ACT government figures show the public transport provider spends up to $46,857 each day - or 20 per cent of all distance travelled - on driving empty buses around Canberra.

Answers to questions asked by Canberra Liberal Alistair Coe reveal dead running costs ACT taxpayers about $12 million each year.

''Dead running'' refers to bus movements without paying passengers and is a measure used to compare the efficiency of bus scheduling.

Mr Coe said the cost of dead running was about the same as purchasing a new bus every week.

''This is $1 million every month for buses with no people in them. And instead of these figures improving, they're getting worse,'' Mr Coe said.

''Empty ACTION buses now travel the equivalent of the Earth's equator every two days, and it's an absurd and unnecessary waste of taxpayer money.

''This wasted $47,000 per weekday could be spent on improving the substandard bus system through better route services.''

Figures show dead running accounted for 19.9 per cent of all kilometres covered by ACTION and was worse than the 17.4 per cent national benchmark.

But ACT Territory and Municipal Services Minister Katy Gallagher said Canberra's low density and two bus depots inflated the figures.

Canberra only has two bus depots, in Belconnen and Tuggeranong, meaning drivers must travel large distances to position buses at the beginning of a route or return to depots.

Ms Gallagher said ACTION's new network 12 services and plans to reopen the Woden depot would bring the ACT result back below 18 per cent.

''The ACT government is continually working to find ways to improve the efficiency of ACTION's bus system and get the most value for the funding spent on it,'' the Chief Minister said.

''Network 12 has allowed ACTION to deliver increased services across Canberra, with less dead running, through the use of improved scheduling, using improved connections across the network, and the information provided through the MyWay system.''

But Mr Coe had no faith in the government's plans.

''This is misuse of taxpayer money at its worst and comes down to basic management,'' Mr Coe said. ''You only have to look at shift rotations, route planning and where buses are able to fill up to see that this is an issue of ACT Labor's making.

''Canberrans shouldn't be paying $12 million a year for empty buses because ACT Labor can't manage ACTION.''