13/04/2026
The Mercury 13/4/2026
Hobart bus network receives major overhaul as passenger demand grows
Greater Hobart bus schedules will soon be updated, including new Sunday services for a popular northern suburbs route, as demand for public transport grows.
Bus timetables across Greater Hobart will change next month as demand for public transport services grows amid high fuel costs.
As part of the updates, Brighton will also receive new Sunday services from May 3, matching the current Saturday timetable.
It marks the first phase of the government’s Greater Hobart Bus Network plan, which aims to improve bus services by updating routes to boost reliability and convenience for commuters.
Transport minister Kerry Vincent said the first phase was about “finetuning” bus services and timetables to ensure they met demand.
“There hasn’t been a review done of the public system for over a decade now,” he said.
“Populations have grown in certain areas and the geographics have changed.
“This allows us to finetune present systems, even only by a few minutes here and there, so (it’s) more practical.
He said there would be no reduction in the number of services across the Greater Hobart network.
The next phase of the review will involve a period of consultation with the community over the broader draft network changes.
Metro Tasmania CEO Jess Paton said whether cut services would be restored – including the 18 cut by Metro in 2023 – would be determined over the consultation period.
“That would be part of our future planning to be in collaboration between Metro and the Department of State Growth,” she said.
“All the services that are currently offered will remain the same for the first phase of the network review.”
It comes as the uptake of Metro services has increased following the state government’s move to make public transport free until July 1 in response to surging fuel costs.
Greens leader Rosalie Woodruff welcomed the announcement, saying anything that improved the bus network, including expanding free public transport and increasing driver wages, was critical.
Ms Paton said Metro was keen to “continue the conversation with the department around free transport”.
Updated school bus timetables are now available to preview on the Metro website.
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