Brisbane City Council Proposed Bus Changes Released Nine bus routes will be cut and 80 services changed if the state government approves City Hall's recommended changes to Brisbane's bus network released today. Most of the changes focus on reducing frequency, Lord Mayor Graham Quirk said, but the review document also shows timetables will be chopped, some bus stops will be scrapped, and a host of routes will be amalgamated. And while Cr Quirk has held off recommending changes to the high-frequently BUZ and CityGlider routes, the idea that any changes were necessary was savaged by Leader of the Opposition Milton Dick. Cr Dick said the council should be advocating for more services, not less, and criticised the review on the grounds it did not serve the interests of ratepayers, especially those in the south-west where most of the proposed cuts were targeted. "This is a slap in the face for one of the most disadvantaged areas of the city," he said. But why are we cutting bus services at all just because the state government asked us to? We should tell them to jump, frankly. The state government charged the council with reviewing Brisbane's bus network after Transport Minister Scott Emerson deemed it appropriate due to the weight of criticism City Hall had levelled at Translink's proposed changes. Much of that criticism - drawn from both sides of politics at council - centred on a push to reduce the number of suburban buses travelling through the CBD but creating outer-ring "super stops" to split city and suburban services, as well as an overall reduction of 111 services. Cr Quirk agreed changes needed to be made in view of low patronage levels, duplication of services, and the need to find savings in public transport operations, but he said there was no need for a "revolution." "I think we've achieved some sensible outcomes and some savings at the same time," he said, assuring the press those savings would not translate to forced redundancies at Brisbane Transport, the branch of the council which employs drivers. But Cr Quirk said the savings could help put "some downward pressure" on fares, which are due to rise by 7.5 per cent next year, further cementing Brisbane's position as one of the most expensive cities for public transport in Australia. "Ultimately the big win for the community is that we have ensured the majority of the travelling public will remain unaffected and that we are leaving no area completely without a service," he said. But there will be those who are inconvenienced, yes. Though 19 routes will be improved through extra stops or route changes to allow for faster travel times, 61 services will see less satisfying adjustments made. In addition to scrapping the P88, 328, P356, P374, P436, P461, 462, 465, 466, the council is proposing cutting down the length of some routes, such as the 117 from Acacia Ridge which would end at Woolloongabba rather than the city. There's also a push to remove early morning services on some routes, and a reduction in the frequency of others, such as the 198 Highgate Hill buses which would operate at 50 minute intervals rather than the current 25 minutes. Cr Quirk said the work had been carried out in-house, by council officers who periodically reviewed bus services until 2004 when the introduction of the integrated ticketing system put Translink in charge of the city's network. Commuter advocate Robert Dow said the review did "nothing" to address the real problems with the public transport in Brisbane, labelling it a "failure and an embarrassment." "We call on the Minister for Transport to scrap the BCC review and revert back to the original TransLink Bus Review which would have properly positioned public transport in SEQ for the future," Mr Dow said. He also criticised the online feedback process Cr Quirk said would see community feedback included in the council's final recommendation to George Street as "clumsy and a waste of time." The feedback can be made via the council website until May 20. However comments are restricted to specific routes, and there is little space for feedback on the review in general, leaving commuters who have more to say little option but to contact council's customer service desk. Cr Quirk will take the final report to Mr Emerson on June 1.