Hobart Bus Mall


The Hobart Bus Mall is the main urban bus interchange for Metro Tasmania in the Hobart central business district. Situated on Elizabeth Street, it serves daily commuters from suburbs, nearby cities, and towns including Clarence, Glenorchy, Richmond, Cambridge and Kingborough. The interchange spans Elizabeth Street between Macquarie and Collins streets, with additional bus stops at Franklin Square and one on Liverpool Street near the Elizabeth Street Mall's north end. The interchange is within of connecting coach services on Murray Street, ferry services and airport bus services at Brooke Street Pier.

History

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 offering horse-drawn carriages, trams, trolley-buses and taxis.
Commencing operations on 23 September 1893, the Hobart Electric Tram Company's city interchange was established outside the Hobart General Post Office on Elizabeth Street. A small tramway shelter, named the "pagoda" was erected on Elizabeth Street to provide protection for tramway officers in 1935.
Trams ceased operations in Hobart on 21 October 1960. Trolley-buses ran from 29 October 1935 until 22 November 1968. Following the closure of Hobart 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 between Collins and Macquarie streets to normal traffic.

Upgrades

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

2018 vision

The Tasmanian Liberals released a public transport policy document showcasing a new underground bus mall for the 2018 Tasmanian state election. The plan included concept designs of a new revitalised Elizabeth Street interchange featuring a sunken courtyard with a stepped profile, Macquarie Street as an overpass bridge, with rapid transport electric buses, premium bus stops featuring digital signage and amenities. Infrastructure Minister Rene Hidding announced that if the Liberal government was re-elected, they would take over management of Davey and Macquarie streets from the Hobart City Council. 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.

Smoke-free Hobart

After the adoption of the ten-year strategic plan by the Hobart City Council, titled Hobart: 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.

Pedestrian scramble

Commencing in July 2023, the City of Hobart, in collaboration with the Department of State Growth, activated two pedestrian scrambles, granting pedestrians the ability to traverse in any direction when the traffic 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.

Services

Along Elizabeth Street, the Hobart Bus Mall has bus stops outside the Hobart GPO, NAB House, Franklin Square and the Hobart Town Hall. On Macquarie Street, there are stops situated outside the Colonial Mutual Life Building and Franklin Square. Situated at the northern end of the Elizabeth Street Mall is a single stop located on Liverpool Street, facilitating services to the suburbs of Mount Stuart and West Hobart.

Ticketing

A Metro shop located at 40 Elizabeth Street is open from 8 am to 6 pm, Monday to Friday. During daylight 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.

Routes

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 with 4.
  • Routes for destinations numbers north of Hobart City Centre are prefixed with 5.
  • Routes for destinations numbers east of Hobart City Centre are prefixed with 6.
  • Express route variants are prefixed with X.
  • School bus routes on the western side of the River Derwent are prefixed with 2 series, and on the eastern shore they are prefixed with 3. For morning services the third digit is odd, in the afternoon it is even.
Bus RouteDestinationDepartingStop
500, 501, 502GlenorchyElizabeth StA1
503Tolosa ParkElizabeth StA1
504Jackson StreetElizabeth StA1
510Austins FerryElizabeth StA1
511ClaremontElizabeth StA1
512Cadbury's EstateElizabeth StA1
513ChigwellElizabeth StA1
520BridgewaterElizabeth StA1
522GagebrookElizabeth StA1
722New NorfolkElizabeth StA1
X10GrantonElizabeth StA2
X11ClaremontElizabeth StA2
X20, X30BridgewaterElizabeth StA2
X21BrightonElizabeth StA3
X22, X23New NorfolkElizabeth StA3
601Shoreline Shopping CentreElizabeth StA3
615, X15, 616, X16TranmereElizabeth StA3
624, 625Clarendon ValeElizabeth StA3
634, X34Roches BeachElizabeth StA3
635Seven Mile BeachElizabeth StA3
646, X44Opossum BayElizabeth StA3
685Geilston BayElizabeth StA3
695Risdon ValeElizabeth StA3
X01, X08HuntingfieldMacquarie StD1
X07, 407, 408, 409, 427, 428, 500Blackmans BayMacquarie StD1
410KingstonMacquarie StD1
411HowdenMacquarie StD1
412MargateMacquarie StD1
X13, 413SnugMacquarie StD1
415WoodbridgeMacquarie StD1
416MiddletonMacquarie StD1
417GordonMacquarie StD1
426TaroonaMacquarie StD1
429Summerleas RoadMacquarie StD1
X710, 710HuonvilleMacquarie StD1
712RanelaghMacquarie StD1
714CygnetMacquarie StD1
714GeevestonMacquarie StD1
718, 719DoverMacquarie StD1
446Marlyn RoadMacquarie StD2
447Strickland AvenueMacquarie StD2
448, 449Fern TreeMacquarie StD2
401, 402Lower Sandy BayElizabeth StD3
X58, 457, 458Mount NelsonElizabeth StD3
501, 601UniversityElizabeth StD3
541SpringfieldElizabeth StB1
X42, 552, X50GlenorchyElizabeth StB1
551, 552, 553Lenah ValleyElizabeth StB1
560, 561GlenorchyMacquarie StC1
562SpringfieldMacquarie StC1
606Shoreline Shopping CentreMacquarie StC1
654, 655MorningtonMacquarie StC1
664, X64Seven Mile BeachMacquarie StC1
676Rosny ParkMacquarie StC1
725RichmondElizabeth StD4
726CampaniaElizabeth StD4
731, X31, X33SorellElizabeth StD4
732, X32Dodges FerryElizabeth StD4
734NubeenaElizabeth StD4
736SwanseaElizabeth StD4
737BichenoElizabeth StD4
540Mount Stuart & West HobartLiverpool StL1