The ACT Government has released a revised public transport network and timetable for 2026, as the Commonwealth Avenue Bridge renewal project is expected to significantly disrupt traffic.

One span of the bridge will be closed from 7 January, but transport minister Chris Steel MLA said the full impact on travel times would be felt once school resumes.

“I acknowledge that it is going to be incredibly disruptive for Canberrans while the Federal Government’s bridge works are underway,” Mr Steel said. “We have worked hard to make sure we deliver a reliable bus network during the construction period with capacity to move as many Canberrans as possible.”

The updated bus network, beginning on 2 February, is designed around traffic modelling showing the southbound morning peak will be most affected: travel times are expected to increase by around 13 minutes, reducing to an extra 7 minutes by the afternoon peak.

School services will continue — including four new routes — and rapid services will run every 15 minutes, with additional articulated buses.

However, some services will be reduced and routes changed due to construction.

An updated network map is available today to assist with early planning. The public can check real-time traffic conditions on Waze Navigation and Live Traffic, Google Maps, and Apple Maps.

Normal frequencies and Rapid routes will resume in two years’ time when construction work on the Bridge is finished.

Mr Steel said the government will increase frequencies above normal levels and add additional Rapid routes.

“I am committed to revising the bus timetable once the community has had some time to adjust to the new traffic environment and we understand what the actual impacts are on travel times,” Mr Steel said.

The existing Fare Free Friday trial will end on Friday 12 December. From 13 December, a new initiative will provide free travel on all buses and light rail every Friday and Saturday from 6pm, to support the night-time economy. The trial will run until 28 February 2026.

“The new free night-time travel trial is intended to encourage Canberrans to get out and support our great food and entertainment businesses across the city,” Mr Steel said. “Go out for dinner or a drink over the summer and you can enjoy a free ride home on a bus or light rail.”

Eight new Transit Enforcement Officers on bus stops will deter anti-social behaviour and support drivers.

Recently passed laws allow Transport Canberra Officers and ACT Police to order aggressive people away from interchanges and bus stops.

ACT Greens ‘deeply disappointed’

The ACT Greens criticised the decision to delay releasing full timetable details until the end of the parliamentary year, arguing Labor was using process to shield itself from scrutiny and public accountability.

Greens transport spokesperson Andrew Braddock MLA said the cuts to the rapid R2 and R3 routes would significantly disrupt daily travel for thousands of residents.

“The impact of this decision cannot be overstated,” he said. “How are people expected to get to work, get their kids to school, or meet their daily commitments without these rapid, essential routes?”

Mr Braddock said the changes risk pushing people off public transport and into cars, worsening congestion, and argued the government continued to prioritise inner-city suburbs over outer-Canberra communities.

“Residents in Canberra’s outer areas deserve the same level of reliable public transport as those in the inner city, but Labor continues to leave them behind.”

The Greens have launched a petition to reinstate the West Belconnen R2 and R3 rapid routes.

Canberra Liberals

Opposition leader Mark Parton MLA, Shadow Minister for Transport, said: “The Minister is scrambling to manage the chaos of his own making. Instead of delivering a strong network, Labor is asking Canberrans to accept slower buses, reduced rapid routes, and a timetable built around gridlock.  He said on local radio this morning that he will ‘revise the network later’, which only highlights the absence of a credible plan now.”

PTCBR

The Public Transport Association of Canberra (PTCBR) said the revised network reflects the unavoidable reality of losing half the lanes on a major arterial route. Chair Dr Amy Jelacic said designing a reliable timetable was crucial.

“The reality is that losing half the lanes on Commonwealth Avenue Bridge is going to cause significant disruption to our bus network whether we like it or not,” Dr Jelacic said.

“While it’s painful to see frequency reductions, we accept that Transport Canberra has to design a network that it can reliably deliver in heavily congested conditions. We want bus passengers to be able to trust that their bus will show up when it’s supposed to.”

Dr Jelacic welcomed the use of high-capacity buses on the R4 route, and urged the government to retain them beyond the construction period.

“Running higher capacity buses on our busiest routes just makes sense, regardless of the bridge works,” she said.

PTCBR emphasised that the cuts must not become permanent.

“This is a two-year construction project, and we will be watching closely to ensure that temporary cuts do not become the new normal,” she said.

Dr Jelacic added that the disruption reinforced the need for light rail to Woden, arguing that a separated corridor would provide reliability “regardless of what’s happening on the road”.