Transport NSW Blog

An employee who worked at Transit Systems Leichhardt Depot has reportedly tested positive to COVID-19. As a result, hundreds of services operated out of Leichhardt Depot have been cancelled today. This has affected dozens of routes across the Inner West and Inner City.

The positive COVID-19 test of a staff member at Leichhardt Depot has forced over 200 staff to isolate for two weeks. This is having a significant impact on the ability for Leichhardt Depot to operate services.

Transport for NSW organised for coach companies to help provide a replacement to the cancelled services. Coaches operated on the following routes, with services approximately every 30 minutes;

• 431 – Glebe to Central
• 437 – Five Dock to Leichhardt
• 438 – Abbotsford to Leichhardt and Leichhardt to Martin Place
• 442 – Balmain to QVB
• 470 – Lilyfield to Central

Despite the replacement coaches, many routes were left with no service at all. The cancellations affected routes 320, 389, 430, 431, 433, 437, 438N, 438X, 440, 441, 442, 445, 470, 502, 503, 504 and 504X.

Update 14/08/21 – Some drivers who were deemed ‘casual contacts’ have now been able to return to work upon receiving negative COVID-19 tests. A limited service on trunk corridors is operating. Alternative operators are still operating for some services on these routes in order to ensure a proper service frequency.

Routes operating include; 320, 389, 431, 437, 438X, 440, 442, 470 and 504

Update 16/08/21 – Services in Transit Systems Leichhardt operating area are operating to a Sunday timetable with some reduced frequencies as more drivers are able to return to work. This means that there is a basic level of services across all routes in the area from today. Alternative operators are still operating for some services on these routes in order to ensure a proper service frequency.

Update 18/08/21 – Services operated by State Transit Ryde and Waverley Depots are operating to a Saturday timetable with no school services due to COVID-19 related driver shortages. NSW TrainLink services are not running into Queensland, Victoria or South Australia and there are mass cancellations across the NSW TrainLink network.

Transport for NSW and Cooma Coaches will operate a trial bus service on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays between Friday August 6 2021 and Sunday 19 September. Services will operate between Jindabyne, Perisher Valley and Thredbo between 6am and 6:30pm.

The new service will help to alleviate issues with carpark overcrowding, and provide a safer way for visitors to enter the Kosciuszko National Park on weekends. The bus service will pick-up and drop-off at four locations in Jindabyne, so customers can leave their car parked at their accommodation and easily walk to one of the stops.

Skiers and boarders will be allowed to travel with their gear as well as a day pack. Other baggage is limited to off peak services and 20kg per person.

Key Facts about the trial include;

• Bus service run on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
• Peak morning services to Perisher and Thredbo run between 6am – 10am and off-peak services run between 10am – 5.30pm. Peak afternoon services from Perisher and Thredbo run between 2pm and 6:30pm and off peak services run between 8:30am and 2pm.
• You can pre-book your seat online or turn up and go.
• Services will cost $20 return or $10 one way
• 12 buses will be operated by Cooma Coaches on the service

Public Transport timetables on a Sunday are characterised by reduced levels of service compared to weekdays or in many cases no service at all. This means that Sunday timetables often don’t provide a useful service that meets customer expectations. These timetables meet neither of the frequency or coverage goals that often form the basis of network planning. In essence, Sunday timetables reduce mobility. This is of particular concern as those who lose mobility under Sunday timetables are typically those who can least afford it – those in disadvantaged areas far from the CBD and other services. This issue is more pronounced in areas only serviced by buses, as bus timetables are more likely to see reductions on Sundays than other modes.

This issue has been brought to the forefront in Sydney as a result of the short lived move to introduce Sunday timetables on a daily basis. This was done last minute due to a rapidly deteriorating COVID-19 outbreak and the associated restrictions. The intention of this move was to reduce mobility across Sydney, perhaps the most tacit admission from Transport for NSW that their Sunday timetables do indeed reduce mobility when compared to regular weekday service levels. These changes left some operators scrambling to fill gaps in their Sunday timetables, whilst people in other areas were left without service at all. Within a week Transport for NSW had backtracked and restored weekday timetables for some bus routes, with the majority of services returning to weekday timetables within two weeks.  

Busways have announced that they have been successful in tendering for the Region 7 contract currently held by State Transit. This contract includes services across the North Shore and Northern Suburbs districts operated out of Ryde and Willoughby depots

Busways will take over the Region 7 contract from 12:01am on 9 January 2022. The eight year contract includes 900 employees, 453 buses and two depots. This will see Busways more than double their Sydney operations, taking over the 67 routes and 204 school services in Region 7 which comprise 16.7 million service kilometers and 34 million passenger trips annually.

Busways Managing Director Byron Rowe highlighted the added efficiencies and technological advancements Busways would bring to the contract, including the introduction of electric buses. “By appointing Busways, the NSW government has backed an Australian-owned company to deliver world-class services for customers of the integrated transport network,” Mr Rowe said.

Commitments from Busways to improve the network in the Region 7 contract area include;

• Thirty-five zero emissions buses (ZEBs).
• Substantial depot capital works program to increase depot capacity and electrify the fleet
• CCTV upgrades fleet-wide for improved safety and security
• New 4G two-way radios fleet-wide for better service reliability and customer information
• Cleaning and repair program to lift fleet presentation standards and passenger comfort
• Solar powered smart technology at selected bus stops with real-time service information
• Proactive and preventative maintenance regime backed by our ISO 55001 accredited Asset Management System

In May 2021, the NSW State Government announced that the bus network in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs would be modified from later this year. You can find more details of those changes here. As part of this proposal, Transport for NSW has been conducting community consultation to gauge community sentiment towards these changes. The deadline to complete the community consultation survey has been extended to June 30. We urge you to review the proposed network and have your say before June 30. 

Over 7000 responses have been made to the survey, which Transport for NSW will use to refine the proposed changes before they are implemented later this year. In particular, Transport for NSW has noted that access to St Vincent’s Hospital and Taylor Square from the Eastern Suburbs is a major concern that has been raised in feedback and that they are investigating solutions to improve access to the precinct. A spokesperson stated ““They have let us know off-peak services to Taylor Square are very important.” It was also noted that a large proportion of the feedback related to misunderstandings of the changes. For example, commuters concerned about the removal of popular cross regional routes 353 and 400, despite the fact they are being replaced by the very similar routes 350 and 390X respectively.

Transport NSW Blog believes that there are three main areas that need to be improved from the original plan before the changes are implemented later this year – access to Taylor Square, bus-light rail interchange at Randwick Junction and better delivery of information.

Improved access to Taylor Square should be a key priority when reviewing the proposed network. There need to be two ‘All Day Frequent Routes’ from the South East to Taylor Square and St Vincent’s Hospital, in addition to the ‘All Day Frequent Route’ 333 from Bondi. A frequent route along both the Maroubra/Kingsford corridor and the Coogee/Randwick corridor to Circular Quay via Taylor Square is the best solution that would help to improve access to this precinct. Redirecting Route 374 from Coogee to the City via Taylor Square and improving both Route 374 and Route 396 from Maroubra to the City via Taylor Square to ‘All Day Frequent Routes’ is the best option to ensure proper connectivity. Retaining Route 372 services along Cleveland Street would allow for Route 374 to be redirected via Taylor Square.

The interchange between buses and light rail services at Randwick needs to be improved to ensure the success of the proposed network. Currently, for those changing between buses and light rail travelling inbound, the bus stop is located some 300m away, which does not allow for easy transfers. There needs to be a new inbound stop implemented either on Avoca Street or Belmore Road at High Cross Park in order to ensure easy transfers between services at Randwick. In addition, the level of services between Coogee Beach and the light rail terminus in Randwick under the proposed network is significantly lower than the level of service today, which will further reduce the ease of transfer. Currently, there are 16 buses an hour off peak between Coogee and Randwick, which will be reduced to 8 under the proposed network. Ensuring frequent links to the light rail is important, and improvements such retaining Route 372 between Coogee and Railway Square via Randwick would be useful in achieving this aim.

There needs to be a better delivery of information in relation to the changes when the final network is implemented, to ensure that misinformation does not circulate and commuters in the Eastern Suburbs understand how to use the new bus network. The way that the information regarding the proposed changes has been circulated has allowed for a misinformation campaign and has meant that many people do not fully understand what changes are actually occurring. Using online mapping technology to compare the level of accessibility from any address within 30 minutes has been used overseas to much success, and information campaigns with proper printed booklets and a well set out website with all the information about the changes can help to ensure that people understand the new network.

This is the first set of major changes that Transport for NSW has actually engaged in meaningful community consultation, and it is hoped that the feedback received will actually lead to an improved version of the new network. Please complete the community consultation survey before June 30, and make sure you educate yourself on the full set of proposed changes here.

Transport for NSW has announced that Keolis Downer have been successful in tendering for the Region 8 contract, which includes bus services on the Lower North Shore and Northern Beaches operated out of Brookvale, Mona Vale and North Sydney depots.

Keolis Downer will take over the $900 million contract from 31 October 2021, delivering over 1.2 million services each year. A key point in the contract will see the introduction of 125 electric buses over the next eight years, as older Volvo B10BLE and Volvo B12BLE vehicles are retired from the fleet.

The contract will see new headway technology will be implemented on buses used for the B-Line in order to improve reliability of services. Also as part of the contract on demand services between Mona Vale and Palm Beach will become permanent.

All existing State Transit drivers and maintenance staff will be offered a two year job guarantee with Keolis Downer.