Ginninderry residents have embraced the free Strathnairn loop bus service with more than 16,000 passenger trips recorded since it was launched in March 2020.

The Strathnairn Loop service links residents of Ginninderry’s first suburb, Strathnairn to the Kippax bus interchange, Kingsford Smith School and Macgregor Primary School.

New communities generally don’t have access to public transport in the early years and when the service was launched it was seen as an innovative way to provide expanded transport options from the day residents moved in.

Now the numbers are in, and patronage is already trending above the ACT average with just under 8 per cent of Strathnairn residents regularly using of the service. Around a third of usage is attributable to students connecting to and from local schools.

Introducing bus services as residents move into new suburbs provides choice and helps establish public transport use and travel patterns from early on.

The data demonstrates that patronage continues to grow month on month in line with the growth of the community, pointing towards real behaviour change and a model for others to follow.

The Strathnairn Loop operates 7 days a week, running every half hour (between 7am and 7pm), with an increase to 15-minute frequency during weekday peak periods.

The service connects to local schools and the broader Canberra bus network where passengers can access regular services, including the Rapid 2, connecting them to Belconnen, the City and Barton.

For more information on the service, including timetables and route details, visit transport.act.gov.au or call 13 22 81.