" … Tuesday marks 10 years until the May 5, 2036, expiry of Airtrain’s 35-year exclusivity agreement to provide public transport services to the airport. … "
" … The questions Transport Minister Brent Mickelberg would not answer
Does the Crisafulli government support ending Airtrain’s exclusive contract before 2036?
Have you or your department held any discussions or negotiations with Airtrain since the election about changing or exiting the contract? If so, when?
Do you accept that current airport rail fares are incompatible with Brisbane’s 2032 Olympic visitor experience, and what action will you take to address that?
Is a “fare-free” Games, inclusive of Airtrain, being considered?
Has the government received advice on the cost of an early buyout, and can you say whether that cost is rising the longer action is delayed?
If the monopoly remains in place until 2036, how will you prevent worsening congestion and forced car dependency at Brisbane Airport as passenger numbers surge toward 2032? …"
Someone should go on a “education” campaign renting billboard space in the city where the AirTrain owners HQ is in the UK and also at major rail stations, and post stuff like:
“To UK Super customers - would you pay 70 pounds to go to <insert city, suburb> to go to the nearest Airport. In Brisbane, Australia your funds go towards the AirTrain service over there and pay 70 pounds to access their Airport. - end the AirTrain contract”
“Thinking of coming to Brisbane for planning on going to the 2032 Olympics, you will pay a 70 pound tax just to use the rail thanks to UK Super.”
“Brisbane pays 50c (whatever the British equivalent is) for public transport, yet they pay 70 pounds to get access to their Airport - why does UK Super hate public transport. Divest from this rort.”
“To UK Super customers - did you know that your money is going towards a rail service in Brisbane, Australia that has poor patronage and returns and is the most expensive in the southern hemisphere. Want a better deal - so does the people of Brisbane. End the AirTrain contract.”
Welcome to Brisbane International Airport - next stop will cost you 70 pounds! Brough to you by UK Super."
For a city that has 50c fares, 12 pounds is not cheap. Might as well be 70 pounds going by the current patronage numbers.
How about:
“G’day UK… Welcome to Brisbane - our AirTrain fees are cheaper than yours (12 pounds) however all our public transport costs 26 pence. This is not a typo. This trip should have costed 26 pence too but it’s your fault it costs 12 pounds. End the AirTrain rort - God Save the King.
From Brisbane, Australia #EndTheAirTrainRort”
or
“G’day UK… Thinking of visiting Brisbane - all of our public transport costs just 26 pence. This is not a typo. However our AirTrain service should have costed 26 pence too but it’s your fault it cost 12 pounds. End the AirTrain rort - God Save the King.
From Brisbane, Australia #EndTheAirTrainRort”
Don’t blame them, they took the risk in buying the business, and they will reap the reward. This is a commercial decision by them for their shareholders, whether we like it or not.
They also built a train line when no Government was even considering this.
But I would argue it was not a silly decision by the Government of the day as Brisbane was not the city it is today, and neither side had any plans to build rail to the airport.
Look at Melbourne airport, still no train to the airport either private or public sector owned. Sky bus is $20-25 each way.
I see your point, although it exposes what is an ongoing issue for both major parties in QLD in that there is a distinct anti public transport bias which has culminated in the car dependent, congested urban sprawl mess that exists today
Thirty-five years was a ridiculously long exclusivity deal. The effective value after discount rates of years 26-35 would have been almost nothing when they signed the contract.
Rather than buying them out they should negotiate extending service hours and frequency where they can. The money can also go towards additional bus services to Skygate utilising the 590 GCL 389 and Gold Glider. TMR can also come to a deal with BAC by putting more terminal bus services on as well.
I reckon with a transfer at Skygate people who live in Carindale and Mount Gravatt would get home quicker than catching the train. If you live at Hamilton Albion or Newstead the Airport Terminal bus and Gold Glider would be your best bet overall. Also if you live in the Valley or City the Terminal bus and Gold Glider would work well. (Less walking overall).
The increased competition via Skygate would help drive down prices on Airtrain, which would be a good outcome overall instead of spending close to a billion buying them out and having to run it as well after buying them out.
I’ve accepted that Airtrain’s current ownership arrangement will persist until 2036, and consequently I’d rather spend energy campaigning on literally anything else. I would like for the random gaps in the timetable to be filled in, and the span could be improved too.
I also don’t think there’s much useful in-between. Airtrain are entitled to charge what they want - say the govt chipped in $5 for every ticket, they could just raise prices by $5.
Maybe they could have a long term agreement with the govt where they say “our revenue estimate over the next decade is $xyz million, pay us $abc million and we’ll set fares at $10”. But that’s just a partial buyout in my books.
Brisbane pays 50c (whatever the British equivalent is) for public transport, yet they pay 70 pounds to get access to their Airport - why does UK Super hate public transport. Divest from this rort.
You can’t use ‘rort’, the british wouldn’t know what that means, but yeah, I guess it might help.
Brisbane pays (whatever the British equivalent is) 25 pence for public transport, yet they pay 12 pounds to get access to their Airport - why does UK Super hate public transport. Divest from this rort scam.