What are the Easy Modes of Public Transport Available for Students in Brisbane

When living abroad, students have to face many challenges, including the quest of finding suitable student accommodation Brisbane. They should also have prior information on the types of public transport available in the vicinity. The city is home to Australia's most modern public and active transport, including the Brisbane Metro, the largest fleet of city buses, trains, ferries, and additional fleet of cabs, and taxis.

Following are the four types of public transport that students can avail during their study time in Brisbane. Popular student accommodations are within easy proximity to all major bus terminals and train stations including other travel alternatives like ferry and taxi services, operating in the vicinity.

Brisbane Buses

Brisbane City Council operates a fleet of air-conditioned buses which is wheelchair and pram friendly transport system. The system is operated under the TransLink integrated public transport scheme with buses plying from the central business district, the central point of the city, which is in close proximity to the various purpose-built student accommodations available in Brisbane. It has buses running in the Bus Upgrade Zones and are popularly known as BUZ, operating on the high-frequency express routes every 15 minutes every day from 6am to 11pm. Additionally, there are other services like the ‘Rocket’ buses with bus stops between the CBD area, and the Bullets that start from the CBD without any stoppage in between the route. Students can spot buses operating on the CityGlider high frequency route operating between Newstead and West End via the CBD at every 5-minutes during peak hours and every 10 to 15 minutes in non-peak hours. The free City Loop and Spring Hill Loop bus services provide high-frequency public transport access within the Brisbane CBD, and between the Brisbane CBD and Spring Hill. The CityLoop operates clockwise and anticlockwise in the Brisbane CBD.

Train Services Brisbane The train service in Brisbane includes the large Queensland Rail City network, with seven suburban lines covering mostly the south-west, north and outer east sides of the city. One part of the route is also designated to be the Airport line between the City and Brisbane Airport. It is very advantageous for international students to travel to and from Brisbane through the Airport line, quite easily.

CityCats and Ferry Service for Students

The city of Brisbane operates the ferry service including- the iconic CityCat (including SpeedyCats) and CityFerry network. This is a reliable mode for easy commute with 21 CityCats and nine monohull ferries (including CityHoppers). One great thing about the CityCats and monohull ferries is the network with 25 terminals operating from the St Lucia (UQ St Lucia) campus of the University of Queensland to Northshore Hamilton. Students enrolled in these universities can enjoy the feasibility of ready commute to their lecture halls. Ferry services are operated on the Brisbane River by Transdev Brisbane Ferries, alongside the CityCats that are the catamarans, waterborne vessels for easy commute.

Taxis

The city of Brisbane operates three cabs namely the Yellow Cabs, Black and White Cabs, and 13Cabs (2018) with pick up services from anywhere in the city including regional areas of Brisbane. Students can also use the Maxi-Taxis that are standard taxi services that accommodate up to 10 people with disability access. The cabs also ensure safety especially to female commuters as these are equipped with GPS tracking systems for driver location. The payment is also made easy through debit/credit card with EFTPOS (Electronic funds transfer at point of sale) facilities.

Translink goCard

Brisbane public transport system facilitates the TransLink goCard facilitating seamless travel on all TransLink bus, ferry and rail services across south-east Queensland. It's the perfect travel companion with concessions available for tertiary students who can apply for a 50% concession fare on TransLink public transport services (excluding Airtrain), regional qconnect bus services and approved regional ferry services.

The aforementioned means of easy travel option through public transport system in Brisbane, therefore, ensureS ready commute options from student accommodation Brisbane for university students pursuing higher education in the city. Students can also find accessible transport system to explore the city in leisure and use their Translink goCard for discounts on travel fares.

Yashodhara Trivedi is the Brand Communications Manager at University Living. Having studied at Durham University, UK, she is now committed to helping South Asian students have a smooth transition into life abroad.