How is your social connection faring with Queensland’s cheap public transport?
Resources & Research
“I know of a World War II veteran who caught the bus every morning from his Greenslopes home to the local mall. He passed away about five years ago in his 90s. He was unable to drive and was on a pension, so the Council bus was the only affordable transport for him. He used to initiate conversation with other passengers — some of these folk became friends with him, remembering him on Anzac Day, on his birthday and at Christmas,” says Sarah Marris from Anglicare Southern Queensland’s Mission, Research and Advocacy team
I know of a World War II veteran who caught the bus every morning from his Greenslopes home to the local mall. He passed away about five years ago in his 90s. He was unable to drive and was on a pension, so the Council bus was the only affordable transport for him. He used to initiate conversation with other passengers — some of these folk became friends with him, remembering him on Anzac Day, on his birthday and at Christmas. His morning routine involved going to the supermarket, newsagency and the library. The library staff got to know him so well, that if they didn’t see him over a few consecutive mornings, they would call to check in on him. He had no family members living in Queensland and most of his peers were too frail to travel or had passed on.
We recognise the many benefits of public transport use, including reduced traffic congestion, increased sustainability and cost-of-living relief.
A recent Queensland Government report shows that affordable public transport also plays a critical role in fostering social connections, in turn reducing loneliness within our communities. Public transport is a vital link to hobbies and social activities, family gatherings and places of worship, as well as to education, employment and volunteering pursuits.
It allows people to participate in community events, visit friends and family, gather with congregation members, and access essential services, thereby reducing social isolation and creating a more inclusive and connected society.
Anglicare Southern Queensland has a long-standing interest in social connection as a way of supporting client wellbeing.
In addition to the many initiatives and projects supporting social connection that are embedded as a core part of our service delivery, Anglicare Southern Queensland has provided a number of submissions to Queensland Government inquiries demonstrating the positive impact social connection has on wellbeing, and the role of cheap public transport as an enabler of this.
Anglicare Southern Queensland is currently inviting community members to do a short survey to help capture the impact of the Queensland Government’s 50-cent public transport fare initiative on people’s experiences of social connection and loneliness.
Survey completers have expressed heartfelt gratitude in their responses to date, with people explaining how cheaper fares are enabling them to participate in more family outings, as well as connect on a more regular basis with friends, such as for boardgame nights, and attend community group gatherings and activities.
Our aim, through this survey, is to provide greater insight into the wellbeing benefits of this 50-cent fare initiative, and to demonstrate the social value of cheap fares, additional to the reducing of traffic congestion, supporting environmental sustainability and easing cost-of-living pressures.
If you are a user of public transport, we invite you to share your thoughts with us in this very brief Anglicare survey.
It is Anglicare Southern Queensland’s hope that this survey’s data will inform future discussions about the 50-cent fare initiative and the ways we can help ensure communities are better connected socially through equitable access to public transport.
Editor’s note: For more information, please email Sarah Marris from Anglicare Southern Queensland’s Mission, Research and Advocacy team.
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