Empty ACTION buses are travelling more than 17,000 kilometres every day – further than a return trip to Pyongyang – and costing ACT taxpayers up to $17 million each year.
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ACT Government figures show that on an average working day, dead runs (bus movements without passengers) from depots to the start or finishing point of a route cost $47,765, which equates to more than $17 million over 12 months.
Despite the ACT Government committing to reduce the costs of dead running the expenses remain close to the figures reported two years ago.
A Territory and Municipal Services (TAMS) spokesman said the 2021 dead runs undertaken each weekday amounted to 18.3 per cent of all distances covered by ACTION buses, which is still higher than the national benchmark of 17.4 per cent.
"Approximately 35 per cent of dead running comes from vehicles travelling to and from depots for peak and off-peak periods," he said.
"ACTION has slightly higher dead running than the national benchmark due to the geographically spread-out nature of our city [and] the fact that school services are integrated into the ACTION network and not run by another contractor," he said.
In 2012, ACTION buses travelled up to 19,000km each day, which was further than a return trip to Beijing and equated to 19.9 per cent of all distances covered by the services each day.
But deputy opposition leader Alistair Coe has accused the government of allowing ACTION to underperform to make light rail look good in comparison.
"The government's management of ACTION leaves a lot to be desired," he said.
"The latest dead-running figures suggest that Rattenbury and Labor have all but given up in trying to improve ACTION's operations.
"Buses in Canberra have great potential but they need to be managed properly."
In 2012, then TAMS Minister Katy Gallagher said the proposed reopening of the Woden bus depot and new bus networks would bring the ACT result back below 18 per cent.
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.
Despite years of discussion, the Woden depot has not been reopened despite being included into a broader study of ACTION's future requirements.
"Future depot planning is being done with a view to locating them in places where they will result in reduced dead running," he said.
"For example, a Woden depot would be suitable due to its proximity to the Woden Bus Station to start in service trips.
The launch of a new bus network this year increasedservices across the territory with a TAMS spokesman describing the risk of dead running as a "continual challenge".
"The introduction of Network 14 has seen an increase of in service trips to 3402, however, there has been a reduction overall in the percentage of dead running," he said.
"The commissioning of two meal/toilet facilities in Gungahlin allows vehicles to stay out on the road during shifts to meal as there is no requirement to return to the depot to undertake such breaks due to the new facilities provided."
Two years ago, Mr Coe described the issue of dead runs as an "absurd and unnecessary waste of taxpayer money".
"This is misuse of taxpayer money at its worst and comes down to basic management," he 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."
