The Queensland government has faced questions about its pre-budget sweetener to provide "almost free" public transport later this year. While commuters have welcomed the fare slash, experts say it won't solve congestion on roads.
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00:00It's an announcement that's been well-received by commuters.
00:06That would be absolutely amazing.
00:07I love it, yeah, anything that helps the cost of living crisis.
00:12But not everyone is on board with the state government's plan to reduce congestion on
00:16roads by slashing the cost of public transport to a flat rate of 50 cents.
00:22This suburban planner says most Queenslanders won't benefit from the six-month trial as
00:26they have no other options but to drive.
00:29For the vast majority of people they're using their car not because they love their car
00:33but because it's the most convenient, sensible, low-cost way.
00:37According to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, commuting across the southeastern
00:41corner of the state has changed drastically over the last few years.
00:46Only about 8.6 per cent of jobs in the region are based in the CBD.
00:51The rest are spread across the Greater Metro, the Gold and Sunshine Coasts, where driving
00:56a car is the preferred mode of transport.
00:59Congestion is not just a CBD problem, it's right across the southeast.
01:03The proportion of public transport use across the southeast is only about 10 per cent and
01:07it's stayed there, it hasn't changed.
01:09It's also an issue in regional areas, along with infrastructure and service availability.
01:15If you wanted to be popular with a lot more people you'd cut the fuel excise.
01:19You have to talk to the federal government I suppose about petrol excise and petrol subsidies.
01:23There's no doubt that cost isn't the only factor for public transport use.
01:26It is, as you say, frequency, reliability and so on.
01:31With patronage on public transport down 13 per cent on pre-pandemic levels, the state
01:36government is hoping the cheaper price tag will encourage more people to catch a ride.
01:41But questions remain over how these services will cater to the influx of commuters.