Route 100 Brisbane: Full Timetable, Stops & Fares

Route 100 is the most used Forest Lake/Inala bus route offered by TransLink and it runs from Forest Lake Shops to Queen Street Station in Brisbane’s city center. It’s a 30 km journey that takes around 55 minutes to complete and the service operates between4:50 am and 10:10 pm. Below we have put together all that you need to know about this bus route – timetables, fares, stops, etc.

Route 100 at a Glance

Our take: treat the “55 minute” figure as a best-case scenario. In our experience testing this route during Ipswich Road peak hour, the Woolloongabba-to-city stretch alone can eat an extra 10-15 minutes when the busway feeds in traffic from the 111, 130, and P-series routes.

Route 100 Timetable: First and Last Services

For live departures rather than the fixed timetable above, always check the official TransLink Journey Planner (translink.com.au) or the Transit app — both pull real-time GPS data, which matters because Route 100 is genuinely reliable but not perfect: user-reported data puts it at 72% on-time performance, ranked 69th out of 493 TransLink lines. That’s solidly mid-pack, not top-tier. 

How Much Does Route 100 Cost?

Here’s the part most competitor articles get wrong or leave outdated: Queensland scrapped its old zone-based bus fares. Every Translink bus, train, ferry and tram trip in South East Queensland is now a flat 50 cent fare, and this isn’t a temporary promotion anymore. 

What we’ve noticed on the ground: because the fare is flat regardless of distance, Route 100 has gotten noticeably busier since the policy became permanent — SEQ bus patronage rose 14.3% in the initial trial period compared with the same period the year prior. On our test rides during school holidays, morning peak services out of Inala Plaza were standing-room only by 7:40am. Budget an extra service or two if you’re not flexible on timing. 

You’ll need a go card, contactless bank card/phone, or a paper ticket to tap on — cash isn’t accepted on any SEQ service. One heads-up worth knowing before you travel: a new physical and digital TransLink card is set to replace the go card during 2026, so don’t be surprised if your existing go card gets a rebrand notice mid-year — it’ll still work exactly the same way in the interim. 

Step-by-Step: How to Ride Route 100

1. Check live departures on the TransLink Journey Planner or Transit app before leaving home — don’t rely on a printed timetable alone.
2. Tap on with your go card, TransLink card, or contactless payment as you board at the front door.
3. Grab a seat or find a hold point — this route uses standard low-floor Brisbane buses, not busway-style articulated ones, so peak-hour standing is common past Woolloongabba.
4. Watch for your stop using the on-board next-stop display, or track your position live in the Transit app.
5. Press the stop button one stop ahead of your destination — Route 100 doesn’t announce every suburban stop clearly outside peak times.
6. Tap off as you exit. Skipping this step can trigger a maximum fare charge on your go card even under the 50c system.
7. If transferring, note that Route 100 connects at Woolloongabba Busway Station and South Bank for onward busway services (60, 66, 111, 130 etc.).

Key Stops Along Route 100

Route 100 threads through Forest Lake, Inala, and Richlands before hitting the busway. Stops worth knowing:

• Forest Lake Shops / Forest Lake Boulevard — the western terminus, with a Woolworths and parking if you’re driving in from further out.
• Inala Plaza — a major mid-route stop and interchange point for local services; this is where most of the standing-room crowd boards on weekday mornings. 
• Woolloongabba Busway Station — Platform 2, your transfer point for Gabba events and connecting busway routes. 
• South Bank Busway Station — handy if you’re heading to the Cultural Precinct, QPAC, or GOMA instead of the CBD.
• Queen Street Station — the eastern terminus, right in the Queen Street Mall precinct. 

N100: The Night Owl Version of Route 100

If you’re out late, Route 100 stops running around 10-11pm, but TransLink runs a night-service equivalent.

Practical tip from our team: the N100 starts from the Valley, not Queen Street — if you’re leaving a late show or dinner in the CBD, you’ll need to walk or grab a short connecting service up to Wickham Street first.

Our Team’s On-the-Ground Tips for Riding Route 100

We’ve ridden this corridor at multiple times of day to check what the timetable doesn’t tell you:

• Peak crush is real between Inala and Woolloongabba. If you can shift your trip 15-20 minutes earlier than the absolute peak, you’ll almost always get a seat.
• The Ipswich Road corridor is the bottleneck, not the busway itself. Once the bus hits the South East Busway near Woolloongabba, travel time becomes far more predictable.
• Weekend services thin out noticeably after 8pm. If you’re planning a Saturday night in the city and living out near Forest Lake, check the return timetable before you leave, not after.
• Stop announcements aren’t always reliable on older buses in this fleet. New to the route? Use the Transit app’s “get off” alert rather than trusting your ears.
• School zones near Inala and Richlands slow things down during term time between 3-4pm — factor in 5-10 extra minutes if you’re commuting home during school pickup hours.

Route 100 Disruptions, Delays & Real-Time Tracking

Don’t wait at a stop guessing. Three tools actually work:

1. TransLink Journey Planner (translink.com.au) — official source for service alerts, detours, and planned works.
2. Transit app — live GPS tracking, crowding predictions, and user-reported on-time performance.
3. TransLink’s social alerts — useful during major events like Ekka or Gabba fixtures, when Route 100 stops near Woolloongabba can shift temporarily.

Route 100 vs Driving: Which Makes More Sense?

For a daily CBD commute, Route 100 wins on cost by a wide margin. For irregular trips outside peak hours, driving can still be faster door-to-door.

FAQs

Is Route 100 the same as N100?
No. N100 is the night service covering a different, longer stretch between Fortitude Valley and Forest Lake, and only runs Friday to Sunday nights.

How much is Route 100 in 2026?
50 cents flat, regardless of how far you travel — this is now a permanent Queensland Government policy, not a trial.

What time does the last Route 100 bus run?
Around 10:10pm on weekdays from Forest Lake, with slightly different weekend hours — always confirm via the Journey Planner since holiday timetables shift.

Do I still need a go card?
Yes for now. A replacement TransLink card is rolling out during 2026, but your existing go card and contactless payment options will keep working through the transition.