Seniors, Students and Kids on Gold Coast Public Transport: Everyone Pays 50 Cents, and What Still Applies (QLD)

Seniors, students, children aged 5 to 14, pensioners, veterans and job seekers all pay the same 50 cents per journey on Gold Coast trams, buses and trains, according to Translink, because the half-price concession fares no longer apply while the flat fare does. Children aged 4 and under travel free.

The rules below come from Translink’s concessions pages, checked on Tuesday 20 October 2026. Translink describes the discounts as not applying “during this time” and does not give an end date in the pages we read, so check its page before you rely on a concession for a trip far ahead. For the basic fare and how to pay, see our G:link fares guide.

Who pays 50 cents?

Translink’s concessions page says that children aged 5 to 14, school students, tertiary students, seniors, pensioners, veterans, job seekers and asylum seekers all pay 50 cents per journey. The flat rate applies across all zones and however you pay, by go card, contactless debit or credit card, or paper ticket, and normal transfer rules apply.

Group	Fare	What changed
Children aged 4 and under	Free	No ticket needed
Children aged 5 to 14	50 cents	50% concession fares no longer apply. A child go card also gives free travel on weekends
School students	50 cents	May be eligible for school transport assistance
Tertiary students	50 cents	No need to apply for concession fares
Seniors	50 cents	Half-price concession fares no longer apply
Pensioners and veterans	50 cents	Half-price concession fares no longer apply
Job seekers and asylum seekers	50 cents	Listed with the other 50 cent groups

Who still travels free?

Translink lists these customers and card holders as travelling free, as long as they carry proof of their entitlement and show it to a driver or an authorised person when asked:

• children aged 4 and under
• holders of the TPI/EDA Veteran Travel card
• holders of the Vision Impairment Travel Pass
• holders of the Translink Access Pass
• holders of the go access Travel Trainer card
• one companion or carer travelling with a Companion Card holder who has a valid ticket

What do children and school students need?

For children aged 5 to 14 in South East Queensland, Translink says to use a child go card, which also lets them travel free on weekends, or a pre-purchased paper ticket from fare machines at train, tram and busway stations and some bus interchanges. Children aged 15 and over can use a blue adult go card, a green concession go card, a contactless debit or credit card on trains, trams, ferries and selected buses, or a paper ticket. To register a child go card, call Translink on 13 12 30.

School students may also be eligible for the School Transport Assistance Scheme or the Non State School Transport Assistance Scheme. If you are a school leaver, Translink says you can keep using your current green concession go card to tap into 50 cent fares, but you may need to take it to a go card retailer or a Queensland Rail station ticket office to update the expiry date.

What do seniors need?

In South East Queensland, Translink lists three options for seniors:

• a Senior go card, from a go card retailer or Queensland Rail station ticket office, online or by calling 13 12 30, where you show your Seniors Card
• a Seniors Card + go, by applying online or calling 13 74 68. It does not need the $5 refundable deposit, and you must add at least $5 credit before you travel
• a pre-purchased paper ticket from staffed Queensland Rail station ticket offices and from fare machines at train, tram, bus and busway stations

Brisbane City Council gives seniors free travel on selected off-peak council buses and ferries, but that is a Brisbane scheme. Translink says the City of Gold Coast free bus travel initiative for seniors and veterans concluded on 1 July 2025, so Gold Coast seniors now pay the same 50 cents as everyone else.

What about pensioners and veterans?

Half-priced concession fares no longer apply to pensioners, defence force veterans or holders of Centrelink or Services Australia issued Pensioner Concession Cards. Eligible TPI/EDA veterans can still get the TPI/EDA Veteran Travel card, which gives unlimited free travel on approved public transport services and is valid for ten years from the date of issue. You must hold a Department of Veterans’ Affairs Gold Card embossed TPI or EDA with a file number beginning with the letter Q, and you show the card to the driver or to station officers at gated train stations.

Do concessions work on the Hopo ferry or Airtrain?

Not through Translink. Airtrain has its own fares, and Translink says the 50 cent fare does not apply to it. The Hopo ferry on the Broadwater is privately run and sets its own concession and child prices, which we list in our Hopo ferry guide.

Where can I check before I travel?

Translink’s seniors page, children page and tertiary students page list the current rules, and its contact centre is on 13 12 30. If you plan to take a bike, pram or wheelchair, see our guide to bikes, prams and wheelchairs on Gold Coast public transport.

More guides: Gold Coast public transport guide

Sources

• Translink — Concessions (checked 20 October 2026)
• Translink — Seniors
• Translink — Children
• Translink — Tertiary student travel
• Translink — Student concessions
• Translink — Pensioners and veterans
• Translink — 50 cent fares

Featured image: aerial view of a G:link tram on Stage 2 of the Gold Coast light rail, 2017 (photo: Queensland Government, Department of Transport and Main Roads / CC BY 3.0) (text added)

OZ Local Updates is an independent local guide and is not affiliated with Translink. Check Translink’s pages before you travel, as fares and conditions can change.