Hobart Express Buses – Metro eXpress

Hobart express buses have served the city for over forty years, and have been operated by the former Metropolitan Transport Trust (MTT) and its successor Metro Tasmania across Hobart.

Prior to this there were few dedicated express services in Hobart. The cessation of rail services in the 1970s and the growth of Hobart throughout the 1980s established the need for an express network that served the city’s fringes.

It is highly likely there were express services earlier, but prior to 1978 timetable information was published in Moore’s Guide. Using timetables published by the MTT, I am able to give an overview of the more recent growth of Hobart express services.

Before Hobart Express Buses

In 1978, the only express from the MTT was Route 34 from Chigwell to Hobart. It operated twice in the AM peak, and once in the PM peak. The service would operate express on Brooker Avenue between Park and Stoke Streets, and Strathhaven Lodge in Rosetta.

There were also semi-express services between Hobart and Bridgewater. Routes 37 and 38 would pick up and set down between the city and Berriedale Road.¹

In 1981 these services had ceased, but the Chigwell express had returned by 1983.² With the opening of Springfield Interchange in 1985, a total adjustment of timetables was required.

In 1986, Route 101 became the primary express between the city and the interchange. The service operated around every ten minutes, and would change its number North of Springfield.³

There was also a day return, semi-express service, with Route 59 between Mount Nelson to Hobart. This service would miss stops between Barrack Street and the University.

In January 1991, there were only a handful of Hobart express services on weekdays. Route 68 was added in November 1989, but only ‘express’ as per the Route 101.⁴

• Route 34: Chigwell to Hobart via Burnett Street. Inward only, once per day.
• Route 68: Hobart to Rosny Park via Glenorchy, Risdon and Derwent Avenue. Hourly.
• Route 101: Springfield Interchange to Hobart via Brooker Avenue. Every ten minutes.

As the city grew, it was clear that the existing network was not performing. Between 1976 and 1991 the share of bus ridership in Tasmania decreased from 9.7 to 4.8% of all journeys to work. Compare this to car usage, which went from 73.3% in 1976 to 84.2% in 1991, reaching a maximum of 91.3% in 1981.⁵

With car park capacity increases, improved highways, and poor public transport, a shake-up was needed.

Metro’s Hobart Express

Metro Express (MX) was introduced on 28 July 1991. It was marketed as “The new rapid transport system from Metro,” and provided limited express services from Hobart to Bridgewater and Gagebrook.⁶

This was the first time a service offering of this type was seen in Tasmania, with individually named stops, colourful branding, and a principle of integration between express and local services.

It was called “…a revolutionary transport system offering optimum speed, regularity and comfort.” MX was considered by Metro as “a real alternative to the car”, bringing better journey times to compete with private transport.⁷

The slogan for the service was “It’s about time,” and perhaps it could be said it was way ahead of its time for Hobart. Metro planned to roll out the services in three stages, each focussing on different regions.

Stage 1

Stage 1 of Metro Express began with three routes:

• Route X1: Hobart to Bridgewater via Main Road
• Route X2: Hobart to Gagebrook via Brooker Highway
• Route X3: Hobart to Bridgewater via East Derwent Highway

On weekdays, Metro Express services operated every half-hour. In the evenings and weekends this reduced to hourly, and services would only operate on Main Road.

With the services introduced, modified timetables for Northern suburban routes were also implemented, enabling better interchanges for local journeys.

All existing services in Bridgewater, Gagebrook and Brighton were removed with the launch of MX. This meant that a new “Community Bus Service” – designated Route 115, was introduced to provide local connections, and two new midi-buses were placed full-time on this service. The buses were specially painted by Bridgewater High School students.

The Community Bus Service ran across Bridgewater and Gagebrook around every half hour, and Brighton every two hours. This service would connect with MX at its Bridgewater and Tivoli (Gagebrook) stops.⁸

In addition, a service called the Route S4 “Abbotsfield Sprinter” was added to provide complimentary express services south of Claremont, although by 1993 this no longer appeared in timetables.⁹

The Route X1 is unique, in that it replicates and follows much of the former Hobart Suburban railway, with many MX stops placed near or adjacent to the original railway station locations.

Stage 2

In 1992, the second stage of Metro Express added three more routes:

• Route X4: Hobart to West Austins Ferry via Brooker Highway and Glenorchy
• Route X5: Hobart to Chigwell via Brooker Highway, Glenorchy and Mary’s Hope Road
• Route X6: Hobart to Glenorchy via Lenah Valley and Barossa Road

This stage differed in that it provided more tailored ‘express’ services which travelled local streets, designed to give more coverage to the system.

X1 was taken off Main Road, instead travelling up the Brooker Highway and Derwent Park Road to Metro Springfield.

X2 was amalgamated with X1 to “provide a more efficient service,” at the cost of added journey time.¹⁰ This meant that Gagebrook was only served by the X3, and interchanges were required at Glenorchy.

X6 had different service patterns based on peak periods. In the morning peak, buses to Hobart would run via Pitcairn Street and Galston Streets, while buses from Hobart would bypass this section via Tolosa Street.  In the evenings it was the reverse, and buses from Hobart would travel Pitcairn/Galston, while services to Hobart would skip this section.

As with Stage 1, all Northern Suburbs timetables were changed to enable greater connectivity between the express and local services.

In 1993, there was a return to some local services in Bridgewater and Gagebrook, to complement the community bus. Route 125 connected Bridgewater and Brighton, hourly in peak and two-hourly off-peak.

There was also an added route and subsequent variations, with the Route 117 providing late Friday night and weekend expresses with all stops between Bridgewater and Gagebrook.

Stage 3

Stage 3 appeared in the 1995-96 timetables, which was the first edition following the opening of Glenorchy Bus Mall in March 1994.

• Route X7: Hobart to Gagebrook via Argyle Street, Main Road, Bridgewater Cove Hill
• Route X8: Hobart to Brighton via Main Road, and Bridgewater Cove Hill
• Route X9: Hobart to Brighton via Glenorchy, Otago, and Bridgewater Cove Hill

Many new stops were introduced along existing routes, such as Goodwood, Lampton West, and Derwent Park.

X7 was added to bring back connectivity between Bridgewater and Gagebrook. This service now added stops on Argyle Street and Main Road. For much of its route would duplicate the X1 and bolster frequency to Bridgewater.

Similarly, X8 operated the same as X2 except it terminated at Brighton, providing frequency along the faster highway corridor.

X9 appears on the map, however did not appear in the timetables at this time. It added a second service to the East Derwent Highway corridor, duplicating the X3, as well as providing an extension into Brighton, stopping all stops from Bowen Bridge to Brighton.

Changes include X2 being re-introduced in 1994 as a Main Road express service, skipping almost all stops North of Glenorchy.¹¹ X4 was extended to Hestercombe Estate, X5 now terminated at MX Adelphi instead of Maroubra Circle, and X6 now travelled via Argyle and Campbell Streets, rather than Main Road.

The Eastern services were also added, and may have had a delayed rollout due to the additional Northern services.

Eastern Expresses

Eastern Shore services were finally added following the opening of the Rosny Park Transit Mall sometime around 1994, with the 1995 timetable adding seven additional routes to the network.

• Route X11: Hobart to Camelot Park via South Arm Highway
• Route X12: Hobart to Rokeby and Clarendon Vale via South Arm Highway
• Route X13: Lauderdale to Hobart via South Arm Highway
• Route X14: Hobart to Lauderdale via Seven Mile Beach
• Route X15: Acton Park and Seven Mile Beach to Hobart via Tasman Highway
• Route X16: Hobart to Seven Mile Beach via South Arm Highway, and Lauderdale

The Eastern Shore services were dedicated highway expresses, and did not travel via Rosny Park or Howrah Shoreline Plaza. Unlike the Northern network, all stops were served once they had exited the Tasman or South Arm Highways. This was likely due to the lack of density in areas such as Cambridge and Acton Park.

The above timetable is for Metro Express Stage 3, and shows the very minimal level of service that the express system gave to the Eastern suburbs. Route X17 would also be added later, providing services to Rifle Range Road, Sandford.

This was the last timetable change prior to the corporatisation of the Metropolitan Transport Trust in 1997. The new government business entity, Metro Tasmania Pty Ltd, now operated on principles of competition and profit generation.

Recent times

Metro Express continued well after the change in business structure. The 1997 Hobart timetable provided little difference, except for a new Route X10, and the amalgamation of the X5 with the X4.

The X10 was a once per day, inwards-only service starting at Austins Ferry Arncliffe/Sunshine Roads, bypassing Glenorchy to Hobart.

The X4 now extended through Chigwell to Hestercombe Estate, providing additional coverage of Austins Ferry. The X1 also had another pattern with the X1A, using Argyle Street.

By 1999, the X2 was finally removed from duties. There were minor variations made with each new timetable release, but Metro were rightly focussed on providing coverage to growth areas. Legacy branding such as Metro Express, Busy Bee, Doorstopper and even its own corporate brand were put to the wayside due to operational constraints, and signwriting costs.

Infrastructure

MX brought a significant change to the way information was communicated to customers. For the first time, signage now showed which local services could be interchanged with at MX stops.

The purpose-built, individually named stops offered better customer experiences and journey-making. Named MX stops were used as timing points for nearly all Main Road services, as well as for local runs in the suburbs.

It also brought changes to the road network, with purpose-built bus bays along the Brooker Highway enabling connectivity between express and local services. Many of the MX stops had shelters, and still do today.

Several of the original stops lost their MX branding by around 2012, in part due to road junction works, bus stop renewal, and information not being updated.

In the future second part of this article I will explore the current Hobart express networks.

Images

Photographs used with permission. All other graphics are copyright of their respective owners, used for educational purposes only.

References

1. Metropolitan Transport Trust (Tas), ‘MTT Guide – Hobart Bus Timetables January 1978‘, 1st ed., Tasmanian Transport Museum Archive, 1978
2. MTT (Tas), ‘MTT Hobart Bus Timetables effective December 1983‘, 6th ed., Tasmanian Transport Museum Archive, 1983
3. MTT (Tas), ‘MTT Hobart Bus Timetables effective 14 September 1986‘, Tasmanian Transport Museum Archive, 1986
4. Metro (Tas), ‘Hobart Bus Timetables effective 26 November 1989‘, Mathew Sharp collection, 1989
5. ABS, ‘Censuses of Population and Housing 1976-1991‘, Mode/Methods of Travel to Work, Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2022, URL
6. Metro (Tas), ‘There’s something NEW coming to you from Metro…‘, Tasmanian Transport Museum Archive, 1991
7. …
8. Ibid.
9. Metro (Tas), ‘Hobart Bus Timetables effective September 1993 (Centenary of Metro)‘, Tasmanian Transport Museum Archive, 1993
10. Metro (Tas), ‘Introducing MX Stage 2‘, Tasmanian Transport Museum Archive, 1992
11. Metro (Tas), ‘Hobart Timetable 1994-95‘, Tasmanian Transport Museum Archive, 1994