A guide to the changes in fares and bus routes introduced to Canberra’s bus network in July 1994, ahead of the network commencing operations on 1 August 1994.

The Network was detailed in Bus Book 4. 

Fares
The cost of prepurchased tickets was increased on 1 July 1994. Cash fares were not increased. Fares are as follows:

ADULT
Cash – $2.00
Fare Go 10 – $!1.00
Daily – $5.00
Weekly – $18.50
Monthly – $70.00

CONCESSION
Cash – $1.00
Fare Go 10 – $6.50
Daily – $2.50
Weekly – $9.30
Monthly – $35.00
Quarterly – $82.00

In conjunction with the increases in non-cash fares, full adult fares must now be paid on all 700 series Commuter Express services. It is understood that this change is designed to discourage students from travelling on these services.

Services

ACTION’s revised route structure, known as Network 94, came into operation on 1 August 1994. Principal features of the changes are:

– The introduction of five new 700 series City Express services

– The combination of 14 routes to form seven loop services

– The renumbering of 11 routes (including eight of the routes combined to form loop services and the deletion of one route

– Route 333 running times reduced by almost ten minutes

– The turn around time at suburban termini has been either eliminated, or if the destination signs have to be changed, reduced to two minut

– The complete elimination of turn-around time on some routes means that vehicles on these routes display the same destination sign for both inbound and outbound journeys

– Loop routes continue to operate to the same frequencies as the routes from which they were formed. Thus where one route operated every 30 minutes while the other operated every 40 minutes, the loop operates every 30 minutes in one direction and every 40 minutes in the other.

Summary of Major ACTION Network 94 Route Changes
Route 100 Tuggeranong to Theodore
Service re-routed via Bonython

Route 102  Tuggeranong to Bonython
Service replaced by diversion of Route 100

Route 103 Tuggeranong – Gordon / Route 104 Tuggeranong to South Gordon via Conder and Banks
Services combined and operated as clockwise (104) and anti-clockwise (103) loops

Route 200 Woden to Farrer / Route 203 Woden to Isaacs
Services combined and operated as clockwise (203) and anti-clockwise (200) loops

Route 302 City Loop via Campbell Park / Route 303 City to Campbell
Services combined and operated as clockwise (302) and anti-clockwise (303) loops

Route 411 Belconnen to Spence via Evatt South West / Route 415 Belconnen to Fraser West via Flynn
Services combined and operated as clockwise (402) and anti-clockwise (401) loops

Route 412 Belconnen to Spence via McKellar / Route 413 Belconnen to Spence via Melba
Services combined and operated as clockwise (403) and anti-clockwise (404) loops

Route 414 Belconnen to Fraser West via Melba / Route 450 Belconnen to Fraser West via Kippax
Services combined and operated as clockwise (406) and anti-clockwise (405) loops

Route 453 Belconnen to Kippax via Latham / Route 470 Belconnen to Kippax via Holt
Services combined and operated as clockwise (408) and anti-clockwise (407) loops

Route 455 Belconnen to Macgregor via Kippax
Service renumbered 409

Route 471 Belconnen to Kippax via Hawker
Service renumbered 410

Route 410 Belconnen to Dickson
Service renumbered 432

Route 714 Banks to City via Conder (Commuter Express)
New Service

Route 715 Gordon to City (Commuter Express)
New Service

Route 721 Rivett to City via Holder and Duffy (Commuter Express)
New Service

Route 741 Fraser East to City (Commuter Express)
New Service

Route 750 Nicholls to City via Ngunnawal (Commuter Express)
New Service

Light rail for Canberra?
On 13 October, the Canberra Times reported that Booz Allen and Hamilton had been reatined by the ACT Government to advise whether Canberra should move directly to a rail network as proposed by a previous transport study.

BA&H will report on detailed costs and benefits of a light rail system in Canberra. This would include identifying the most appropriate technology, the routes which would be best served by light rail and the potential of light rail to indluence residential and office development along the routes. The study was expected to be completed by the end of 1994.

Urban services minister David Lamont said the Government’s vision extends to 2020 hwere public transport would play a major role in the mobility of citizens without disturbing the natural environment “Wit hthe right approach to light rail implementation there is an opportunity to begin catering now to the city’s longer term needs” he said.

It is understood that the Government envisages Stage One of a light rail system being a line from Gungahlin to Woden via City, with later stages including lines from City to Belconnen, Woden to Tuggeranong and Weston Creek and Belconnen to Gungahlin. Eventually, a line would be built in Symonston, the site of Canberra’s next town.

This page was last updated on 3 May 2021