Brisbane has become the most expensive city to travel when considering average income, according to new data from RACQ.
According to RACQ's latest Transport Affordability Index, Brisbane has seen the largest increase in transportation costs in the country, with locals spending an average $19,132 a year on owning and running a car and catching public transport in the city.
Transport costs considered in the index include registration, licensing, insurance, servicing, tyres, fuel, tolls, roadside assistance, car loan repayments, and tolls.
“It’s unacceptable motorists in Brisbane continue to face such high transport costs, especially since we have had successive governments going into elections pledging to address cost-of-living issues,” said RACQ Head of Public Policy Rebecca Michael. “Brisbane families are spending more than 16% of their income just to travel around, and the costs continue to climb. This quarter alone we’ve seen increases which resulted in an extra $245 a year for the average Brisbane household, the highest increase in the country.”
To address the issue, Michael urged the Palaszczuk government to implement a transparent, real-time fuel-price reporting, especially as rising fuel costs are a major contributor to the increase in Brisbane transport costs.
“The state government has an easy and affordable means to be able to drive down the cost of fuel in Brisbane and that’s by ensuring all fuel retailers share their data with motorists in real-time,” Michael said. “At the moment retailers like Coles and United do not make their information available to the public, and information that is available is often outdated so it’s impossible for drivers to compare real prices and make an informed decision about where to fill up. Competition between retailers is the only way to drive down prices, and the best way is to even the playing field between motorists and the fuel companies.”
