Trans Link (South East Queensland) - Ticketing

Ticketing

TransLink uses Zones to charge the correct fare no matter what service a passenger uses. Zones radiate out in concentric rings from the centre of Brisbane which are used to determine ticket prices for passengers. There are a total of 23 zones stretching from Gympie (170 km north of Brisbane) to Coolangatta (100 km south of Brisbane). The zones stretch as far west as Helidon (80 km west of Brisbane) and as far east as the bayside suburbs of Brisbane. The borders between zones are called zone boundaries, and some areas on the zone boundaries are designated as precincts. A precinct carries two zones, those of both zones it sits on the boundary of. When traveling to or from a precinct the cost of the fare will be the lower cost possible. For example, if a passenger travelled from Zone 3 to Zone 5 they would buy a ticket from Zone 3 to 5. If their travel was from a precinct at the boundaries of Zone 3 & Zone 4 they would purchase a Zone3/4 - Zone 5 ticket, and they would be charged as though beginning in Zone 4, despite actually starting their journey from within the boundary of Zone 3. This ensures passengers are not charged extra for a zone they did not travel through in their journey, but barely started or finished their trip in. Precincts do not line the boundaries of every zone, rather they surround areas with high patronage running both directions such as shopping centres.