Neither S nor I had been on the new Brisbane Metro since it opened a few months back, so on a whim we decided to take an after work ride into the CBD.
If you’re not familiar, the Brisbane Metro is the somewhat tongue in cheek name Brisbane City Council gave to the new electric bendy buses, or “trackless trams”. They just run on the existing busway system and Wikipedia says “the total cost of the project was $1.7 billion”.
I expected a smooth, quiet ride but it was neither. It still lurched away from stops like a diesel bus, and the suspension picked up every bump in the road making the entire vehicle rattle.
A metro system implies rapid transit, but our bus got stuck at lights several times during our one-stop journey. And in the Queen Street Mall tunnel section I was extremely discombobulated when we slowed right down and the turntable section I was in started turning, and turning, eventually taking a full 90 degree corner while I was still standing inside it.
But the thing that really surprised me is how inaccessible it is. I thought being a modern piece of kit you’d design it so a wheelchair could roll straight up. But the platforms aren’t level at all. I’ve got a slightly messed up knee at the moment, and the height to step down actually hurt. Apparently there’s a wheelchair ramp available on request.
It’s a fine upgrade for the bus network, but I think it’s a bit of a joke to call it a metro system. Is that really the level Brisbane aspires to? It’s cringe of the highest degree.
Overall, I would give it three carsicks out of five.