Yelp is not the only place where I've seen the Brisbane locals complaining about their public transit. To which my response is: what are you complaining about? Clearly, if you think this is bad, you have not been anywhere else. From my (American) perspective, the system as a whole is remarkable.
There are several train lines, including one (overpriced) one from the airport, and some (otherwise very cost-effective) lines that allow one to go straight from the center of the city to outlying suburbs, including two beach towns fifty miles away (no, I don't know how many kilometers that is). The trains have some quiet cars, and the ones that run to tourist destinations have luggage racks overhead and (occasionally, though I wouldn't count on it) onboard wifi for free. The buses run efficiently on wide roads, often including protected bus routes and even special bridges and bus depots set off from the rest of the road. Down in Gold Coast, a light rail line runs parallel to the beach at frequent intervals. And then there's the ferry, which is not only scenic but remarkably efficient.
The fare system is quite nice; you're charged only based on traveling from one zone to another, meaning that you can transfer freely between the different modes of transit without paying extra. Major stations include accurate and informative video displays about what's coming, and the stations and vehicles are well staffed, with some of the most friendly and competent drivers I've seen on buses. People were available to answer my questions on the ferry and in the train stations. The Translink website and app are pretty useful for figuring out how to best use all the options. The stations were very clean for public transit; you could tell the difference between nice and sketchy areas, but even the worst ones aren't bad.
Does everything run exactly on schedule? No. Is there sometimes track work? Yes. Is it as useful in the outlying suburbs as it is in the center of the city? Probably not. But I've been up and down this system and it clearly is much better than anything in the entire United States (and probably much of the rest of the world as well). People of Brisbane, try coming to the most important city in the world and sitting in a bus in traffic that moves slower than you would if you were walking, or wait twenty minutes for a train on an overcrowded platform, or try crossing the Potomac River during rush hour, or try getting off at another U.S. city and figuring out where you are, or try getting anyone who works for a public transport system in the U.S. to talk to you. Transit is never perfect, and you should always leave extra time for travel.
Admittedly, I am a tad biased by the concession card system here, which offers reduced fares for the elderly and disabled, "pensioners" (which I think means people on welfare) and students. Not only do you get half off, but each week, you pay for your first nine trips, and then every trip after that is free. You simply cannot pay more than around $15-$20 in a week, even if you use the system constantly (which I do). This is a very good deal, but for anyone paying international tuition rates for an Australian university, you've earned it. read more
