Transport NSW Blog

This month our featured bus route is the 303. Route 303 operates between Sans Souci and City Circular Quay via Brighton-Le-Sans, Mascot, UNSW and Surry Hills.

There have been suggestions in the past that this route is ineffective as a route to the CBD, with many people living along the far southern part of the route preferring railway feeder services to the nearby Illawarra Rail Line and the Northern Part of the route being duplicated by numerous bus routes. Various proposals have suggested that the route be modified to operate between Miranda and Bondi Junction or to re-route the service via West Botany Street and Sydney Airport. None of these proposals have come to fruition due to community backlash.

The service operates between 6am and 8pm, with short runnings to and from Mascot continuing to 10pm. The service runs every 20 minutes in peak hour, 30 minutes off peak and hourly on weekends. It is operated by Port Botany and Tempe depots.

 

This week our route of the week is the X74, as requested by Eloise K.

Route X74 operates slightly different routes depending on the direction. On the inbound it operates from Coogee North to City Museum, with pick up to Randwick Junction, the express via Moore Park and the ED, setting down from City Chifley Tower. Outbound it operates from City Australia Square to Coogee North, picking up to City Museum, the express via Taylor Square and Moore Park, setting down from Randwick Junction.

The route runs every 5-10 minutes inbound in the AM peak between 7am and 8:30am and every 10-15 minutes outbound during the PM peak between 5pm and 6:30pm.

The route is operated by Randwick depot, with assistance from Port Botany and Waverley depots.

Today our request comes from Zane Charters. It is for Route 438. Route 438 operates between Abbotsford and City Martin Place via Five Dock, Leichhardt, Parramatta Road and Railway Square.

Like many other bus routes between Sydney CBD and its inner suburbs, the 438 is based on the old Abbotsford tram line, with buses begining after its demise in the anklet 1950s. The 438 previously operated along George Street through to City Circular Quay. From October 2015, the route was redirected Northbound along Elizabeth Street and Southbound along Castlereagh Street alongside being truncated at City Martin Place.

The 438 operates a between 5am and 1am Sunday through Thursday and all night on Friday and Saturday evenings. It operates every 10-20 minutes throughout the day every day of the week. At night, services operate every 30-60 minutes. It takes between 35-60 minutes to operate the service depending on traffic conditions.

The 438 is predominately operated by Leichhardt depot using buses with Mercedes Benz chassis and Custom Coaches bodywork. During peak hour, some services are operated using articulated buses with Volvo chassis and Volgren bodywork.

This week’s Sydney Buses Route of the Week is the 360 as requested by Owen M. It operates between North Clovelly and Bondi Junction via Bronte and Waverley.

Historically, the bus route between Clovelly and Bondi Junction had route number 329, this dates back to at least the early 1960s. As of the Better Buses East network review in 2002, the route has been number 360 and extended to North Clovelly.

The 360 operates between 7am – 7pm daily, with services extending to 9pm on Thursdays due to late night shopping at Bondi Junction. Services operate every 10-20 minutes during peak hour and every 30 minutes off peak.

The service is operated by both Randwick and Waverley depots. Buses operating on the route usually have Mercedes Benz chassis and Custom Coaches bodywork.

This week our request comes from Jeff P. It is for Route 380 that operates between City-Circular Quay and North Bondi via Oxford Street, Paddington, Bondi Junction and Bondi Beach. A number of services extend to Watsons Bay via Dover Heights.

The 380 previously used to be the main bus route betweeen the CBD and Bondi Beach until the introduction of Route 333 in 2006 which officially replaced Route L82 but due to its much higher frequency, saw the frequency of the 380 halved.

The 380 operates between Circular Quay and North Bondi 24 Hours, 7 days with a service every 10-20 minutes at all times. Services extend to Watsons Bay between 9am – 5pm daily on a 20 minute frequency.

The service is usually operated by Waverley depot using buses with Mercedes Benz chassis and Custom Coaches bodywork. Some services are operated by Randwick Depot using buses with Mercedes Benz or Scania chassis and Ansair or Custom Coaches bodywork.

This week we have a request from Charlotte O. It is for route 507. The 507 operates between Circular Quay and Macquarie Univeristy via Victoria Road, Putney, Meadowbnk and Ryde. A large number of shortworkings exist with many services terminating or starting from Town Hall and Ryde instead of the end termini.

The 507 is one of many route to have perviously operated down George Street in the CBD, and did so from its inception until the October 2015 CBD network chnage which rerouted it down Elizabeth Street instead.

The 507 operates 6am and 9pm on Weekdays, services between 8am – 3pm operate the full length of the route. Services prior to 8am and between 3pm and 6pm terminate at Town Hall instead of Circular Quay and services before 8am and after 6pm terminate at Ryde instead of Macquarie University. A half hourly service is provided at peak times with an hourly service at other times. On Saturdays, services operate between 8am and 6pm with all services travelling the full length of the route on a hourly frequency. On Sundays, services operates between 8am and 6pm between Circular Quay and Ryde only on a hourly frequency.

The 507 is operated by Ryde Depot using buses with Mercedes Benz, Scania or Volvo Chassis and Custom Coaches bodywork.

This week, our route of the week is the 391 as requested by Lachlan Culverhouse. The 391 operates from Railway Square to Matraville via Surry Hills, Moore Park, UNSW and Eastgardens. Selected services continue on to either La Perouse or Port Botany.

Prior to the 2009 Eastern Region network changes, Route 391 used to operate to and from City Circular Quay using Elizabeth Street. From April 2009, it instead operated to and from City Australia Square. After the October 2015 CBD network reshuffle, the 391 was truncated and redirected to Railway Square.

Route 391 runs a half hourly service between 7am and 7pm daily, with travel times varying between 35-55 minutes depending on traffic and route diversions.

Route 391 is operated by Port Botany depot using buses with Mercedes Benz chassis and Custom Coaches bodywork or buses with Scania chassis and Bustech bodywork. During peak times, some services are operated by Randwick depot using buses with Volvo or Scania chassis and Custom Coaches bodywork.