Competition between busways and heavy rail system in South East Queensland, Australia

Brisbane's busways in Queensland, Australia are a form of bus rapid transit (BRT) that comprises high capacity buses running on prioritised routes, similar to a rail system. In South East Queensland (SEQ), some busways (e.g., South East Busway) run parallel with heavy rail in ways that these two modes are in essence competitive with each other. This paper explores the inter-modal competition of busway and rail passengers’ travel patterns by analysing revealed preference data, the smart card transaction records directly extracted from automated fare collection system. The results indicate that busways are more competitive than heavy rail due to more frequent service with higher accessibility to the stations. The simulation analysis shows that if the heavy rail could increase service frequency or station accessibility, it would significantly increase the mode share of heavy rail. The policy implications suggest that service frequency and integration with feeder bus service to stations are critical to inter-modal competition between busways and heavy rail system.