Closing the loop on first/last mile transportation in Brisbane

This project will answer a key question in Brisbane (and globally): Can micromobility work in conjunction with public transport to provide door-to-door sustainable and equitable transport?

The findings will inform the development of sensory-friendly wayfinding features, helping to shape more inclusive, user-centred mobility solutions for transport settings across Australia.

This project aims to utilise the opportunity provided by the policy of 50 cent public transport fares across Queensland to examine the uptake of micromobility and its interaction with public transport in an environment where cost as a barrier to public transport is significantly reduced.

It will involve the construction of e-mobility parking infrastructure near a mass transit station and examine several scenarios involving micromobility infrastructure and pricing to evaluate which impacts public transport usage.

The study will use a mixed methodology, combining both a natural experiment of observed travel behaviours and primary data collection through intercept surveys of micromobility users at the site to provide the requisite understanding of the connection between public transport and micromobility.

Participants

• Brisbane City Council
  
• University of Queensland

Project background

While Brisbane’s public transport network is a robust mix of a modern bus fleet, intercity train services, ferries, and an all-electric Brisbane Metro bus rapid transit (BRT) service, barriers to its usage exist.

The introduction of 50 cent public transport fares in Brisbane largely eliminated price as one of these barriers. Still, the classic first/last mile transport problem in connecting a person’s starting and ending location persists. This transport gap typically occurs between home and work and the location of public transport services which dissuades public transport use.

One possible solution is to encourage the usage of micromobility to access public transport. Shared micromobility (e.g., e-scooters, e-bikes) presents a new solution to combat the first/last mile problem, allowing for on-demand and convenient short distance transport.

With over 19 million shared e-scooter trips since its launch in 2018, Brisbane has led the nation in embracing micromobility as major component of the transport ecosystem.

Brisbane’s unique combination of 50 cent public transport fares and successful shared micromobility schemes presents an opportunity to examine the role of micromobility in increasing public transport uptake as a first/last mile transport solution.

Project objectives

Understanding the impact of 50 cent fares on maximising the potential of e-mobility to attract public transport ridership.

Please note …

This page will be a living record of this project. As it matures, hits milestones, etc., we’ll continue to add information, links, images, interviews and more. Watch this space!