Bus stop upgrade program

All-access all-weather bus stop upgrade program

The Tasmanian Government has made an election commitment of up to $10 million over the next four years to provide all-access, all-weather bus stops at priority locations. This commitment recognises the importance of bus stop upgrades to improve access for people with disability.

This funding will deliver a significant improvement to bus stop infrastructure across the state, increasing compliance with disability standards and enhancing the passenger experience. This will contribute to the aim of reducing traffic congestion by encouraging greater public transport patronage.

The intent of the all-access all-weather bus stop program is to work in partnership with local government to

• upgrade bus stops to be compliant with disability standards
• consider the provision of new and/or upgraded bus shelters.

Funding will be delivered via a grant-style program similar to the Vulnerable Road User Program (VRUP) program. This means preference will be given to upgrading stops where councils are willing to work in partnership with the Department of State Growth.

The Program is only open to local government areas (LGA) in Tasmania.

Grant application process

Round 3 of the Program is now closed.

Round 4 is expected to open in mid-2025.

Bus stop prioritisation framework

To ensure funds are used effectively, State Growth has developed a Bus Stop Prioritisation Framework to focus upgrades where they are most needed.

The Framework uses a selection of socio-economic, patronage and community measures to rank bus stops based in each LGA. Stops are further broken down on an urban and rural basis to ensure a balanced outcome.

To apply this method, ‘need scores’ have been developed for bus stops that have then been indexed to provide a hierarchical list that ranks stops by need within each LGA.

The Framework will be used to identify a ‘first cut’ of priority bus stops, which will be further refined in consultation with bus operators and councils.

The Framework is available below:

Bus Stop Prioritisation Framework (PDF 617.3 KB)

Round 1 funding

Councils were notified of successful applications for Round 1 of the Grant Program in June 2023.

All Round 1 upgrades have now been completed.

Round 2 funding

Councils were notified of successful applications for Round 2 of the Grant Program in May 2024.

It is anticipated that Round 2 bus stop upgrades will be completed by the end of June 2025.

Round 3 funding

Councils were notified of successful applications for Round 3 of the Grant Program in December 2024.

It is anticipated that Round 3 bus stop upgrades will be completed by the end of February 2026.

All-weather shelters

Bus shelters provide a safe and comfortable place to wait for public transport, and offer protection from wind, rain and the sun.

State Growth has developed a bus shelter provision guideline based on:

• passenger boarding volumes (urban and rural areas are differentiated)
• site footprint and characteristics
• type of public transport service (interchange points and express services with larger catchments)

Bus stops are often the first point of contact a passenger has with public transport, so the provision and design of bus shelters contributes to the overall customer experience and makes public transport more attractive.

All new general access bus stops and shelters are required to be compliant with disability standards. There is also a requirement that if a bus stop is being substantially upgraded, an existing shelter, if still required should also be upgraded or replaced with a compliant product.

Typically, bus shelters should be provided at stops where there are high numbers of boarding passengers. They are not typically provided where the majority of passengers are getting off the bus.

The bus shelter guideline is available below:

Bus Shelter Guidelines (PDF 552.6 KB).

Consultation

State Growth has conducted several phases consultation to date, including engagement with bus operators, local government, and advocacy groups.

State Growth will continue to engage with these stakeholders throughout the Program.

Disability Discrimination Act 1992

This program is designed to assist state and local government progressively comply with their obligations under

• the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth) (DDA)
• the Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport 2002 (Cth) (DSAPT)
• the Disability (Access to Premises-Buildings) Standards 2010 (Cth).

According to the DSAPT, any bus stop constructed after 2002 must be compliant with the DDA.

Compliant bus stop infrastructure improves access to public transport for everyone, particularly for families with children using prams, older Tasmanians and people living with a disability.

Bus stop design resources for road managers

State Growth has developed a guide on the planning and design of Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA) compliant bus stops. The guide is based on the Australian Human Rights Commission guidelines for promoting bus stop compliance. It should be noted that these guidelines are based on the minimum requirements for a DDA bus stop.

• Guideline - moving towards more accessible bus stops (DOCX 2.3 MB)
• Guideline - moving towards more accessible bus stops (PDF 1.6 MB)

State Growth has also developed standard accessible bus stop, shelter and bus stop blade designs.