Brisbane commuters are abandoning buses in droves, leading Labor lord mayoral candidate Rod Harding to launch a broadside at Lord Mayor Graham Quirk's handling of the city's bus network.

But the Quirk administration has pointed the finger squarely at the fares set by the state government-owned public transport authority, TransLink.

More than 200 of Brisbane Transport's buses will get a timetable shake-up from December 12. Credit:Harrison Saragossi

Mr Harding said Brisbane City Council's 2014-15 annual report, which will be tabled in council on Tuesday, showed council bus patronage dropped 2.83 per cent from 77.8 million passengers in 2013-14 to 75.6 million in 2014-15.

Mr Harding said the figures were "damning" and showed an "alarming decline" in passenger numbers.