Since Monday 7 September 2026, the route 700 bus no longer goes north to Broadbeach South and the route 777 airport bus ends at Stockland Burleigh Heads, so for the rest of the trip you change to the G:link tram at Burleigh Heads. Translink also started a new route 701 and renamed the late night 700 as route 70.
To check a G:link or bus time on the Gold Coast, open the Translink app, use the journey planner on the Explore tab or look up a stop under Departures, and read the real-time figure next to each scheduled time. It shows +/- minutes, and red means the service is not running to schedule.
The go explore card is still sold. It gives a visitor unlimited travel on Translink buses and trams on the Gold Coast for $1.50 per day, which matters because the standard fare is now 50 cents per journey. That makes the pass cheaper only if you make four or more separate journeys in a day.
If you tap on and off with the same go card, contactless card or phone, a bus-to-tram or tram-to-train trip on the Gold Coast is still one journey and one 50 cent fare, as long as each transfer is within 1 hour and you make no more than 3 transfers. The rules below are from Translink’s transfer pages and are accurate as of October 2026.
The G:link’s L1 line runs between Helensvale and Burleigh Heads with 27 stations, and the whole trip took 63 minutes on the first of the five sample trips in Translink’s timetable for Monday 19 October 2026. Eight of the stations are new with the extension of the line south to Burleigh Heads, and Translink changed local bus routes to match on Monday 7 September 2026.
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.
You cannot take a bike or an e-scooter on a G:link tram or a bus on the Gold Coast, according to Translink, but you can take one on a train at any time if you follow its rules. Wheelchairs and mobility scooters are allowed on all G:link trams, and Translink says you may need to fold your pram during the busy morning and afternoon times, or when the driver says there is not enough space.
Gold Coast Light Rail Stage 3 is open: the Government said the first passengers would board at Burleigh Heads from 6am on Sunday 9 August 2026, and John Holland reported that day that passengers were travelling. The G:link now runs from Helensvale to Burleigh Heads. The Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) says some finishing works may still be needed after the start of passenger services.
If you hold a pre-purchased ticket to the Supercars Gold Coast 500, Translink says you can travel free to and from the race on all regular Queensland Rail City Network trains, Kinetic Gold Coast bus services and G: services, excluding Airtrain. The free travel runs from the first service until the last service on the date printed on your event ticket.
On a Friday or Saturday night in Surfers Paradise, Translink lists the G:link tram and secure taxi ranks with late night FlatFare fares as the late night options, and Gold Coast FlatFares for a single fare run from $5.00 in zone one to $14.00 in the highest-priced zones. Nightlink buses, which run between midnight and 5am on Friday and Saturday nights, are described by Translink as a Brisbane service.