Passengers return to ACT buses and light rail despite route cuts

More than 1.2 million passenger journeys were taken across bus and light rail services in Canberra in February, the highest number of journeys in a month since the start of the COVID-19 era.

An average of 18,177 daily weekend journeys were made across the network in February, which equated to a 26 per cent increase on February 2019, the government said.

Transport Minister Chris Steel said the government's aim was public transport patronage made a full recovery from the impacts of COVID-19.

"It's great to see more Canberrans returning to public transport after the pandemic saw patronage drop in cities around the world," Mr Steel said.

"More than 100,000 passenger journeys were recorded during the National Multicultural Festival alone, which means our public transport recovery is gathering real pace."

Mr Steel said improvements to the bus network, including new electric buses, the replacement of outdated diesel buses and a new ticketing system, were designed to make taking trips easy and comfortable.

Transport Canberra cut the number of bus services each day in the 2023 timetable, saying delays on the road network related to light rail works meant the same number of drivers could deliver fewer services.

Mr Steel defended cuts to late-night bus services, saying just 0.2 per cent of bus boardings on weekdays were made after 11pm, or just one in every 500 boardings.

The cuts were made on a "data-informed" basis, he said.

"The timetable ensures bus services are scheduled at levels that are responsive to when passengers travel the most," Mr Steel said in February.

The Transport Minister told the Legislative Assembly about half of all bus boardings during the week are during the peak hours, between 7am and 9am, and 3pm and 6pm.

About 90 per cent of weekday boardings on the bus network are recorded between 7am and 7pm, he said.

The timetable reduces the number of services on some suburban routes by up to 10 runs on weekdays and makes cuts to some late-night services. Light rail services have continued at the same frequency.

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Meanwhile, a new ticketing system for Canberra's public transport network will be developed over the next year after the territory finally signed a contract to overhaul the way passengers pay for their journeys.

The ACT government last month signed a long-awaited contract with NEC Australia to deliver MyWay+, which will replace the territory's ageing smartcard-based system.

The new system will allow passengers to pay for their bus and light rail fares with their credit or debit cards, including those linked to phones and smart watches.

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