When public transport is OK.

There are some exceptions to the Brissos’ no public transport rule.

When there is a Rugby test on at the Suncorp stadium, some Brissos will be organized by friends (who have done the research) to travel by public transport part of the way home from the game.

a rugby test at suncorp stadium -

may call for a rare public transport experience

This is one of the rare times that a Brisso will travel by train. It is generally to a designated spot where they will be picked up by a member of their family. This action is not taken lightly – bitter experience has shown them that taxis are hard to get after the game and traffic congestion makes it impossible for a family member to pick them up at the venue.

Another exception to the rule is the city cat. Very occasionally Brissos will use the city cat, perhaps to attend a function at Riverside or South Bank, or do this when overseas visitors are in town. Brissos feel especially virtuous if they do this. They speak positively about the citycat, surprised at how quickly it gets them into the city. They may say they really should use it more often.

Some Brissos live near the river in the tranquil suburbs of Hamilton, Bulimba, New Farm, Toowong, St Lucia. If their homes and offices are conveniently located near ferry stops, the city cat might be an appropriate transport choice.

There is an away from home rule that moderates the general no public transport rule with Brissos (as with so many rules).

When travelling overseas Brissos will often engage in some of the more metropolitan practices of the local urban dwellers. Brissos always speak enthusiastically about the subway system in New York city, London, Paris, and Tokyo.

Brissos don’t do public transport.

Brissos don’t do public transport.

There are few exceptions to this rule (see “When public transport is OK”).

Brissos will know very little about bus and train routes, or methods of payment for public transport. They always drive wherever they need to go. They insist that Brisbane is that kind of city: you just need your car to get around. It is unthinkable to have to depend on public transport.

This would make no sense to a Brisso

If they work in the city they will drive into town and park in a specially designated car park. In the unlikely event that the Brisso has not been given a car space at work, they will rent/buy one in the CBD.

Brissos are indeed aware that there is a general idea among educated people that people should use public transport more and use their cars less, especially in the city. They think this is a good idea – the traffic is unbearable these days – and they will argue that other people who don’t really need their cars should stop driving through the city. Ideally trucks should be banned from the CBD. Coro Drive, and Kingsford Smith Drive are out of control, and getting to the airport is near impossible.

Most Brissos are unashamed about their preference to drive. They just don’t have the time to use public transport. Some Brissos will say that they get sick on buses.

Others explain that they need their cars because they often have to drive to site meetings or to see clients, or get to the airport.

All Brissos have strong feelings of nostalgia for the trams, even if they were before their time. They think Brisbane would be a much better city if we still had the trams. Brissos praise Melbourne’s tram system and think trams are cool, unlike other forms of public transport.

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last day on brisbane trams. 1969.

Photo by David Stephenson, Flickr.

If challenged about their resistance to public transport Brissos will say that they’ve done their time. They used to travel by public transport all the time. They will be referring back to their childhoods when they sometimes opted to catch public transport home from their private school, because of the social scene on that particular bus or train. They were usually driven to school in the mornings by one or other parent, but in the afternoons public transport offered some social benefits that outweighed the stigma.