How this bus stop that hasn't changed cost a city almost $9m

This stop may move further along St John St as part of changes being considered by the Launceston City Council. (ABC News: Emily Smith) Nearby businesses have raised concerns about antisocial behaviour at the main bus interchange in Launceston since at least 2011. The Launceston City Council has commissioned at least five reports into the issue and even purchased a building, hoping it would help facilitate a new bus interchange. Council are now considering two options — moving some of the bus stops slightly north or leaving all stops as they are — as debate continues. Link copiedShareShare articleIt 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. Property owner Allan Barr said he would not have invested in St John St properties had he known the bus stops would remain. (ABC News: Emily Smith) 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. 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. The Launceston City Council is paying security guards to patrol the St John St bus interchange. (ABC News: Emily Smith) 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. Launceston City Councillor Tim Walker say the Department of State Growth and Metro stonewalled the idea of shifting buses to Civic Square. (ABC News: Emily Smith) 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. The Launceston City Council is currently considering only minor changes to the bus interchange. (Supplied: Launceston City Council) 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. Many traders on St John St have long wanted the bus interchange moved. (ABC News: Emily Smith) 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. Birchalls building in the Brisbane St Mall, Launceston, was purchased by the council in 2020 and later transferred to developers. (ABC News: Hayden Smith) 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 proposa

How this bus stop that hasn't changed cost a city almost $9m

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