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Where Don't the 50¢ Fares Apply in Brisbane?
Fifty cents gets you a long way. Here's where it stops.
16 June 2026 · 6 min read
Queensland's 50 cent flat fare is the best deal in public transport going, and as of February 2025 it's permanent. One tap, fifty cents, and you can ride clear across South East Queensland. But there are a couple of places it quietly stops applying, and one of them can cost you forty times as much if you're not expecting it.
Here's exactly how far 50¢ carries you, and the handful of spots where you'll pay more. When you're ready, the trip planner prices and times your exact route so there are no surprises.
First, the good news: 50¢ goes almost everywhere
The 50 cent flat fare applies across every zone and nearly every mode on the network: Queensland Rail city trains, buses, Brisbane City ferries (CityCats and the free-feeling CityHopper included), the G:link trams on the Gold Coast, and on-demand services. It also covers urban buses in 14 regional centres, from Cairns and Townsville to Toowoomba and the Sunshine Coast hinterland.
The key word is flat. Distance doesn't change the price. The same fifty cents takes you one stop or the entire length of a line. And because every fare is already so low, the old off-peak, concession and frequent-traveller discounts are simply paused — there's nothing left to discount.
How far does 50¢ actually reach?
Further than most people realise, and it's worth knowing the exact edges. On a single 50¢ tap you can ride right to the end of the line in any direction:
Heading north, the literal end of the line is Gympie North, around 173 km and roughly two and a half hours from the Brisbane CBD. The Sunshine Coast itself — Caloundra, Maroochydore, even Noosa — is well within reach too: take the train to Nambour or Landsborough and connect to the Sunshine Coast buses, all on the same fifty cents.
Heading south, the Gold Coast line ends at Varsity Lakes, and from there the G:link trams and local buses carry the fifty-cent fare the rest of the way — down through Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach to Burleigh, Coolangatta and the Queensland border at Tweed Heads.
So a return day trip to the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast or the bay costs you about a dollar, all up. The cost of getting somewhere basically stops being a factor: a beach day via the Gold Coast line is the same fifty cents as a trip two suburbs over.
- North: Gympie North — about 173 km, the end of the Sunshine Coast line
- South: Varsity Lakes, then trams and buses to Coolangatta and the QLD border
- West: Rosewood, out past Ipswich
- East: Cleveland and the bayside
The one big exception: Airtrain
There's one place inside the network where 50¢ does not apply, and it catches people out: Airtrain, the line to the Domestic Airport and International Airport stations. Airtrain is privately operated, so the flat fare explicitly doesn't cover it. Tap on or off at either airport station and you'll be charged the Airtrain fare instead, even though it's the same go card.
What that looks like in 2026: a one-way adult fare to or from the Brisbane city stations is around $23 (roughly $20 if you pre-book online, or about $16 each as a group of two or more), and $29 to $37 from the Gold Coast.
Don't let that put you off, though. At about $20 the Airtrain is still usually the cheapest and fastest way to the terminal, well under a taxi or rideshare (often $45 to $60-plus) and cheaper than airport parking. It's a pay-a-little-more-but-still-win situation, not a trap. Our guide to getting to Brisbane Airport breaks down every option.
The other edge: leaving the go card network
The 50¢ fare is for the integrated TransLink go card network. Step off it onto a long-distance service — the Spirit of Queensland, a Travel Train to regional Queensland, or an intercity coach — and you're on a separate, distance-based, much higher fare. Those aren't 50 cent fares; they're booked tickets.
Push past the edges and you're straight into that long-distance territory. North of Gympie North lie Hervey Bay and K'gari (Fraser Island), Bundaberg, the Whitsundays and eventually Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef — reachable by the Spirit of Queensland or a Tilt Train, not a 50¢ tap. To the south, the network simply stops at the border: Tweed Heads, Byron Bay and the northern rivers are in New South Wales, on a different ticketing system, so that's a coach or a car from the Gold Coast.
Easy rule of thumb: if you can just tap a go card, phone or card on and off, it's fifty cents. If you have to book a seat, it isn't.
What it means when you plan a trip
For almost every journey around South East Queensland, you don't need to think about the cost at all. It's fifty cents, full stop. The only two times to check are when you're heading to or from the airport (Airtrain), or out to regional Queensland on a long-distance service.
Pop your start and destination into the trip planner and it maps the route with live times. From there you can sort by what matters — fewest transfers, least walking, or a dry route when the weather turns — knowing the fare is the same fifty cents either way.
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Compare trains, buses, ferries and walking — and pick the dry route when it's pouring.
Plan your trip →Common questions
Are the 50 cent fares permanent?
Yes. They started as a six-month trial in August 2024 and were made permanent from February 2025, so the flat fifty-cent fare is here to stay.
Does the 50 cent fare apply to the airport train?
No. Airtrain, which serves the Domestic Airport and International Airport stations, is excluded because it's privately operated. You'll pay the Airtrain fare — around $23 one way to the city — even though you tap the same go card.
How far can I travel for 50 cents?
As far as the go card network reaches, on a flat 50¢ no matter the distance: from Gympie North in the north to Varsity Lakes on the Gold Coast, west to Rosewood past Ipswich, and east to Cleveland and the bay. One stop or the whole line, the fare is the same.
Can I reach the Sunshine Coast or Byron Bay on a 50 cent fare?
The Sunshine Coast, yes — take the train to Nambour or Landsborough and connect to a Sunshine Coast bus, all on the flat fifty cents. Byron Bay, no — it's in New South Wales, beyond the go card network, so you'd take a coach or drive from the Gold Coast.
Do concession or off-peak discounts still apply?
No, and you don't need them — every fare is already fifty cents, so the old off-peak, concession and frequent-traveller discounts are paused. Children aged 5 to 14 still travel free on weekends and under-4s are always free.
Is the airport train still worth it if it isn't 50 cents?
Usually, yes. At about $20 the Airtrain is still cheaper and faster than a taxi or rideshare to the terminal, and cheaper than airport parking. See our guide to getting to Brisbane Airport for the full comparison.