Launceston Bus Stop Saga: $9 Million Spent, No Move in Two Decades

It does not look like a big-ticket public project, but in the past two decades, repeated attempts to shift this bus stop have cost ratepayers almost $9 million.

Despite these efforts, Launceston's St John Street bus interchange — the main hub for people going in or out of the CBD — remains exactly where it has stood for almost 20 years.

The on-street interchange has long been blamed for antisocial behaviour, which nearby businesses say hurts their bottom line.

But despite being discussed at Launceston City Council meetings and workshops at least 26 times since 2017, consecutive plans to shift it have failed.

This has cost ratepayers millions — largely due to the purchase of a building expected to facilitate a link to a new bus station that never eventuated — but also in consultants' reports, legal fees and other expenses.

In March, the St John St bus interchange landed, once again, on the council's agenda.

'A dog's breakfast'

The council's first port of call was to employ security guards — which cost between $25,000 and $30,000 for the first four weeks, according to council figures — to patrol the St John St area.

A contract to continue providing security, until at least the end of the year, is currently out for tender.

Councillors then considered moving the bus stops to Civic Square, until the Department of State Growth (DSG) and Metro pushed back.

They said it would require re-timing the bus network, which they did not have the resources to do, and would force passengers to walk further in areas with less CCTV, according to the council agenda.

"We are left with extremely limited choices," Cr Tim Walker said.

Councillors described the current process as a "dog's breakfast", "disappointing" and continuing along a trajectory that, if council was a private business, "would have sent us broke".

They then voted to progress two options.

One would see some of the bus stops move north along St John St.

The other would see all stops remain where they are.

Years of spending

The Launceston City Council has commissioned at least five reports associated with the St John St bus interchange since 2011.

The ABC has obtained data that shows, for the first time, how much they cost.

The first was a $10,560 study into antisocial behaviour in 2011, which found moving the bus stop could be a long-term option, but would not alone solve the issues.

The council then commissioned a $51,009 Bus Interchange Options Study in 2014, which recommended the bus stop stay where it is, ahead of another $8,800 study into bus movements in 2015.

Three years later, it funded a fourth, $28,800 report.

This finally saw council land on a fresh option — to move the interchange to the privately owned Paterson Street Central Car Park.

By June 2022, it had spent $85,430 on costs and legal fees related to its attempts to acquire the car park, and around $50,000 on plans for the proposed interchange.

But legal disputes with the car park owner and funding issues faced by the private company it planned on working with eventually saw the vision disintegrate.

The council also bought the Birchalls building for $8.4m in 2020, in the hope of facilitating a pedestrian arcade linking the Brisbane Street Mall to the future bus station.

This led to ongoing costs — it had spent $63,057 on building security, utilities and maintenance by June 2022.

Yet the building proved a white elephant when the car park deal fell through.

In 2025, the council paid consultancy firm SEMZ $128,350 for work associated with finding a buyer for the Birchalls building.

While five "request for proposals" were received, council transferred the building to local developers last year, without any direct financial return, but subject to conditions.

When concerns about the bus stop ignited again this year, it funded a $27,500 update to the 2014 study.

It also transferred $620,000 from its budget to progress the bus stop issue.

Even excluding the considerable outlay for the Birchalls building, ratepayers have spent hundreds of thousands on plans involving the bus stop.

Yet it has not moved.

'We would not have invested'

Allan Barr is beyond frustrated.

The director of St John Street Investments said he has spent around $7 million buying and developing nearby properties since 2015, on the understanding the bus stops were about to shift.

"We would not have invested our money … if we knew those bus stops were going to remain there," he said.

The level of crime at the bus stops is difficult to measure.

Tasmania Police said it only recorded one incident at any St John St bus stop — which includes others — between November 2025 and February 2026, which was an assault.

The level of less serious incidents is not known.

David Micallef, who owns a nearby bar, said he and his partner experienced violence and aggression towards them, which he attributed to the bus stops, and was appalled at the lack of action.

But Kirsten Ritchie, public officer at Strike It Out, a support organisation for people experiencing homelessness, believed the focus should be on addressing factors that lead to antisocial behaviour.

"I don't understand why they're just not dealing with the actual issue," she said.

"Rather than moving something along, the problem is going to move with it."

Brigid Wilkinson, chief executive officer of Council on the Ageing, said the broader community, particularly older bus users, needed to be consulted.

Launceston City Council officers said they could not progress plans to introduce two-way streets to some parts of the CBD until the bus stop issue was resolved.

But some fear that remains a long way off.

The Launceston City Council has been contacted for comment.