Public bus services in Queensland are coordinated by the Queensland Government's Department of Transport and Main Roads. The vast majority of bus services in Queensland are coordinated by the Translink division of the Department, who manage timetabling and ticketing systems, and contract operations to over 1000[ citation needed ] private service operators around the state.
Historically, Brisbane operated a network of trolleybuses and trams which were closed in 1969 in favour of an increased bus fleet for Brisbane.
Translink is the division of the Department of Transport and Main Roads that coordinates the provision all public bus services and some school bus services across South East Queensland. Operation of these bus services are contracted to the Brisbane City Council within the bounds of that local government area, and various private operators in the rest of South-East Queensland. Services are pursuant to Translink's timetabling and integrated ticketing system, including the go card. [1]
Translink also oversees Queensland Rail suburban trains and RiverCity Ferries on the Brisbane River to enable an integrated public transport system for the region. [2]
As of April 2023, nearly all qconnect services have been transferred to Translink. [3] qconnect was established an agency of the Queensland Transport in December 2007 as a regional counterpart to Translink, in order to bring coordination of public urban buses, regional air routes, and long-distance coaches throughout regional Queensland under the same banner. [4] The bus networks of large regional towns, such as Warwick and Cairns, were formerly managed by qconnect. The only network still managed by qconnect as of July 2025 is North Stradbroke Island. [5] [6]
School bus routes not falling under the administration of qconnect regional and rural Queensland are managed directly by the Department of Transport and Main Roads, and delivered by over 700 local providers. [1] [ better source needed ]
The Department of Transport and Main Roads issues contracts for long-distance and intercity coach services throughout regional Queensland. When a public passenger service area is declared, only public services contracted by the Department may operate. [7] These operations were formerly managed by qconnect, [4] but are now under the administration of the Translink division; [8] though they do not carry any Translink branding, unlike urban bus networks.
Unlike other Australian public coach networks, such as NSW TrainLink and V/Line, Queensland's coach network has no central brand identity. [9] Timetables are published by the service operator, and ticketing is managed by the service operator. There are also a number of public coach routes that are not managed by Translink. These include interstate public coach services operated by Transport for New South Wales, and scheduled railbuses connecting to Queensland Rail's regional train services.
Beyond those services listed above, operators such as Greyhound, Murrays, and Premier also operate private coach services within Queensland and to interstate destinations, including Sydney. These private services operate where a declared service area has not been deemed by the Department of Transport and Main Roads. Despite this, the Department has assisted coordinate transport planning with private service operators, [17] and attempted to introduce a uniform route numbering system. [18] [ better source needed ]
In July 2025, FlixBus announced their intention to enter the Australian market. [19] They are expected to begin operation of coach routes connecting Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne by Summer 2025/26. [20]
In Brisbane, a 25 km network of busways has been constructed to allow public transport buses to bypass traffic congestion whilst providing interconnectivity with the Queensland Rail network. Dedicated bus lanes and general high-occupancy vehicle lanes (transit lanes) can be found throughout the state, giving buses a further mechanism to bypass traffic congestion, albeit in a slower (but cheaper) way as those lanes are rarely grade separated.
Bus stops are designated places where buses stop for passengers to board or leave a bus. There are four bus stop types which are used throughout Queensland. The type of bus stop used depends on the number of passengers that will use the bus stop. These bus stop types include regular, intermediate, premium and signature. [21] 'Regular' bus stops are used for low frequency bus services with low passenger volumes and are located in outer suburban or non-urban areas. [22] 'Intermediate' bus stops are used by moderate frequency bus services with moderate passenger volumes and are located in suburban areas. [23] 'Premium' bus stops are serviced by high frequency bus services with moderate to high passenger volumes and are located at major attractions (e.g. shopping centres). Premium bus stops may be located near bus priority measures such as bus queue jumps, bus lanes or transit lanes. [24] 'Signature' bus stops are located on busways, interchanges and streets in Brisbane CBD. The bus stop is used by high frequency bus services with moderate to high passenger volumes. These bus stops have adequate space for indented or off-road bus bays and standing room for three or more buses. [25]
Located on every bus stop is signage called the 'bus stop marker' which is used to indicate where the front door of the bus is located while the bus is at the stop. [26] There are three types of signages: Regular bus stops uses the 'flag pole'; [22] Intermediate bus stops uses the 'j-pole'; [23] both Premium and Signature bus stops use the 'blade'. [24] [25]
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