Opposition Leader in City Hall, said the Lord Mayor’s claim of less busway congestion was a mirage.
“Adrian Schrinner should be hanging his head in shame today.
“We’ve just seen the latest bus deal between the State Government and BCC which shows the LNP Lord Mayor has done nothing to fight for better services.”
“It’s more of the same deal we’ve had for the last decade, with no room for growth.”
“Residents in the suburbs are saying that they are ditching buses for their cars because of this LNP Council’s flawed bus network changes.”
“After 21 years in power, the LNP Mayor is just sitting on his hands. Brisbane deserves better.”
Translink had requested that the terms of the contract come into effect on September 1 but an intervention from Queensland’s Transport Minister means that it can start this Friday.
