Nightrider was a set of services which ran during the festive season. For a flat fare with no concessions, patrons could catch a bus home from the City Bus Station.
From 1999 to 2005, and again in 2010, a ‘Club Loop’ service operated between the City, Kingston and Manuka.
For most years the services run on the Friday and Saturday nights from the start of December until the weekend before Christmas, and again on New Year’s Eve. But in 2010, the ACT Greens persuaded the Government to trial an expansion of this service which ran from 3 December 2010 to 26 February 2011, essentially covering the entire Summer season.
Services are not provided on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, where those days fall on a Friday or Saturday (in 2010, for example, all three of these days fell on Friday and Saturdays)
In 2010 the Nightrider services were operated by Deanes Transit Group for a fare of $10 for suburban services and $5 for the club loop.
In 2011, Nightrider services returned to ACTION, the fare was reduced to $5 and it operated only during December and on New Year’s Eve.
In an attempt to encourage more passengers, the 2013 Nightrider services were fare-free. This trial did not deliver improved patronage, so the $5 fare returned for 2014.
The rise of the ride-share market, and public transport service hours increasing saw the quiet discontinuation of the Nightrider service after the 2015-16 new year period.
Nightrider Service Numbers: 2010
December 2010 – January 2011
1G City, Action, Turner, O’Connor, Lyneham, Mitchell, Franklin, Palmerston, Nicholls, Ngunnawal, Casey, Gungahlin Market Place
2G City, Braddon, Ainslie, Dickson, Hackett, Downer, Watson, Harrison, Gungahlin, Amaroo, Gungahlin Marketplace, Bonner, Forde
3B City, Aranda, Cook, Macquarie, Jamison, Hawker, Weetangera, Scullin, Page, Holt, Kippax, Higgins, Latham, Macgregor, Emu Ridge, AIS, Bruce, Fern Hill, UC
4B City, Giralang, Kaleen, McKellar, Evatt, Melba, Spence, Flynn, Fraser, Florey, Dunlop, Charnwood, Emu Ridge, AIS, Bruce, Fern Hill, UC
5SC City, Parkes, Barton, Kingston, Manuka, Griffith, Narrabundah, Red Hill, Forrest, Deakin, Yarralumla, Curtin, Hughes, Garran, Lyons, Phillip, Woden Town Centre
6SC City, Weston Creek, Chifley, Pearce, Torrens, Mawson, Farrer, Isaacs, O’Malley, Phillip, Woden Town Centre
7T City, Kambah, Wanniassa, Erindale, Monash, Oxley, Isabella Plains, Bonython, Greenway, Tuggeranong Town Centre
8T City, Fadden, Macarthur, Gowrie, Gilmore, Chisholm, Richardson, Calwell, Theodore, Conder, Banks, Gordon
9KMC Kingston, Manuka, City shuttle
February 2011
2G – North Canberra and Gungahlin – City, Action, Braddon, Turner, O’Connor, Lyneham, Ainslie, Dickson, Hackett, Downer, Watson, Harrison, Gungahlin, Amaroo, Bonner, Forde, Mitchell, Franklin, Palmerston, Nicholls, Ngunnawal, Casey, Gungahlin Market Place
4B – Belconnen – Giralang, Kaleen, McKellar, Evatt, Melba, Spence, Flynn, Fraser, Florey, Dunlop, Charnwood, Aranda, Cook, Macquarie, Jamison, Hawker, Weetangera, Scullin, Page, Holt, Kippax, Higgins, Latham, Macgregor, Emu Ridge, AIS, Bruce, Fern Hill, UC
6SC – South Canberra, Woden and Weston Creek – Parkes, Barton, Kingston, Manuka, Griffith, Narrabundah, Red Hill, Forrest, Deakin, Yarralumla, all Weston Creek suburbs, Curtin, Hughes, Garran, Lyons, Chifley, Pearce, Torrens, Mawson, Farrer, Isaacs, O’Malley, Phillip, Woden Town Centre
8T – Tuggeranong – Fadden, Macarthur, Gowrie, Gilmore, Chisholm, Richardson, Calwell, Theodore, Conder, Banks, Gordon, Kambah, Wanniassa, Erindale, Monash, Oxley, Isabella Plains, Bonython, Greenway, Tuggeranong Town Centre
9KMC – Kingston, Manuka, City shuttle
Nightrider Service Numbers: 2006 – 2009, 2011 – 2013
970 Gungahlin via Acton, Turner, O’Connor, Lyneham, Mitchell, Palmerston, Nicholls, Ngunnawal, Casey, Crace
971 Gungahlin via Braddon, Ainslie, Dickson, Hackett, Downer, Watson, Harrison, Gungahlin, Amaroo, Bonner, Forde
972 South Belconnen, Emu Ridge, Bruce
973 North Belconnen, Emu Ridge, Bruce
974 North Woden via Parkes, Barton, Kingston, Manuka, Griffith, Narrabundah
975 Weston Creek via Chifley, Phillip, Pearce, Torrens, Mawson, Farrer, Isaacs, O’Malley
976 Tuggeranong Town Centre via Kambah, Wanniassa, Erindale Centre, Monash, Oxley, Isabella Plains, Bonython, Greenway
977 South Tuggeranong via Fadden, Macarthur, Gowrie, Gilmore, Chisholm, Richardson, Calwell, Theodore, Conder, Banks, Gordon
Nightrider Service Numbers: 2000 – 2005
910 – Tuggeranong
911 – Lanyon
912 – Weston
913 – Manuka and Kingston (Club Loop)
914 – Belconnen West
915 – Belconnen East
916 – Gungahlin
Nightrider 1999
In 1999, in addition to the suburban services, Route 390 operated as a “Club Loop” that linked the City with Kingston and Manuka every thirty minutes, for $2.00. Nightrider ran every Friday and Saturday night from 12 November until 18 December and again on 31 December.
Route 190 City to Theodore via Southlands, Wanniassa, Fadden, Isabella Plains, Gilmore, Richardson, Chisholm and Calwell
Services departed City Interchange Platform 4 from 11.45pm and continued hourly until 6:45am
Route 191 City to Banks via Kambah, Oxley, Greenway, Bonython, Monash, Gordon and Conder
Services departed City Interchange Platform 4 from 11.13pm and continued hourly until 6.13am
Route 290 City Interchange to Chapman via Woden Interchange, Weston, Waramanga, Holder, Duffy, Stirling, Rivett and Fisher
Services departed City Interchange Platform 4 from 11.43pm and continued hourly until 6.43am
Route 291 City Loop via Campbell, Duntroon, Narrabundah and Deakin
Services departed City Interchange Platform 4 from 11.42pm and continued hourly until 6:42am
Route 390 City Loop via Manuka and Kingston
Services departed City Interchange Platform 4 from 11:15pm and continued half hourly until 6:45am (24 minute route)
Route 490 City to Emu Bank via Aranda, Cook, Macquarie, Jamieson, Hawker, Weetangera, Page, Scullin, Holt, Higgins, Latham, Macgregor, Dunlop and Charnwood
Services departed City Interchange Platform 4 from 11:15pm and continued hourly until 6:15am
Route 491 City to University of Canberra via Giralang, Kaleen, Evatt, McKellar, Melba, Spence, Fraser, Flynn, Bruce, Florey and Belconnen Interchange
Services departed City Interchange Platform 4 from 11:15pm and continued hourly until 6:15am
Route 590 – City to Federation Square via Northbourne Ave, EPIC, Palmerston, Amaroo, Ngunnawal and Nicholls
Services departed City Interchange Platform 4 from 11:15pm and continued hourly until 6:15am
This page was last updated on 6 August 2022
