Getting into Brisbane CBD from new BICT Cruise Terminal

[PossumMagic 13]

Is it true we independent travellers cannot hire a car or catch public transport from the new BICT? 
those of us who do not wish to do Ship Tours, are there any options to get into the CBD? 
(Apologies if this has been asked but I was unable to find the topic)

[Aus Traveller]

The new cruise terminal has been built where it is so it can be used by large cruise ships, and even larger ones in the future. However, there is no public transport nearby and certainly no hire car companies. One option is to take a taxi to either a railway station or a CityCat (ferry) stop. For the latter, the best one would be Bretts Wharf near the old Portside cruise terminal. When a ship calls into Brisbane (not a turn-around day), there may be shuttle buses available. As yet, we don't know.

[arxcards]

We day visited the new terminal on 2nd June on Pacific Explorer. P&O were nice enough to have shuttles into the city (Anne Street), and even nicer, made them free.

 

Whenever we have visited Brisbane on larger ships to the past to Fisherman Island, the cruise operator has had buses into the city from a similar distance for around $20 round ticket. Don't know who you are cruising with, but I think that these will be available to the new terminal as well, so I think you will be able to make independent plans from there.

 

If you are after a car with driver, they will be able to pick you up at the terminal.

[MicCanberra]

There is Con X ions, which operate transfers but a taxi may well be cheaper and more convenient as for timings

[cruisermsoon]

You need to catch a cab for at least part of the way, either the CityCat ferry to/from Bretts Wharf [Kingsford Smith Drive, the road to the terminal, is right by the wharf] or to Doomben rail station [a short walk to the road, and note that the Doomben train does not run on Sundays or public holidays - check the Translink site for times.]. Weekend taxi fare to Bretts Wharf is $35 and to the City about $45. The shuttle bus from the ship for two would probably come to more, but check on board.

[Aus Traveller]

The cheapest option would be for a group of six people (or maybe eight) to share a maxi taxi (people-mover size vehicle) to the city. The difficulty would be arranging for a group to go to the same place at the same time and then to co-ordinate the return.

[arxcards]

29 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

The cheapest option would be for a group of six people (or maybe eight) to share a maxi taxi (people-mover size vehicle) to the city. The difficulty would be arranging for a group to go to the same place at the same time and then to co-ordinate the return.

That would be like herding cats.

[MicCanberra]

8 minutes ago, arxcards said:

That would be like herding cats.

What a clowder

[arxcards]

3 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:

What a clowder

Eventually, hopefully!!

[Hogbay]

21 hours ago, PossumMagic 13 said:

Is it true we independent travellers cannot hire a car or catch public transport from the new BICT? 
those of us who do not wish to do Ship Tours, are there any options to get into the CBD? 
(Apologies if this has been asked but I was unable to find the topic)

Not true if you can handle a 600 m walk along road no foot path or bus stop when you get there . SURPRISED to see this cupple getting helped of bus to walk to BICT . What a great photo op for Anastasia with the fantastic road and transport infrastructure ,  Ha Ha .bus is 303 Monday's to Friday only few in the morning and few in arvo . Go's to train station. .World class International Cruise Terminal it was sold as but i think she crossed out the 3rd that was in front of World. 

[cruiser3775]

That is disgusting. It needs some wider publicity that the State Government should set up a major facility like this without any provision for public transport, or even a proper walking path.

[rkmw]

13 hours ago, cruisermsoon said:

You need to catch a cab for at least part of the way, either the CityCat ferry to/from Bretts Wharf [Kingsford Smith Drive, the road to the terminal, is right by the wharf] or to Doomben rail station [a short walk to the road, and note that the Doomben train does not run on Sundays or public holidays - check the Translink site for times.]. Weekend taxi fare to Bretts Wharf is $35 and to the City about $45. The shuttle bus from the ship for two would probably come to more, but check on board.

Portside doesn’t operate now and all ships go from the new cruise terminal at Pinkenba 

[MicCanberra]

Are the river cats not going to Hamilton / Portside anymore?

[arxcards]

1 hour ago, cruiser3775 said:

That is disgusting. It needs some wider publicity that the State Government should set up a major facility like this without any provision for public transport, or even a proper walking path.

They have openly said there are no public transport links to the new terminal, and pedestrian access is supposed to be prohibited as well.

 

Public transport is for daily commuting. The same links are lacking at several cruise ports including White Bay, and if there was money to be made, private operators would already be filling the void. Yes, Portside was lovely. Of the main fleet they would have one P&O ship left to operate there, instead of the four that will base their summer there.

 

But yes, that picture disgusts me. I would have found $20 in my pocket and used my phone to call them a cab. Catching a private shuttle or a cab to the cruise terminal is hardly 3rd world.

 

[arxcards]

5 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:

Are the river cats not going to Hamilton / Portside anymore?

Yes, that is Brett's Wharf 

[SinbadThePorter]

4 hours ago, arxcards said:

Public transport is for daily commuting.

 

This is what people forget. There is no point putting a bus service in to the BICT as there are usually only ships there once or twice a week. The 303 bus service is designed to pickup and drop off the workers from the airplane industries along the southern side of the airport. That is why it only runs Mon-Fri in the early morning and late afternoon.

 

It's annoying, but we are stuck with relying on the private sector to pick up the ball. Although I am miffed that there is no official pedestrian access. I always like to have an option to walk out of a place if I have to. 😎

Edited September 6, 2022 by SinbadThePorter

[OzKiwiJJ]

11 minutes ago, SinbadThePorter said:

 

This is what people forget. There is no point putting a bus service in to the BICT as there are usually only ships there once or twice a week. The 303 bus service is designed to pickup and drop off the workers from the airplane industries along the southern side of the airport. That is why it only runs Mon-Fri in the early morning and late afternoon.

 

It's annoying, but we are stuck with relying on the private sector to pick up the ball. Although I am miffed that there is no official pedestrian access. I always like to have an option to walk out of a place if I have to. 😎

I can't see why the bus company couldn't liase with the ports authority to create a special bus route that only operates on days when ships are in port. Of course, they'd need to have two timetables - one for changeover days and one for port visits. Start somewhere central, Roma St Station perhaps, with a couple of CBD stops, then cut into Portside for people who used the ferry then onto the BICT. Or is that to logical to be conceivable? 🙄

[Aus Traveller]

I think it is logical for a private bus company to run a shuttle bus on days a ship is on port. I don't know how much business they would get on turn-around days when people have luggage.

[arxcards]

14 minutes ago, SinbadThePorter said:

 

This is what people forget. There is no point putting a bus service in to the BICT as there are usually only ships there once or twice a week. The 303 bus service is designed to pickup and drop off the workers from the airplane industries along the southern side of the airport. That is why it only runs Mon-Fri in the early morning and late afternoon.

 

It's annoying, but we are stuck with relying on the private sector to pick up the ball. Although I am miffed that there is no official pedestrian access. I always like to have an option to walk out of a place if I have to. 😎

The cruise lines are part of that private sector. I can only figure there isn't enough demand for them to run a cruise day shuttle from a city hub, especially when the pricing of such a service also results in poor demand. If the cruise lines can't break even with coach hire, I can't see how any private operators would be interested.

[SinbadThePorter]

2 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

I can't see why the bus company couldn't liase with the ports authority to create a special bus route that only operates on days when ships are in port.

 

I can't recall seeing such a setup anywhere. I'm pretty sure that public transport is almost always only associated with cruise terminals incidentally. Like Circular Quay station is there to service the ferries not the OPT.

 

The bus and ferries are owned by the Brisbane City Council. So they are run with public needs in mind, but I don't think even they would consider a bus service to to the BICT to be good value.

[Aussieflyer]

8 hours ago, Hogbay said:

Not true if you can handle a 600 m walk along road no foot path or bus stop when you get there . SURPRISED to see this cupple getting helped of bus to walk to BICT . What a great photo op for Anastasia with the fantastic road and transport infrastructure ,  Ha Ha .bus is 303 Monday's to Friday only few in the morning and few in arvo . Go's to train station. .World class International Cruise Terminal it was sold as but i think she crossed out the 3rd that was in front of World. 

I thought it was not allowed to walk out of the terminal - oh hang on - these people were going in - still thought not supposed to. 

Re taxis - only one when we disembarked Coral in mid Aug at 9am. And no Princess transfer to the city, only the airport.

 

[Hogbay]

14 hours ago, Aussieflyer said:

I thought it was not allowed to walk out of the terminal - oh hang on - these people were going in - still thought not supposed to. 

Re taxis - only one when we disembarked Coral in mid Aug at 9am. And no Princess transfer to the city, only the airport.

 

I have walked out and walked in . The car park number 3 has a foot path to it and is at the entrance . There is no boom gate or anything . People said 3 hour wait for cab . Cabs or uber are reluctant to go there when they get fares both ways to airport . Princess transfer to air port $40 pp and if  going to roma st another$20 .

[Hogbay]

20 hours ago, arxcards said:

They have openly said there are no public transport links to the new terminal, and pedestrian access is supposed to be prohibited as well.

 

Public transport is for daily commuting. The same links are lacking at several cruise ports including White Bay, and if there was money to be made, private operators would already be filling the void. Yes, Portside was lovely. Of the main fleet they would have one P&O ship left to operate there, instead of the four that will base their summer there.

 

But yes, that picture disgusts me. I would have found $20 in my pocket and used my phone to call them a cab. Catching a private shuttle or a cab to the cruise terminal is hardly 3rd world.

 

There was 3 hour  wait for taxi , money was not the issue. That 303 bus i got on terminated at school there was another 303 with instructor and a inspector with a driver in training they pick the elderly couple up and drove them into the terminal . They apologised to us ?? Because were few minutes late picking up at the school as they were replacing the other bus .thats how i know the story . 

[springaussie]

An Engineer who has worked on the road to the new cruise terminal told his cruising mother to expect the road to be cut a few times in heavy rain.

 

[cruiser3775]

Looks like I would be best to take the $40 transfer from the ship to Brisbane airport, rather than wait a long time for a taxi.  Would I need to book this in advance, or just do it once on the ship?