Hobart Bus Mall
Metro bus in the bus mall,Elizabeth Street, 2014
General information
Location	Elizabeth Street Macquarie Street Liverpool Street
Coordinates	42°52′56.9″S147°19′46.4″E / 42.882472°S 147.329556°E /-42.882472; 147.329556
System	Bus interchange
Owned by	City of Hobart
Operated by	Metro Tasmania
Platforms	12
Connections	Coach (Murray Street) Ferry (Brooke Street Pier) SkyBus (Brooke Street Pier)
Construction
Parking	No
Bicycle facilities	Yes
Accessible	yes
History
Previous names	GPO Terminus
Location

TheHobart Bus Mall (also called theHobart City Interchange) is the main urbanbus interchange forMetro Tasmania in theHobart central business district. Situated onElizabeth Street, it serves daily commuters from suburbs, nearby cities, and towns includingClarence,Glenorchy,Richmond,Cambridge andKingborough. The interchange spans Elizabeth Street betweenMacquarie andCollins streets, with additionalbus stops atFranklin Square and one onLiverpool Street near theElizabeth Street Mall's north end. The interchange is within 500 metres (1,600 ft) of connectingcoach services (operated byTassielink) onMurray Street,ferry services andairport bus services (operated bySkyBus) atBrooke Street Pier.

The Hobart Bus Mall has historically been a hub for various transportation routes connecting different parts of Hobart and its surrounding areas. Serving as a central transfer point where passengers can switch between lines, the interchange has a long history of public transportation, previously offeringhorse-drawn carriages,trams,trolley-buses andtaxis.^[1]Commencing operations on 23 September 1893, theHobart Electric Tram Company's city interchange was established outside theHobart General Post Office onElizabeth Street. A small tramwayshelter, named the "pagoda" was erected on Elizabeth Street to provide protection for tramway officers in 1935.^[2]Trams ceased operations in Hobart on 21 October 1960. Trolley-buses ran from 29 October 1935 until 22 November 1968. Following the closure ofHobart railway station on 18 July 1978, the Hobart Bus Mall became the city's primary public transportation hub.

On 19 November 1991, an eight bay bus station opened with Elizabeth Street closed betweenCollins andMacquarie streets to normal traffic.^[3]

In 2015, theHobart City Council announced a $2 million upgrade to the mall.^[4][5]The upgrades include double the sheltered space, 3-meter-wide pedestrian footpaths, additional seating, improved lighting and bike racks.^[6]Commencing in 2017, work on the upgrades was divided into multiple stages^[7] as a means to minimise disrupting services^[8] and the bus mall reopened in October 2020.^[9]

TheTasmanian Liberals released a public transport policy document showcasing a new underground bus mall for the2018 Tasmanian state election. The plan included concept designs of a new revitalised Elizabeth Street interchange featuring asunken courtyard with astepped profile, Macquarie Street as anoverpass bridge, withrapid transportelectric buses, premiumbus stops featuringdigital signage and amenities. Infrastructure MinisterRene Hidding announced that if the Liberal government was re-elected, they would take over management ofDavey andMacquarie streets from the Hobart City Council.^[10] With a cost exceeding $100m, Hidding noted the project would take two years to construct. In spite of the reelection of the Liberal Government, the project has seen no advancement.^[11]

After the adoption of the ten-year strategic plan by theHobart City Council, titledHobart: A community vision for our island capital, specific areas within Hobart's CBD, including the Hobart Bus Mall, were designated as smoke-free zones starting from 15 April 2020.^[12]

Commencing in July 2023, the City of Hobart, in collaboration with theDepartment of State Growth, activated twopedestrian scrambles, granting pedestrians the ability to traverse in any direction when thetraffic signal is green. The initial phase has been initiated at the intersections of Liverpool and Collins Streets, situated at either end of the Elizabeth Street Mall.

Along Elizabeth Street, the Hobart Bus Mall hasbus stops outside theHobart GPO (A1, A2),NAB House (A3),Franklin Square (D3) and theHobart Town Hall (D4). OnMacquarie Street, there are stops situated outside the Colonial Mutual Life Building (C1) and Franklin Square (D1, D2). Situated at the northern end of theElizabeth Street Mall is a single stop (L1) located onLiverpool Street, facilitating services to the suburbs ofMount Stuart andWest Hobart.

A Metro shop located at 40 Elizabeth Street is open from 8 am to 6 pm, Monday to Friday. Duringdaylight savings time in Tasmania, it also operates from 9:30 am to 2 pm on Saturdays. The shop offers free bus schedules and assistance for bus routes, timings, fares, and discounts.

Hobart's bus routes are numbered with three digits, according to their geographical area:

• Routes for destinations numbers south of Hobart City Centre are prefixed with4.
• Routes for destinations numbers north of Hobart City Centre are prefixed with5.
• Routes for destinations numbers east of Hobart City Centre are prefixed with6.
• Express route variants are prefixed withX.
• School bus routes on the western side of the River Derwent are prefixed with2 series, and on the eastern shore they are prefixed with3. For morning services the third digit is odd, in the afternoon it is even.^[13]

• Bus stations in Australia
• Buildings and structures in Hobart
• Transport in Hobart

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