More buses, more often.
We all want Canberra to be a liveable city that’s easy, comfortable and affordable to get around.
But right now, too many people are locked into the expense of running a car, because the alternatives just aren’t good enough.
At the same time, transport emissions are the ACT's biggest polluter and they're still rising.
To address the climate crisis and the cost of living crisis we need to make public transport a genuine option for Canberrans.
IT’S TIME FOR TRANSFORMATIVE CHANGE.
More Buses, More Often
Canberra needs a ‘turn-up-and-go’ bus service that’s so frequent, you don’t need to plan your day around it.
But right now, too many people are locked into the expense of running a car, because the alternatives just aren't good enough.
Buses aren't frequent enough and many get stuck in traffic.
Labor has shuffled routes and timetables but has no plans to scale up the service, while the Liberals aren’t proposing any improved frequency on weekdays.
Everyone loves our Rapids buses. But the rest of our service has let Canberrans down. That’s why we will keep Rapids and improve the rest. The ACT Greens have a plan to make public transport a genuine and convenient option for Canberrans.
THE ACT GREENS WILL:
- Increase weekday bus frequency by 50% on every suburban route by 2026, meaning nobody will wait more than 19 minutes
- More than double the weekend bus frequency to every 30 minutes by 2027
- Improve reliability with dedicated bus lanes through our busiest bus corridors, starting with Belconnen to the City, Molonglo to Adelaide Avenue, and ANU to Constitution Avenue
- Hire hundreds more bus drivers and improve work week flexibility for drivers in the ACTION Enterprise Agreement
- Bring on 100 more electric buses at the new Woden Depot to grow the bus fleet to 550 buses and deliver these additional services
- By 2030, we’ll build two new bus depots, one in Mitchell and one in West Belconnen. This will let us make more improvement in future
More Affordable, More Accessible
The cost of living crisis is an inequality crisis, affecting some people much worse than others.
As well as making our buses more frequent, we also need to make sure they are affordable for everyone.
This is why the ACT Greens will make bus fares more affordable for many in our community.
THE ACT GREENS WILL:
- Make it completely free for people aged under 18 to ride buses and light rail, so all kids can get to school for free
- Make it completely free for people on low incomes with a concession or pension card to ride buses and light rail at all times of day, including in peak times
- Extend discounts for full-time tertiary students to part-time students. This recognises that many are studying part-time so they can work to make ends meet
Getting to a bus stop and waiting for your bus should be a welcoming, comfortable and quick experience.
It sucks to freeze your fingers off in the dark while waiting for a bus, with nowhere to sit. So does standing at a bus stop without shade, in the blazing sun.
THE ACT GREENS WILL:
- Invest five times the current amount in bus stop upgrades
- Build bus shelters at more stops
- Ensure adequate lighting and seating
- Make path and kerb upgrades to improve accessibility
- Provide more bike racks to make it easier to change modes.
Buses & Light Rail
We need buses *AND* light rail.
A liveable city is a connected city, and the Greens envisage a comprehensive light rail network, not just a shuttle line.
Canberrans love the high-quality, zero-emissions transport they’ve experienced over the past five years on light rail to Gungahlin.
ACT Labor say they can’t deliver Light Rail to Woden before 2033, but the Greens think we can.
The ACT Greens Big Bus Plan goes hand in hand with our long-term commitment to light rail.
We will work to cut the additional nine-year wait for Stage 2 to Woden.