Bus transport in Queensland
Encyclopedia
Beginnings
The Brisbane Tramways Trust experimented with providing bus services in the 1920s but these proved impractical due to mechanical unreliability and Brisbane's poor road surface quality. The first permanent bus services were introduced in 1940 as a supplement to Brisbane's tram services.In 1948 the council municipalized
Municipalization
Municipalization is the transfer of corporations or other assets to municipal ownership. The transfer may be from private ownership or from other levels of government. It is the opposite of privatization and is different from nationalization.-Services:There have been two main waves of...
a number of privately-run bus operators and expanded its own fleet of buses. The first tram lines to close were the Lower Edward Street to Gardens route, and the Upper Edward Street to Gregory Terrace route in 1947, the latter due to the very steep grades on that line. Diesel
Diesel engine
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
-engined buses initially replaced tram services on these lines, however these were replaced by Trolleybus
Trolleybus
A trolleybus is an electric bus that draws its electricity from overhead wires using spring-loaded trolley poles. Two wires and poles are required to complete the electrical circuit...
es on 12 August 1951.
Trolleybuses
The council also intended to introduce a trolleybus service to the new University of QueenslandUniversity of Queensland
The University of Queensland, also known as UQ, is a public university located in state of Queensland, Australia. Founded in 1909, it is the oldest and largest university in Queensland and the fifth oldest in the nation...
campus at St Lucia
St Lucia, Queensland
St Lucia is an inner suburb of Brisbane, Australia located 4 km south-west of the Brisbane CBD. The suburb is bordered on three sides by the Brisbane River and is dominated by the main campus of the University of Queensland.-History:...
, and purchased enough trolleybus chassis
Chassis
A chassis consists of an internal framework that supports a man-made object. It is analogous to an animal's skeleton. An example of a chassis is the underpart of a motor vehicle, consisting of the frame with the wheels and machinery.- Vehicles :In the case of vehicles, the term chassis means the...
from the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
for the route. However, it was vigorously opposed by residents and the plan was abandoned. The council then found itself with surplus trolleybuses but no route on which to run them, so it decided to run the trolleybuses from Herston
Herston, Queensland
Herston is an inner suburb of Brisbane, Australia located 3 km north of the Brisbane CBD.- Geography :Herston is dominated by the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital...
to Stanley Bridge, East Brisbane
East Brisbane, Queensland
East Brisbane is an inner suburb of Brisbane, Australia located 3 km east of the Brisbane CBD. It is predominantly residential, with some original "Queenslander" style homes, but with an increasing number of apartment blocks. Major roads include Lytton Road, Wellington Road and Latrobe...
, commencing in 1952.
Several other trolleybus routes were subsequently established in the eastern suburbs. The first of these replaced a tram route, along Cavendish Road, in 1955. Other trolleybus routes to Seven Hills and Carina did not involve tram route closures.
The depot and workshops for the trolleybuses was located in Milton
Milton, Queensland
Milton is an inner suburb of Brisbane, Australia, located approximately west of Brisbane's central business district. The suburb is a mixture of light industry, warehouses, commercial offices, retail and single and multiple occupancy residences...
on Milton Road between Hale and Castlemaine Streets. The former depot was demolished to make way for the redeveloped Suncorp Stadium
Suncorp Stadium
Lang Park is the original name of the site located in the Brisbane suburb of Milton, Queensland, Australia, now occupied by the major sports facility known by its sponsorship name, Suncorp Stadium...
.
Tramway closure
The tramway closure was notable for the speed with which it was carried out. Several hundred replacement buses were purchased from British vehicle manufacturer Leyland, at the time the largest single bus purchase in the world. The sudden acquisition of so many buses was to have repercussions in later years. Initially the Leyland Panther buses proved unreliable, and as a result, older front-engined mounted buses such as the Leyland Mk III Regals, dating from the 1940s, were retained well past their normal replacement date. Once the problems with the Panthers were ironed out, overall fleet numbers and maintenance requirements were reduced. Nevertheless, the fleet retained many older buses from the 1950s and early 1960s.In 1975, the Whitlam
Gough Whitlam
Edward Gough Whitlam, AC, QC , known as Gough Whitlam , served as the 21st Prime Minister of Australia. Whitlam led the Australian Labor Party to power at the 1972 election and retained government at the 1974 election, before being dismissed by Governor-General Sir John Kerr at the climax of the...
Labor
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
federal government
Parliament of Australia
The Parliament of Australia, also known as the Commonwealth Parliament or Federal Parliament, is the legislative branch of the government of Australia. It is bicameral, largely modelled in the Westminster tradition, but with some influences from the United States Congress...
made $80 million available to the Bjelke-Petersen
Joh Bjelke-Petersen
Sir Johannes "Joh" Bjelke-Petersen, KCMG , was an Australian politician. He was the longest-serving and longest-lived Premier of Queensland, holding office from 1968 to 1987, a period that saw considerable economic development in the state...
National Party
National Party of Australia
The National Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Traditionally representing graziers, farmers and rural voters generally, it began as the The Country Party, but adopted the name The National Country Party in 1975, changed to The National Party of Australia in 1982. The party is...
Queensland state government
Government of Queensland
The Government of Queensland is commonly known as the "Queensland Government".The form of the Government of Queensland is prescribed in its Constitution, which dates from 1859, although it has been amended many times since then...
, intended to be passed on to Brisbane City Council for the purchase of new, replacement buses. The government refused to transfer the funds to the council, instead using the money to restore Parliament House
Parliament House, Brisbane
Parliament House in Brisbane is the home of the Parliament of Queensland, housing the Legislative Assembly. It is situated on the corner of George Street and Alice Street...
and construct the Parliamentary Annexe building. As the replacement bus fleet aged, their maintenance requirements steadily increased, at a time when labour and spare parts costs had risen sharply. Further, as the tram replacement buses started to wear out at about the same time and needed replacement, the council was faced with another large capital outlay. Subsequently in 1976, the council was able to negotiate federal funding, enabling them to purchase Volvo B-59M buses, its first fleet acquisitions in seven years.
Patronage on the buses continued to decline, despite the best efforts of the Department of Transport hampered by rising fuel and labour costs, together with tightening budgets, leading to further cuts in services. An ageing bus fleet, some of which had been in service since the 1940s, made the service increasingly unattractive. A further hindrance was the council's own aggressively pro-car 1964 City Plan, requiring all developments to include car parking, but did not require the provision of any facilities that might advantage public transport. By the 1980s, the decline in patronage was halted, although costs continued to outstrip ticket revenue.
TransLink
To improve accessibility, in 1996, low-floor buses started to roll out with the Queensland GovernmentGovernment of Queensland
The Government of Queensland is commonly known as the "Queensland Government".The form of the Government of Queensland is prescribed in its Constitution, which dates from 1859, although it has been amended many times since then...
providing financial assistance to bus operators for the purchase of accessible buses. Brisbane Transport
Brisbane Transport
Brisbane Transport is a business unit of Brisbane City Council, operating suburban and urban bus services under the TransLink integrated public transport scheme in Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia. The origins of Brisbane Transport can be seen as far back as 1885 when horse...
's first low-floor buses was delivered in 1997.
Bus stops
Bus stops is a designated place where buses stop for passengers to board or leave a bus. There are four bus stop types which is used throughout Queensland. The type of bus stop used is depended on the number of passengers that will use the bus stop. These bus stop types include regular, intermediate, premium and signature. 'Regular' bus stops is used for low frequency bus services with low passenger volumes and are located in outer suburban or non-urbanUrban area
An urban area is characterized by higher population density and vast human features in comparison to areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be cities, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlets.Urban areas are created and further...
areas. 'Intermediate' bus stops is used by moderate frequency bus services with moderate passenger volumes and are located in suburban areas. 'Premium' bus stops 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
Bus priority
Bus priority or transit signal priority is a name for various techniques to speed up bus public transport services at intersections with traffic signals amongst other methods. Trams and light rail vehicles can also be given priority...
measures such as bus queue jumps, bus lanes or transit lanes. '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.
Located on every bus stop is signage
Signage
Signage is any kind of visual graphics created to display information to a particular audience. This is typically manifested in the form of wayfinding information in places such as streets or inside/outside of buildings.-History:...
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. There are three types of signages: Regular bus stops uses the 'flag pole'; Intermediate bus stops uses the 'j-pole'; both Premium and Signature bus stops use the 'blade'.
Interchanges
Busways
TransLink operates a number of bus-only roads in South East Queensland. The busway allows buses to travel around without encountering car traffic.South East Busway
The first busway was the South East Busway which was put into service on , running from Woolloongabba to the Brisbane City.Northern Busway
The Northern Busway starts at the end of the South East Busway. It then proceeds north-west to the King George Square Bus StationKing George Square Busway Station, Brisbane
King George Square is a busway station located underneath King George Square in the heart of Brisbane CBD; it also marks the start of the TransLink's Northern Busway. The station has twelve stops on two platforms; access to these platforms is via an underground concourse which can be accessed from...
. The Northern Busway then surfaces near Roma Street railway station
Roma Street railway station, Brisbane
Roma Street railway station is a major railway station in the Brisbane central business district, the state capital of Queensland, Australia. It was Brisbane's first railway station, opening in 1876...
and follows the alignment of the main city train lines.
The busway then continues north alongside the Exhibition railway line and then north-east through the Victoria Park Golf Complex, with stations adjacent to the Normanby Fiveways, the QUT
Queensland University of Technology
Queensland University of Technology is an Australian university with an applied emphasis in courses and research. Based in Brisbane, it has 40,000 students, including 6,000 international students, over 4,000 staff members, and an annual budget of more than A$750 million.QUT is marketed as "A...
campus at Kelvin Grove and the Royal Children's Hospital in the suburb of Herston. The busway then turns left and on to a bridge structure alongside the RBWH precinct over Butterfield Street. In the future, the busway will continue to Bracken Ridge, via Windsor, Lutwyche, Kedron, Chermside and Aspley. At Kedron, it will be integrated with the Airport Link
Airport Link, Brisbane
The Airport Link is a tunnelled motorway grade road which is under construction in the northern suburbs of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It will connect the Brisbane central business district and the Clem Jones Tunnel to the East-West Arterial Road which leads to the Brisbane Airport...
project, a new underground road to the Brisbane Airport
Brisbane Airport
Brisbane Airport is the sole passenger airport serving Brisbane and the third busiest in Australia, after Melbourne and Sydney Airports. Brisbane Airport has won many awards. Located in the suburb with the same name, the airport serves the city of Brisbane and the surrounding metropolitan area...
.
The first section of the Northern Busway opened in February 2004 had one station, QUT Kelvin Grove, later Normanby and RCH Herston opened. In August 2009, the first stage of the Northern Busway extension, Herston to Windsor, opened.
Deports
New depots were constructed at CarinaCarina, Queensland
Carina is an eastern suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia about 7 kilometres from the Central Business District. It adjoins the suburbs of Carindale, Carina Heights, Cannon Hill and Camp Hill....
and Toowong
Toowong, Queensland
Toowong is an inner suburb of Brisbane, Australia which is located 5 km west of the Brisbane CBD. At the centre of Toowong is a commercial precinct including Toowong Village and several office buildings...
, with modern workshops also constructed at the Toowong depot with the former tram workshops at Milton decommissioned.