Public Transport – Buying a Ticket

Sadly, that whole signage issue that I was talking about in the how to get there entry applies to ticketing, too. The attitude I frequently see is – “If you don’t know what you’re doing, get a bloody taxi!” God forbid they should put ticket price lists on bus shelters.

It’s not really that hard, though. Walk through it with me and you’ll be buying tickets like a pro in no time.

Integrated Ticketing

The first thing you need to know is that Brisbane public transport ticketing is integrated. That means you can travel on a bus, train and/or ferry on a single ticket. This includes private bus companies contracted by TransLink to provide services in surrounding councils, such as Ipswich, Caboolture and Redcliffe.

Types of Tickets

If you’re a casual public transport user, then there are only four types of tickets that you’ll be interested in.

Single – this allows you to travel on as many services as you need to in order to take the shortest route from one location to another. So, no trips from Toowong to Milton via the Gold Coast, OK?

Daily - this allows you to travel all day in the zones specified, as many times as you want. If you have a zones 1-7, for example, you could travel from Ipswich to Brisbane City to Redcliffe and back.

Off-Peak Daily – exactly the same as a daily, but only valid on weekends, or on weekdays from 9am to 3:30pm and after 7pm.

Ten Trip – unsurprisingly, this allows you ten trips within the zones specified. In theory, it allows you to transfer from one service to another as part of your trip without charging you for another trip. But they seem to be keyed to direction of travel. If the first service you get on is travelling toward the city, and you get off in the city and catch one away from the city, you may find yourself overcharged. Keep an eye out. These tickets are valid for Brisbane City Council buses and ferries only – not for trains or private bus companies.

There are also weekly and monthly tickets, and the new SmartCard tickets. But we’ll go there another day.

Zones

The ticketing is based on zones. You’ll need to work out which zone you’ll be starting in, and which zones you’ll travel through. Bus drivers and rail workers should be able to provide this information, but beware! Train and bus zones vary slightly.

For example – if you want to catch a bus from Toowong to Milton, you’ll need a ticket for zone 2, because Toowong and Milton are both in bus zone 2. However, if you want to catch a train from Toowong to Milton, you’ll need a ticket for zone 1, because both Toowong and Milton are in train zone 1 (Toowong is also in train zone 2, because it’s the (train) zone boundary).

If you’re shaking your head and looking horribly confused, I’m sorry. It’s TransLink’s fault. Just make sure that you carefully quiz the person you buy a ticket from if you’re planning to travel by more than one type of public transport, OK?

These zone maps might give you an idea of how many zones you’ll be travelling in, and how much it might cost you. Be aware that the ticket prices may be out of date by the time you see this, though. Click on a map to see a larger version.

Translink Zones – Brisbane

Translink Zones – South East Queensland