Replying to questions on notice from Liberal MLA Alistair Coe, Transport Minister Jon Stanhope said the cost of running buses between depots and the start of routes was $27,725 every weekday and $13,693 on weekends.

''It's something we've been aware of for years and something we have been chipping away at over time. Indeed, it's a significant issue of almost 3.5 million kilometres of dead running in the ACT each year,'' Mr Stanhope said.

He said the Government slashed dead running by 5per cent last year.

''Indeed, we've brought it down from 30 per cent of total kilometres driven in 2005 to just 16 per cent.''

But Mr Coe accused the Government of mismanagement.

''I don't think anyone in Canberra would expect ACTION buses to spend $8 million a year on empty buses running from the depot to where they start ... When it comes down to it, every single four days you have ACTION buses running empty around the equator around the entire world. It's absolutely absurd to have such a huge expense that taxpayers are forced into paying,'' he said.

Yesterday Mr Stanhope announced a proposal to cut dead-running kilometres by reopening a satellite bus depot at Phillip and a commissioning a new depot in Mitchell.

Currently there are only two bus depots, in Belconnen and Tuggeranong, servicing the whole of Canberra.

''It did exacerbate the issues when we closed Phillip,'' Mr Stanhope said.

For more on this story, see the print edition of today's Canberra Times.