Following news that the number of trips on Brisbane buses increased 6.5% over the last twelve months, the Lord Mayor called on other SEQ councils to help pay for Brisbane’s bus system:

Campbell Newman demands SEQ councils help pay for Brisbane buses

Unlike most other SEQ councils, Brisbane City Council subsidises its own bus service.  In contrast, bus services in other council areas are typically provided by private operators, with subsidies from the State Government.

So Mr Newman has a legitimate point.  When people from other council areas hop on a Brisbane bus – say after catching a train to Toowong from Ipswich – their bus fares are subsidised by Brisbane ratepayers.  Hence there is a reasonable case for a financial contribution (from either the other councils or the State Government) to subsidise non-Brisbane residents’ use of Brisbane buses, partly relieving the burden on Brisbane ratepayers.

But this could be seen as a second-best solution.  The first-best solution may be to beef up TransLink, giving it sole responsibility for SEQ public transport decision making and funding, so decision making occurs on a truly metropolitan scale, ending the squabbling between SEQ councils.

Let’s have a transportation system that recognises that SEQ is a closely integrated economy, with large numbers of workers commuting across traditional council boundaries – boundaries which are no longer consistent with the reality of a joined up SEQ labour market.