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Pacific Motorway · ~80 km · Brisbane CBD to Surfers Paradise

Brisbane to
Gold Coast.
Share the drive.
Split the cost.

One of Australia's busiest commuter corridors. Thousands of people make this drive every day — most of them solo. Herdy matches Brisbane and Gold Coast commuters already heading the same way so the empty seats get filled and the costs get shared.

~80 km
Brisbane CBD
to Surfers Paradise
$25–35
Typical passenger
contribution
60–80 min
Typical drive
off-peak
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As featured on

Le Courrier Australien

Route detail

Brisbane to Gold Coast — the details

Origin — Brisbane CBD and suburbs
Brisbane CBD, South Brisbane, Woolloongabba, Eight Mile Plains, Springwood, Beenleigh, and all southern Brisbane suburbs along the M1 corridor.
Destination — Gold Coast
Surfers Paradise, Broadbeach, Southport, Robina, Varsity Lakes, Coolangatta — drivers can drop at any agreed Gold Coast location.
Route
Via the Pacific Motorway (M1) — the main SE Queensland freeway spine. ~80 km Brisbane CBD to Surfers Paradise. 60–80 minutes off-peak. Peak hour adds 20–40 minutes, particularly on the Brisbane approach.
Why carpool this corridor?
The Gold Coast train is frequent but only serves the main corridor. Large parts of the Gold Coast — Robina, Varsity Lakes, Coolangatta, Hope Island — aren't walkable from any station. Carpooling is door-to-door regardless of suburb.

The maths

What this ride is worth

Typical driving distance
~80 km one way
ATO running cost
91¢/km × 80 km = ~$73
Passenger contribution (½ share)
~$30–37/trip
Gold Coast train (full fare)
~$18–24 each way
Gold Coast train (concession)
~$9–12 each way
Driver saving (1 passenger, 4 days/week)
~$5,400/year

Passenger annual saving vs driving solo

~$6,800

4 days/week · 45 weeks · vs solo driving with CBD parking

By suburb

Your Brisbane suburb to the Gold Coast

The M1 corridor runs through several major hubs — passengers from Logan, Beenleigh or Springwood can be picked up en route without significant detour.

Origin suburb Distance to Surfers Paradise Drive time (off-peak) Passenger contribution vs train (full fare)
Brisbane CBD ~80 km 60–75 min ~$30–37 ~$18–24
Eight Mile Plains / Rochedale ~65 km 50–65 min ~$25–30 ~$16–20
Springwood / Daisy Hill ~55 km 42–55 min ~$21–26 ~$14–18
Logan Central / Beenleigh ~42 km 32–42 min ~$16–20 ~$10–14
Coomera / Oxenford ~25 km 18–28 min ~$10–13 ~$6–10
Robina / Varsity Lakes ~10 km 10–15 min ~$5–8 ~$4–6

Contributions based on ATO 91¢/km rate split equally. Actual amounts set by drivers. Train comparison is full adult fare on the Gold Coast line.

FAQ

Questions about this corridor

From Brisbane CBD to Surfers Paradise (~80 km), passenger contributions are typically $30–37 per one-way trip based on ATO running costs split equally. Shorter trips from Logan or Beenleigh are $16–20. Drivers set their own price in the app.

For full-fare adult passengers from Brisbane CBD, carpooling is more expensive than the train but provides door-to-door service with no station connection. For anyone commuting to areas not on the Gold Coast train line — Robina, Varsity Lakes, Coolangatta, Hope Island — carpooling is the clear winner on total journey time.

Yes — cost-sharing carpooling is legal in Queensland under the Transport Operations (Passenger Transport) Act 1994. Private cost-sharing arrangements are excluded from the commercial passenger transport framework. Herdy uses the ATO cents-per-kilometre rate as the ceiling for contributions so drivers never profit from the arrangement.

Yes — Logan and Beenleigh sit directly on the M1 corridor and are natural pickup points for Brisbane drivers heading south. The contribution is proportionally lower since the trip is shorter from those points. Agree on the exact pickup spot in the in-app chat — a petrol station or park-and-ride near the motorway works well.

Yes — Herdy supports recurring rides. Drivers post repeating weekly commutes and passengers can book the full series. Once you find a driver that suits your schedule, the arrangement repeats automatically without any additional coordination each week.

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