Ministerial Statement: Extra public transport services to help meet New Years ..

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Minister for Transport, Trade, Employment and Industrial Relations
The Honourable John Mickel
30/12/2008

Extra public transport services to help meet New Year's Eve demand

People celebrating New Year's Eve will be able to access the expanded public transport services operating throughout Brisbane during the festive season.

Since late November, TransLink's NightLink bus services have doubled their frequency to run half-hourly, additional train services have operated and FlatFare taxi ranks have opened two hours earlier from 10pm on Friday and Saturday nights.

These expanded arrangements will also be in place tomorrow for New Year's Eve, along with additional ferry services.

Minister for Transport John Mickel said NightLink buses had been ramped up from 105 to 210 services on Friday and Saturday nights as well as on New Year's Eve to cater for increased demand.

"New Year's Eve is one of the busiest nights of the year for public transport services, and the expanded services are designed to cater for this increased demand.

"Last December around 20,000 people were transported home safely and efficiently on the NightLink services," he said.

"With New Year's Eve festivities, it is a very busy period for venues in the City and Valley. We want to make sure people who are out enjoying the New Year's cheer get home safely and without undue delay."

Travellers who purchase a TransLink daily or off-peak daily ticket on 31 December 2008 are able to use their ticket until 7 am on 1 January 2009.

NightLink buses for people celebrating New Year's Eve will run from 1am until 5.30am every 30 minutes, instead of the normal hourly services.

Mr Mickel said FlatFare taxis - typically utilising maxi-taxis - had also proven very popular among public transport users, and would be available from 10pm on New Year's Eve through into the early hours of New Year's Day.

"Since July this year, FlatFare taxis alone have transported around 40,000 passengers at an average of six passengers each trip," he said.

On New Year's Eve and early on New Year's Day, QR will be running 66 additional inbound and outbound rail services, many of which will be scheduled to coincide with the conclusion of fireworks displays, and will also be rostering 45 extra staff at peak stations.

Extra rail services will run to Robina, Beenleigh, Cleveland, Ipswich, Rosewood, Caboolture, Nambour, Shorncliffe and Ferny Grove.

Mr Mickel said people coming to the riverside celebrations were urged to stagger their journey home so as to spread the peak travel period, and also to use other railway stations to ease the load on South Brisbane station.

Additional CityCat, Inner City and Cross River ferry services will also operate at regular intervals after the New Year's Eve celebrations. Some express services will operate where necessary.

Mr Mickel said New Year's Eve was the last chance to use Ten Trip Saver (TTS) tickets before the ticket validators on Brisbane Transport bus and city council ferry services were removed.

"TTS tickets were withdrawn from sale on August 4 this year and the TTS validators on buses and ferries will no longer be operational from 1 January 2009," Mr Mickel said.

For more information on the extra NightLink services visit www.translink.com.au and follow the links to festive season services or call TransLink on 13 12 30, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

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