Spokesperson Nicky Haydon said it was great to see Coast residents embracing public transport, with light rail the most popular way to get around the city.

“Among the 10 Local Government Areas we surveyed, the Gold Coast led the way with 80% of respondents saying they use public transport. That compares to 79% in Brisbane, 63% in Ipswich and just 56% on the Sunshine Coast,” Ms Haydon said. 

“Light rail was the most popular mode of transport on the Gold Coast, with 51% of respondents using the service, while 44% said they used buses and trains. 

“There was also a much higher demand for rideshare - with 36% of Gold Coasters using rideshare services, compared to just 26% Queensland wide.”

Across all 10 Local Government Areas, respondents said the factors that would make them more likely to use public transport include:

• Cheaper fares,
• Increased services,
• Improved safety and security, and
• Better parking at stations.

The RACQ is proud to advocate for better public transport services across the Gold Coast and has called on all governments to prioritise the Stage 4 extension of Light Rail to Coolangatta, as well as additional investment in construction of the Gold Coast Faster Rail project (Beenleigh to Kuraby). 

RACQ is also helping to pioneer future transport options through its Smart Shuttle trial on the Gold Coast, which is exploring the potential for autonomous vehicles in a live traffic environment.