But the government has held off on a decision about whether to allow "small domestic animals" on buses.

ACT Transport Minister Meegan Fitzharris said the new policies would allow passengers to take fold-up bikes and other bulky items on board. They would also mean more certainty for passengers and make buses a more convenient and attractive option.

Asked for examples of bulky items, her spokeswoman cited furniture, luggage and musical instruments. But the policies don't list allowed items, and make it clear that it is up to the driver to decide.

"A decision made by a driver in relation to carriage of goods is final and a driver will exercise discretion in light of operational practicality," the rules say.

Drivers might take into account whether the items would block the aisle or exits, or obscure the driver's vision, whether they can be carried easily by the passenger, whether they can be stored safely and whether the bus is close to carrying capacity.

The government has also been considering allowing pets on buses if they're in a carrier. It has a draft policy on "small domestic animals", specifying that the driver can exclude an animal on grounds such as cleanliness and whether the animal might cause distress to others because of "its nature or species".

But the policy has not been finalised. A spokeswoman for Ms Fitzharris did not say why the proposed rules allowing pets were not being given the green light, nor when they might be.

The new bikes and bulk goods rules take effect on Monday, but Transport Workers Union ACT secretary Klaus Pinkas dismissed them as "rather pointless".

"The rules are deadset simple. There's only one rule that matters above all else and that is the driver gets to decide what's carried on the bus, and it stops there," he said. "It's been a policy forever and a day that the driver gets to decide."

The government had consulted with the union about the new polices, but it had been "a pretty boring conversation, to be honest", Mr Pinkas said, "because we've said all the way through that it's not up to us what goes on the bus. The only person who's in a position to decide whether it's safe or not is the driver."

The main problems arose when people wanted to take bikes on to buses because there was no rack or the rack was full. Mr Pinkas said he had never heard of a driver refusing an assistance dog, but they had refused other dogs.

Mr Fitzharris's spokeswoman said while a number of people had suggested during consultation that drivers should be allowed to help passengers with luggage, drivers were not permitted to leave their seats during journeys.

The new rules spell out that drivers must not help passengers loading or unloading goods. They also say drivers must remain seated inside while passengers are loading or unloading a bicycle. Electric bikes under 25 kilograms are allowed on bicycle racks, as are folding bikes. Folding bikes can also be taken on to a bus under the bulky items rules.

Dangerous goods are banned, including knives, vehicle batteries, gas bottles, fuel and goods that are likely to spill.