Gail Savage, who lives in The Gap, told us last year that she trialled catching public transport due to cost-of-living pressures but trains breaking down or not running on time made her late to work, and concerns about safety meant she returned to her car, of which she and her partner own three.
But we can learn a lot from CityCat commuters, who are consistently south-east Queensland’s happiest passengers.
Ask a ferry commuter about the overall experience of their last trip, and they would probably give it 4.4 out of five.
Ask a train commuter, and they would say 3.95, while a bus user would give it a 3.91.
The data, from Translink’s April customer satisfaction snapshot, continues a longstanding trend of CityCat users’ contentment.
Riding a CityCat is like getting a sunset river cruise every day on the way home from work, with plenty of fresh air.
There’s a reason locals often suggest a CityCat trip as a tourist attraction to out-of-towners – all the benefits seem to evaporate any downsides.
Ferry is often not the fastest way to travel if you’re going further than just a hop across the Brisbane River, but that doesn’t bother its biggest fans.
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CityCat users rate their journey time at 4.47 out of five, compared with 4.14 for train travellers, and 4.17 for bus users.
At least CityCats don’t get stuck in peak-hour traffic.
Griffith University expert Professor Matthew Burke previously analysed go card data for trips from Bretts Wharf in Hamilton to the city, which was next to a bus stop, and found many people chose the “really pleasant experience” of a CityCat over the bus, even though it took longer.
Premier Steven Miles says the flat fare is a “use it or lose it” trial, and Transport and Main Roads will monitor its impact to “make sure we have services there for people” if demand skyrockets.
While more employees working from home may temper any potential uptick in patronage, we won’t find out until after the October state election.
But if people can’t get what they want out of public transport – including comfort, better efficiency, reliability, more routes that connect suburbs and don’t just head to the city, and some human decency from fellow travellers – they just won’t use it.
Los Angeles might be ahead of us in hosting the Olympics in 2028, but let’s beat them to the realisation that when you’re stuck in your car in traffic, you are the traffic.