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| Parent | Transport Canberra & City Services |
|---|---|
| Commenced operation | 19 July 1926 |
| Headquarters | Greenway |
| Locale | Canberra |
| Service type | Bus services |
| Hubs | City Interchange |
| Depots | 3 |
| Fleet | 458 (December 2021) |
| Annual ridership | 17.8 million (2015/16) |
| Chief Operating Officer | Bren Burkevics |
| Website | www |
ACTION (Australian Capital Territory Internal Omnibus Network) is a bus operator inCanberra, Australia, and is owned by theGovernment of the Australian Capital Territory.
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On 19 July 1926, theFederal Capital Commission commenced operating public bus services between Eastlake (nowKingston) in the south andAinslie in the north.[1]
The service was first known as Canberra City Omnibus Service, but it has had a number of names over the years, including Canberra City Bus Service, Canberra Omnibus Service and Canberra Bus Service. On 14 February 1977, it was renamed as the Australian Capital Territory Internal Omnibus Network, or ACTION for short.[1][2]
In 1976, Canberra became the first city in Australia to operatearticulated buses after the purchase of 25MAN SG192s.[3][4] In May 1982, ACTION commenced operating the Canberra Explorer in a joint venture withMurrays.[5]
As part of the move toACT self-government, responsibility for ACTION passed from thefederal government to theACT Government in 1989. In 2001, ACTION became astatutory authority.[6]
In June 2018, the ACT Government released a proposal for changes to the bus network to coincide with the opening of theLight Rail which included a 7-day network with 10 rapid routes and an overhaul of the route numbers.[7] The proposed changes caused controversy due to changes toschool services and the removal of allXpresso services.[8] Public consultation for the proposal lasted between June and August 2018 and a modified proposal was released in October 2018.[9][10] The starting date of the new bus network was pushed back to 29 April 2019 due to delays on the construction of the Light Rail.[11]
ACTION is a business unit of the Public Transport Division ofTransport Canberra & City Services. Transport Canberra was formed on 1 July 2016 by combining the Public Transport Division andCapital Metro Agency to manage all public transport operations within the ACT.[12][13][14]
ACTION operates a 7-day network of bus routes including nine main routes and 48 local routes.[15]
Route R2 is alimited stop service betweenFraser,Kippax,Belconnen,City,Parkes,Barton and Iron Knob Street,Fyshwick (at theCanberra Outlet Centre).
It operates at a 15-minute frequency on weekdays and it operates at a 30-minute frequency on weekends and public holidays.[16]
Route R3 is a limited stop service betweenSpence,Belconnen,City,Russell Offices andCanberra Airport.
It operates at a 15-minute frequency on weekdays and it operates at a 30-minute frequency on weekends and public holidays.[17]
Route R4 services provide a high-frequency link betweenBelconnen,City,Woden andTuggeranong.
It operates at a 5 to 10-minute frequency on weekdays and it operates at a 15-minute frequency on weekends and public holidays.[18]
Route R5 is a high-frequency link between theCity,Woden,Erindale Centre,Calwell Centre andLanyon Marketplace.
It operates at a 15-minute frequency on weekdays and it operates at a 30-minute frequency on weekends and public holidays.[19]
Route R6 is a high-frequency link between theCity,Parkes,Barton,Kingston,Manuka,Narrabundah, theCanberra Hospital andWoden.
It operates at a 15-minute frequency on weekdays and it operates at a 30-minute frequency on weekends and public holidays.[20]
Route R7 is anexpress link between theCity,Cooleman Court andChapman.
It operates at a 15-minute frequency on weekdays and it operates at a 30-minute frequency on weekends and public holidays.[21]
Route R8 is a direct main route between theGungahlin Town Centre and the bus stations atBelconnen.
It operates at a 15-minute frequency on weekdays and it operates at a 30-minute frequency on weekends and public holidays.[22]
Route R9 is an east-west link betweenBelconnen,Canberra Stadium,Dickson andWatson.
It operates at a 15-minute frequency on weekdays and it operates at a 30-minute frequency on weekends and public holidays.[23]
Route R10 is a direct link betweenDenman Prospect and theCity.
It operates at a 30-minute frequency on weekdays, weekends and public holidays.[24]
ACTION's regular weekday services operate either as feeder services to a single town centre or connect two or three town centres via suburban streets.
During weekends and public holidays, ACTION provides a reduced level of service with most suburban routes operating with an hourly or two-hourly frequency.
ACTION operates 3 weekday peak hour routes as an express service between outer suburbs ofTuggeranong and theCity. These routes are numbered in the 100 series.
ACTION trialled a shuttle bus loop service fromCanberra Airport to theFairbairn Business Park on a three month trial basis. The service operated from 7am until 10am in the morning and again from 4pm until 7pm in the afternoon on weekdays.[25]
School services are provided by ACTION to schools and colleges throughout the ACT. These are numbered in the 1000 and 2000 series.[26]
ACTION also operates thespecial needs transport division which provides transport for school students with a disability. This division is operated using a dedicated fleet of wheelchair-accessibleminibuses.
The Flexible bus service operates on weekdays to provide a free, basic bus service to passengers with limited access to normal public transport options.[27] Six services operate daily providing a pick up service in the morning from designated suburbs to shopping centres and hospitals, with return services operating in the afternoon.
These bus services are operated by the special needs transport minibuses.
There are four cash fare options on ACTION:
Concession tickets are available to school students, full-time tertiary students, seniors card holders and various government concession card holders.[28]
The pre-paidticketing system operated by the ACT Government is known as MyWay.[29] It usescontactless smart cards withMIFARE-Technology onto which credit is loaded. Passengers are required to 'tag on' when boarding the bus and 'tag off' when exiting, at which point the appropriate fare is calculated and, if required, deducted from the stored value on the MyWay card.
The MyWay system uses Parkeon software and equipment includingWayfarer 200 consoles[30] andAxio card readers.[31] The system was built and installed by Parkeon's Australian distributor,Downer EDi.[32] Instead of being developed from scratch, MyWay was adapted fromTransperth'sSmartRider system which also uses Parkeon hardware and software.[33][34]
As at February 2023, ACTION's route service fleet consisted of 459 buses.[35]
| Chassis | Body | Type | Air con |  |  | Notes | Number in service | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Renault PR100.2 | Ansair[36] | Step entrance rigid, Diesel | ✓ | Branded asMacks | 4 (used for driver training) |  | ||
| Irisbus Agora | Custom Coaches CB60[37] | Low-floor rigid, Euro II Diesel | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Originally ordered byKing Brothers | 17 | |
| Scania L94UB | Custom Coaches CB60[38] | Low-floor rigid,CNG | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | 54 (all to be withdrawn within the next few years) |  | |
| MAN A69 18.310 HOCL-NL | Custom Coaches CB60 Evo II[39] | Low-floor rigid, CNG | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | 16 |  | |
| MAN A69 18.310 HOCL-R-NL | Custom Coaches CB60 Evo II | Low-floor rigid,Euro IV Diesel | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | 2 | ||
| MAN A69 18.320 HOCL-NL/E5 | Custom Coaches CB60 Evo II[40] | Low-floor rigid,Euro V Diesel | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | 87 | .jpg) | |
| Scania K320UB 6x2*4 | Custom Coaches CB60 Evo II[41] | Low-floor rigidtri-axle (steerable-tag), Euro V Diesel | ✓ | ✓ | 26 |  | ||
| Scania K360UA 6x2/2 | Custom CB80[42] | Low-floor articulated, Euro V/EEV Diesel | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Fitted with bike racks in June 2017[43] | 33 | |
| Scania K320UB 4x2 | Custom CB80 | Low-floor rigid,Euro VI Diesel | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | 82 | ||
| Scania K320UB 4x2 | Bustech VST | Low-floor rigid,Euro VI Diesel | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | [44] | 71 | _Bustech_VST_bodied_Scania_K320UB_4x2_(Euro_VI)_departing_City_Bus_Station.jpg) |
| Scania K360UA 6x2/2 | Volgren Optimus | Low-floor articulated, Euro VI/EEV Diesel | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | 11 | _Volgren_Optimus_bodied_Scania_K360UA_6x2-2_(Euro_VI)_at_the_intersection_of_Alinga_St_and_Northbourne_Ave_(1).jpg) | |
| Scania K320UB 4x2 | Volgren Optimus | Low-floor rigid,Euro VI Diesel | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | 20 | _Volgren_Optimus_bodied_Scania_K320UB_4x2_(Euro_VI)_at_City_Bus_Station.jpg) | |
| Hino Poncho | Low-floor midibus,Euro V Diesel | ✓ | ✓ | Only operates on route 903 | 2 | |||
| Yutong ZK6131HG1 | Yutong E12 | Low-floor rigid, Battery electric | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | 12 | |
Bicycle racks have been fitted to the front of 94% of the buses in the fleet. Each rack can hold two bicycles. Passengers may load a bicycle onto the rack for free, but must pay a regular fare to travel on the bus.[45]
Apart from buses withall over advertising or special designs, ACTION's fleet sport either a blue, orange and white (Renault buses) or a green, orange and white livery (all other buses). In December 2016, a predominantly blue livery was introduced.[46][47]
ACTION'sSpecial Needs Transport division operates a fleet of eighteenMitsubishi Fuso Rosa minibuses. These buses are white in colour and do not operate on route services.
ACTION also operateToyota Hiace Commuter andHyundai iMax vans which can be used to transport passengers,Hino Dutro trucks used by mechanics to attend broken down buses and a singleMack tow truck.
ACTION's heritage fleet consists of a 1949AEC Regal III[48] and a 1961AEC Reliance.
Until the mid-1970s, purchases mainly comprised heavyweight British builtAEC andLeyland chassis before a switch was made to European chassis. In 1972, the firstVolvo B58s were purchased. These were followed byMAN SL200s from 1975, articulated MAN SG192s from 1976,Mercedes-Benz O305s from 1981, articulated O305Gs from 1982,Renault PR100.2s from 1986, articulatedRenault PR180.2s from 1988 andRenault PR100.3s from 1994. The Renaults were badged asMacks although they carried the Renault diamond badge.[49]
Although primarily purchasing new buses, ACTION has on occasions purchased and hired second-hand buses. With industrial action in England causing a shortage of both chassis and parts at a time Canberra was undergoing phenomenal growth, in February 1974, 12Leyland OPS2/1s were hired from thePublic Transport Commission.[50][51][52][53] In June 1974 the entire 10 bus fleet ofBedford,Ford andThornycroft buses of recently ceased operatorBowden's Bus Service ofTamarama was purchased.[54] A number of Bedfords and Fords were purchased from dealer's stock.[55]
In 1997, 25Wright Crusader bodiedDennis Darts were imported from Northern Ireland.[56][57]
In 2001, 17 formerNorth & Western Bus LinesHino RG197Ks were leased fromSydney Buses for a short period.[58][59] In February 2004, 20Custom Coaches bodiedIrisbus Agoras built for, but not delivered toKing Brothers entered service.
Fleet livery was originally fawn with a yellow stripe. This was replaced by the 1960s by a coffee body with arctic green window area and red stripe. In 1973, a yellow body with arctic green window surrounds and light blue stripe livery was introduced.[60][61] This was replaced in 2004 by the current white, green and orange livery.
Initially buses were registered in the C#### series. By the 1960s, buses were registered as ZIB### in the Commonwealth of Australia series. In May 1989, the fleet was reregistered onto ACT Government BUS### plates.[62][63]
ACTION operates threedepots:
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ACTION operates seven bus stations, which act ashubs for thedistricts of Canberra.[70]
City Interchange is located on East Row, Mort Street and Alinga Street. Limited local access is permitted on Mort and Alinga Streets, while East Row is a bus-only street. Since April 2019, several major routes stop in the part of Aligna Street to the west of Northbourne Avenue, but it continued to be open to traffic until 26 July 2019. Woden and Tuggeranong Interchange are off street stations which permit access only to buses, essential traffic and emergency vehicles.
Belconnen Town Centre is serviced by two bus stations located along Cohen Street: Cohen Street Bus Station (located outside the Belconnen Bus Depot near the intersection with Josephson Street, opened in May 2009)[74][75] and Belconnen Community Bus Station (located between Benjamin Way and Emu Bank, at the site of the former Belconnen Interchange, opened in November 2010).[76] In addition, a major stop is located outsideWestfield Belconnen, near the intersection of Cohen and Lathlain Streets. All bus routes travelling to or through Belconnen Town Centre service all three locations. Additional stops are located on Emu Bank and Eastern Valley Way which are serviced by most routes which travel through Belconnen Town Centre.[77]
Bus shelters installed at stops include what is referred to as a "concrete bunker" which were first installed in May 1975.[78] More modern shelters include glass-sidedAdshel shelters (both with and without advertising) which were first installed in 2007[79] and CAM (Community Asset Management NZ Limited) shelters which were first installed in 2012.[80]
Media related toACTION at Wikimedia Commons
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