Golden go card giveaway extended

Commuters will have an extra two chances to win free travel for a year with TransLink's golden go card giveaway extended for a further two weeks.

The giveaway was initially scheduled to only run through June to support the Property Council of Australia’s Fridays in the City initiative, to get more workers back into city centres.

However, more than 33,500 entries thus far have highlighted the popularity of the competition and prompted a two-week extension of the giveaway.

Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey said he was pleased another two south-east Queensland commuters would win free travel on public transport for a year.

"We've been overwhelmed by the number of competition entries in the four weeks since the giveaway was announced and that's why we decided to extend it by another two weeks,” Mr Bailey said.

“The Gold Card promotion is just part of a wider push to get more workers back into the CBD and supporting small businesses in SEQ city centres.

“Thanks to Queensland’s strong response to the pandemic, patronage on public transport is sitting at around 70% of pre-COVID levels, and we want to see more commuters jumping on board.

“That’s why the Palaszczuk Government is also putting a freeze on public transport fares across Queensland.”

Mr Bailey said encouraging more people into our city centres was a key part of the Palaszczuk Government’s COVID-19 Economic Recovery Plan.

“This is about encouraging more Queenslanders to support retailers and hospitality workers as we continue the state’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.

“The first three winners have said the free travel will enable them to visit family members more frequently, travel to and from work every day for free, or allow them to see more of the great sights in SEQ."

The Property Council of Australia’s Queensland Executive Director Jen Williams said the Fridays in the City campaign was all about reminding people why the city is a great place to visit and work.

“Over the past six weeks we have seen retailers and office landlords offer incentives, activations and entertainment to attract workers back into the city centre, leading to an uptick in pedestrian movements, retail activity and office occupancy rates,” Ms Williams said.

“We are delighted that the campaign has been supported by the Queensland Government through its “Willy Wonka-style” golden go card initiative.

“While the campaign officially comes to an end today, many office landlords and retailers have already committed to continue their investment in Friday-based activities, and through extending the opportunity to win free public transport for a further two weeks, we are hopeful the legacy of the Fridays in the City campaign will continue.”

Mr Bailey thanked customers for continuing to travel on the TransLink network and following the latest health advice when travelling.

“We’ve been really pleased with the response from our passengers in following the health advice and the steps outlined in our COVID-safe Public Transport Plan,” he said.

“The co-operation of our customers has made it safer for everyone on our network.”

Entry to the golden go card giveaway is open to anyone who travels on the TransLink SEQ network with their registered go card on a Friday up to and including July 9 and fills in the short entry form on the TransLink website.

The golden go cards are non-transferrable and will cover the entire SEQ TransLink network.

The fourth June winner will be drawn on Monday while the additional two winners will be drawn and announced on July 5 and 12.

ENDS

Media contact: Toby Walker - 0439 347 875