Transport for Brisbane
Transport for Brisbane, previously called Brisbane Transport, is an organisational division of the Brisbane City Council, responsible through its related Council Committee for providing policy and advice to Brisbane City Council, and for delivering various public transport services across the City of Brisbane. The division does this as part of an agreement with Translink, an agency of the Department of Transport and Main Roads that operates public transport across South East Queensland.
History
The origins of Transport for Brisbane can be traced to August 1885 where the Metropolitan Tramways & Investment Company established a service in Brisbane under franchise from the Queensland Government with 18 horse trams. The tram system remained in private hands until January 1923 when the Queensland government established the Brisbane Tramways Trust, compulsorily acquiring the tram network and supporting infrastructure, then in 1925 creating the Brisbane City Council and transferring responsibility for the tram network to the council. Before the council withdrew support in 1961, the council supported the tram network by expanding it to a peak of with over 400 trams.Bus services commenced in 1925 by the Brisbane City Council. Brisbane City Council shut down bus services due to financial loss in November 1927. Bus services recommenced 13 years later, in July 1940 with 12 Albion Valkyries. In 1948 the Brisbane City Council acquired 20 operators with 67 buses.
The first Rocket services began on the morning of 18 April 1977 between Garden City and the Brisbane CBD. These services were based on the idea that bus travel time could be reduced to less than the travel time by car by the removal of most embarkation stops.
In the 1990s, Brisbane City Council corporatised its transport services to form Brisbane Transport, a council-owned commercial businesses managed at arm's length from the council and providing consultancy services back to it.
Infrastructure
The Brisbane Busway network is a bus rapid transit network in Brisbane, Australia. The network comprises grade-separated bus-only corridors, complementing the Queensland Rail Citytrain network. Management of the busway network is the responsibility of Translink as coordinator of South East Queensland's integrated public transport system.Services
Brisbane Metro
Brisbane Metro is a high-frequency bus rapid transit system that services the city. The system currently consists of two routes running through Brisbane CBD every five minutes during peak times, transporting up to 3,000 passengers per hour in each direction. Metro Route M2 commenced service on 28 January 2025, whilst Metro Route M1 commenced service on 30 June 2025.BUZ
Bus upgrade zones, commonly abbreviated to BUZ, are a feature of Brisbane's public transport system. The name is given to high-frequency bus routes. All BUZ services run at least every fifteen minutes from around 6:00am to 11:30pm seven days a week and at least every ten minutes during peak hours from Monday to Friday.Nearly all BUZ routes are express services which provide quick and frequent access to places along major trunk roads, with the exception of routes 196 and 199, which are the only all-stops BUZ service with bus stops within short walking distances of each other between the inner suburbs of Fairfield, West End, New Farm and Teneriffe. Most BUZ routes are radial, and commence in or near the Brisbane CBD. However, routes 196 and 199 are again an exception, in that they are cross-town routes that passes through the CBD.
CityGlider
CityGlider is a name applied to a pair of high-frequency bus routes in Brisbane, Australia. Both are operated by dedicated fleets of buses vinyled in either blue or maroon liveries with a gliding possum motif. Bus stops serviced by the CityGlider services are identified with signs and painted kerb. Both operate 24 hours a day on Fridays and Saturdays.Free Loops
The City Loop is a free loop stopping at popular locations such as QUT, Alice Street, Botanic Gardens, Queen Street Mall, City Hall, Central Station, Riverside and Eagle Street Pier.The Spring Hill Loop is a free loop stopping at popular locations such as Post Office Square, Old Windmill Observatory, St Andrew's War Memorial Hospital, Brisbane Private Hospital and Central Station.
NightLink
NightLink is the name given to the all-night services that leave Fortitude Valley and Brisbane City late Friday and Saturday nights.Rockets
Rockets are peak hour services operating in the direction of peak with limited stops.Fleet
Rigid buses
MAN 18.310s, Volvo B7RLEs and later Volvo B8RLEs make up the majority part of the rigid bus fleet of Brisbane Transport.A total of 390 18.310s joined the Brisbane Transport fleet from 2005 to 2010, with 324 fitted with CNG engines and 66 powered by diesel. Buses 1001 to 1015 were on loan to South West Transit, 1019 to 1029 were on loan to Hornibrook Bus Lines services since 2012, and returned to Brisbane Transport in July 2021. CNG powered buses are starting to pull off from service starting from 2019.
The rest of the regular rigid fleet are all Volvos, including 553 diesel-powered B7RLEs. 139 Volvo B8RLEs and one Volvo B5RLEH Hybrid demonstrator bus, all low-floor, accessible and air-conditioned.
In October 2020, the last Scania L94UB, the first CNG and low floor bus was retired after 20 years of service. In total 217 were made with two lost due to accidents in 2003 and in 2009 when the bus exploded due to a problem with the CNG engine. This has led the Brisbane City Council to retire all gas powered buses by 2027.
Four Yutong E12 battery electric buses will operate on trial with Brisbane Transport, starting from June 2021 on the City Loop free services.
The supply of Volvo buses from Volgren came to an end in June 2021, where this contract started in 2009 across a 12-year period, with the first delivery of a Volvo B7RLE ; while the final bus in the contract is a Volvo B8RLE which is the 882nd bus built.
In 2020, one third of buses were powered by natural gas. By 2027 all gas powered buses will be phased out.
Starting from 22 May 2023, two new battery powered Volvo BZLs have been introduced to The Spring Hill Loop Route 30.
Tag axle buses
BT operates two models of tag axle buses, 8 Scania K310UB and 149 Volvo B12BLE, both diesel-powered and delivered from 2009 on. These larger buses are used on high-demand trunk routes, mostly on the South East Busway.Articulated buses
Articulated buses currently used by Transport for Brisbane are 30 CNG-powered MAN NG313s, delivered from 2007 to 2008, 20 diesel-powered Volvo B8RLEAs, delivered in 2018, and 60 electric bi-articulated HESS lighTram 25s for Brisbane Metro were ordered in 2022 with the first one already operating in 2024.A further batch of 20 B8RLEAs has started to deliver in early 2020, 1651 and 1652 entered service in April 2020; while 1653, 1662 to 1670 entered service in March 2021. Since 12 July 2021, 1653 and the remaining 8 new artics joined the Blue CityGlider Route 60 fleet to replace the rigid B8RLEs, while 1662 to 1670 joined the CityGlider fleet progressively to replace all the rigid B8RLEs in late 2021.
In 2024, the Brisbane Metro, using bi-articulated buses, started trial services on bus service 169 from Eight Mile Plains to UQ Lakes. In Q4 2024, these buses started service on the M2 from UQ Lakes to RBWH. At that time, Brisbane Metro buses was withdrawn from bus service 169. On 30 June 2025, buses will also start services on the M1.
Historic buses
Until the mid-1970s, heavy-duty AEC and Leyland buses were purchased. Later purchases were from European suppliers, Volvo B59s being purchased from 1976, MAN SL200s in 1982 and Volvo B10Ms from 1987.Depots
Transport for Brisbane operates its services from eight depots for specified areas. Some of these depots service routes shared in overlapping areas with other depots. Generally, each of Transport for Brisbane's buses is allocated to a particular depot, displaying a letter prefix for that depot before its fleet number, and hence is assigned to specific routes.Current depots:
| Depot | Letter Code | Location | Opened | Services / Comments | |
| Carina | C | 1969 | All eastern routes and some south-eastern routes from Carindale to the City, Wynnum, Bulimba and the Maroon CityGlider 61. | ||
| Eagle Farm | E | 2013 | Some northern routes; all routes between New Farm and West End, Free Loops 30, 40 and 50, Blue CityGlider 60, QUT Shuttle 391. | ||
| Garden City | G | 1994 | South-eastern routes from Browns Plains and Sunnybank to Wishart and Carindale. This depot is also the location of Brisbane Transport's head office. | ||
| Sherwood | S | 2012 | Western, south-western and north-western routes. | ||
| Toowong | T | 1967 | South-western and north-western routes from Brookside and The Gap. | ||
| Virginia | V | 1998 | Most northern routes from Nudgee Beach and Brighton to Brookside and the Gap. | ||
| Willawong | W | 2009 | Primarily southern routes including Inala and Forest Lake, some shared with other southern depots. | ||
| Rochedale | - | 2023 | Brisbane Metro primary depot, serves the M1 and M2 routes. |
Past depots:
| Depot | Letter Code | Location | Opened | Closed | Services / Comments | |
| Bowen Hills | A | 2000 | 2013 | Some northern routes; all routes between New Farm and West End. Closed in 2013 with the opening of the new depot at Eagle Farm. | ||
| Richlands | R | 1997 | 2013 | A satellite depot of the Toowong depot, it shared services on western routes, and some services to Garden City. | ||
| Larapinta | L | 2007 | 2012 | A satellite depot of Carina, Garden City and Willawong depots, it shared southern, western and eastern services. Originally a temporary bus depot until the Willawong depot opened, it remained open as a satellite depot, sharing routes with other southern depots, until 20 February 2012. | ||
| Bracken Ridge | B | 1996 | 2001 | Only ever intended as a short-term depot, it was closed in 2001, several years after the Virginia depot had opened. | ||
| Cribb Street, Milton | – | ? | 1983 | Never a formal depot, the site was occasionally used as temporary storage for buses owing to its proximity to the Milton bus and tram workshops. Last used in 1983. | ||
| Ipswich Road, Woolloongabba | – | 1969? | 1974 | Originally shared with trams. Buses parked in the depot forecourt and at the rear of the tram sheds. Between 1969 and 1974, the depot was used solely by buses. The site was subsequently sold by the Brisbane City Council for commercial redevelopment. One bay of the depot building was dismantled and re-erected at the Brisbane Tramway Museum at Ferny Grove. | ||
| Light Street, Newstead | L | 1885 | ? | Closed for commercial redevelopment. First used as a depot in 1885 when it was the main tram depot for Brisbane's horse tram network. Until 1968, buses shared the depot with trams, the buses being parked along the western frontage and north of the tram shed. When the tram shed was demolished, buses were parked where the shed once stood. | ||
| Milton | – | ? | 1969 | Shared with trolleybuses and closed when the trolleybus network was abandoned in 1969. The site is now part of the King's Row business park, although the Brisbane City Council still has a parks works depot there. |
Incidents
On 28 October 2016, a Volvo B7RLE, S1980, was set alight by 48 year old Anthony O'Donohue. The driver, 29 year old Manmeet Sharma, was killed in his seat while all of the passengers were safely evacuated with some receiving minor injuries. Mr. O'Donohue was found to be suffering from mental health problems and was charged with the murder of the driver and multiple counts of attempted murder. Following the fire, the bus was destroyed and the fleet number '1980' was permanently retired from the company. All buses manufactured after 2005 were to receive a physical barrier for the driver and all buses in the fleet were to receive more CCTV cameras and better signage to help with evacuation process on any of the companies buses.On 8 March 2024, a MAN 18.310, G1273, experienced loss of control on Edward Street in Brisbane CBD, causing it to veer off the road and onto the adjoining footpath before coming to rest against the exterior of the ANZAC Square Arcade building. An 18-year-old female pedestrian, who became pinned between the bus and the building, died at the scene. The driver and four passengers were taken to hospital with minor injuries.