The $370,000, two year arrangement looks like it is here to stay after the politically-driven decision to keep the expanded department's workforce in two separate locations in the capital.

Immigration has hired local transport outfit CBD Chauffeured Transport to ferry the bureaucrats between the old Customs headquarters in Civic and Immigration's long-term office accommodation 9 kilometres north in Belconnen.

A spokesman confirmed the bus was needed to take officials between the two sites as they go about their daily business.

"The department currently uses a shuttle bus service to enable staff to transit between the city and Belconnen to assist in the delivery of daily work requirements," the spokesman said.

"This service is currently the most effective and cost-efficient method available when compared to other modes of transport."

When Immigration and Customs first merged to form Australian Border Force, the expanded department put out the call for a giant new 80,000 square meter building, no further than 10 kilometres from Parliament House.

The tender was seen as a boon to the struggling Canberra commercial real estate market with several developers around town vying for Immigration's signature as it moved towards its stated goal of bringing its 5500 Canberra-based public servants together in a single location.

But a fierce bi-partisan political backlash, combined with pressure from commercial interests in Belconnen, including retail giant Westfield, ensured that any move of the 4000 Immigration public servants based there became impossible.

Commonwealth property guidelines were also changed as a result of the saga so that "local impacts" must now be considered in any significant move.

A compromise position was announced last week with the 1500 Civic-based public servants to move to a state-of-the art new building at Canberra Airport .

Trouble is, the airport is 16 kilometres from Belconnen so departmental officials face their daily bus trips for the foreseeable future.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the Immigration Department was spending $7000 a week on a shuttle bus. This was based on incorrect information posted on the AusTender website. The actual cost of the bus is $3500 per week