The Miles Labor government has played its trump card for next month's state election - pledging to keep fifty cent public transport fares forever if it's returned to power. The Premier denies it's a vote grabbing exercise and now the promise of cheap fares has been matched by the opposition which says it also wants to deliver more services, more often across the entire state.
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00:00In Queensland, a little goes a long way.
00:0650 cent fares have become a real hit.
00:0950 cents tapped on, tapped off.
00:12I did on Wednesday.
00:13It was fantastic.
00:14I am one that takes public transport all the time.
00:17It has helped me a lot.
00:19Today, the Premier made a new promise to the faithful in Brisbane.
00:23Telling them cheaper rides will stay under Labor.
00:27If we're elected in October, we'll make 50 cent fares permanent.
00:31Well, we've put the thrifty back into 50.
00:33The cheap fares trial began in August and includes ferry cat services,
00:37buses, trains and the Gold Coast Light Rail.
00:41The government says since then there have been 3 million extra trips
00:45compared to the same time last year,
00:47saving commuters $37 million.
00:50And it's not just in the southeast.
00:52Trip numbers have also risen in regional Queensland,
00:55up 30% in Mackay, 21% in the Whitsundays
00:59and just over 14% in Cairns.
01:03We set out to return patronage levels to pre-COVID levels
01:08and instead we've surged past that.
01:10Bus drivers say it has made their jobs safer.
01:13All the incidents that we have, a lot of it's through fares.
01:16The opposition has now vowed to support the initiative
01:19and, like the government, is promising to improve transport connectivity.
01:24Not only will we lock in 50 cent fares,
01:26we've got a plan to make sure that we increase frequency, reliability
01:31and safety for regional Queensland and those outer Brisbane areas.
01:35The election campaign is now in full swing,
01:38the LNP unveiling their candidates and brand new bus
01:41they'll use to spread their message across the state.
01:44We have a bus and a real plan for Queensland's future.
01:48Just 41 sleeps to go.