The ACT Greens have escalated their criticism of the territory's beleaguered public transport ticketing system, demanding that the government consider cancelling the multimillion-dollar contract with NEC Australia. This call comes after a series of persistent issues with the MyWay+ project, which has failed to deliver the promised world-class service.
Greens Demand Accountability for Failed System
Andrew Braddock, the Greens' transport spokesman, has urged the government to explore all available avenues to hold NEC Australia accountable. "The government should be exploring all of those avenues, whether it be court action, cancellation of the contract, because at the moment we are not getting a system that is working for the local community," Mr Braddock stated. He emphasised the need to ensure that taxpayer funds are effectively spent on providing the reliable ticketing system originally promised.
Political Clash in Legislative Assembly
The controversy spilled into the first question time of the year, with the Canberra Liberals targeting Transport Minister Chris Steel. Opposition members questioned why Chief Minister Andrew Barr continued to support what they labelled the "minister for mediocrity." In response, Mr Barr defended his colleague, retorting, "There is no minister for mediocrity. There is an opposition for that."
Minister Steel faced a barrage of inquiries regarding several transport issues, including:
- The decision to cut rapid bus services in West Belconnen
- The failure to make new timetables available in online journey planners before the network launch
- General reductions to bus services across the territory
West Belconnen Service Cuts Spark Outrage
A particular point of contention has been the temporary reduction of rapid bus connections for West Belconnen residents, implemented due to city centre road works. Mr Braddock argued that this situation could have been avoided with better planning and investment. "If we hadn't spent so much money on a flawed MyWay+ system, if we invested more in buses and drivers, we would have been able to achieve that and provide a more reliable service for all parts of Canberra and in particular the West Belconnen area," he explained.
Transport Minister Chris Steel defended the changes, stating they were necessary to maintain reliability across the network during the two-year temporary timetable designed around Commonwealth Avenue bridge works. "The major decision-making point for the changes to the R2 and R3 was about reliability and understanding that those routes are some of the longest in the network," Mr Steel said.
Timetable and Technology Troubles
The launch of the new network timetable was marred by technical difficulties, with journey planners failing to display updated information on Monday morning. Minister Steel apologised for this specific issue, noting that it was rectified for third-party apps by 10:30am and for the Transport Canberra website and app by approximately 3pm that same day.
Regarding broader network operations, Mr Steel acknowledged that it remained "too early to tell" what issues might emerge, but committed to reviewing and improving the bus network timetable for the second half of the year.
Broader Transport Policy Disputes
The Greens also challenged the government's handling of a Legislative Assembly motion passed in October 2025, which called for extending concession fares to all students and incorporating free concession travel into the 2026-27 budget process. Mr Braddock claimed on social media that public transport would be free for students and seniors "if Labor actually implemented their promise."
In response, Minister Steel stated that the government had committed to considering more free fares in the budget review, with findings to be released on Thursday. However, he noted that providing permanent concessions to part-time students would come at "substantial cost" with no additional appropriation available in the current financial year.
The ongoing disputes highlight significant tensions in ACT transport policy, with the Greens pushing for more aggressive action on contract management and service delivery, while the government defends its decisions as necessary for maintaining network reliability during infrastructure works.
