Public consultation on the proposed new bus network generated more than 10,000 items of feedback, according to the Minister for Transport and City Services, Meegan Fitzharris.
Ms Fitzharris said that with only eight per cent of people currently catching public transport to work, the new network would help improve patronage and make the network better.
“We are getting on with the job of delivering what the people of Canberra voted for — more buses, more often, seven days a week,” Ms Fitzharris said.
“Feedback from the community, mostly from existing bus users, covered a range of topics including Xpresso bus services, many of which are being replaced by Rapid services, school services and areas where bus routes are changing.”
She said there would be more to say about the final design of the network in the coming months.
“This will include details like timetables, more information for schools and parents and information about local infrastructure that will be delivered as part of the rollout of the new bus network,” Ms Fitzharris said.
“Currently many of our routes are too infrequent; routes are too long and make too many deviations before people get to where they want to go; different weekday and weekend routes are not intuitive, and the operating hours don’t work for everyone.”
She said she wanted to fix these problems with the new network.
“We have spoken to Canberrans over the better part of a decade to inform the development of our integrated transport policy and system, and now we have a real opportunity to build that new network, based on light rail, buses and active travel,” the Minister said.
“Recent figures from Transport Canberra show a record 18.94 million bus boardings in 2017-18, exceeding the target of 18.4 million by more than 500,000.”
She said this demonstrated efforts to increase patronage were on the right track.
