5.3m Bus Passengers in January
15 February, 2010
Brisbane City Council buses carried 5,283,177 million passengers in January 2010.
Brisbane now has well over 1000 buses in its fleet thanks to Lord Mayor Campbell Newman’s record commitment of 500 new air-conditioned buses over four years.
Public and Active Transport Chairman Jane Prentice said last month’s figure was slightly down on the 5,386,989 passengers recorded in January 2009 – a decrease of about 1.93 per cent.
She said it was still an increase of about 700,000 passengers on December 2009.
“The number of trips made by Brisbane buses has jumped by 24 million since Campbell Newman was elected in 2004 and I am expecting this record growth to continue as he puts 500 new buses on the road this term,” Cr Prentice said.
“Brisbane City Council buses now carry more people than the entire Southeast Queensland Citytrain network thanks to the Lord Mayor’s record public transport spend.”
Brisbane City Council buses made 72 million trips in 2008-09.
Cr Prentice said that only about 0.29 percent (686) of 230,136 bus trips were reported full last month.
She said that was 119 fewer full bus trips than in January 2009.
Cr Prentice said there were also about 100 fewer full loads in January 2010 than in December 2009, despite patronage increasing by about 700,000.
She said that over three quarters (76 per cent) of the buses recorded as full last month were on routes with a waiting time of less than 20 minutes for the next bus.
“The record number of buses the Lord Mayor is putting on the road is clearly meaning fewer and fewer people are getting left behind during peak hours,” Cr Prentice said.
Lord Mayor Campbell Newman put a record 337 new buses on the road during his first term.
Two-thousand-and-nine was a landmark year for the Lord Mayor, in which he took Brisbane’s bus fleet to over 1000, delivered Brisbane’s first bus depot in 15 years, and saw production start at Council’s brand new $19 million bus factory.
The Lord Mayor also recently delivered his 250th bus this term, marking the halfway point of his record commitment of 500 new buses over four years.
