Buses in Sydney

Last updated

Buses in Sydney
TfNSW Buses.svg
Transport NSW liveried (2589 ST), operated by Sydney Buses, Bustech VST bodied Scania K280UB on Loftus Street in Circular Quay.jpg
A State Transit Scania K280UB
TfNSW B.svg
Roundel
Overview
Owner Transport for NSW
LocaleGreater Sydney
Transit type Bus / Bus rapid transit
Annual ridership229.5 million in 2019–20 [1]
Website transportnsw.info
Operation
Began operation1905
Operator(s)

Buses account for close to six per cent of trips each day in the city of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, forming a key part of the city's public transport system. The network initially evolved from a privately operated system of feeder services to railway stations in the outer suburbs, and a publicly operated network of bus services introduced to replace trams in the inner suburbs. The bus network has undergone major reforms since the 2000s–2010s, with the New South Wales Government taking responsibility for route and fare-setting, opening contracts for most routes up to competitive tendering, and introducing more cross-suburban services.

Contents

The New South Wales Government's transport authority, Transport for NSW, administers the various bus networks in Sydney.

The networks, except the Olympic Park and On Demand routes, are part of Transport for NSW's Opal ticketing system.

Commuter and school services are assigned to one of 14 contract regions. In the 2019-20 financial year, 229.5 million passenger journeys were made on services in Sydney's bus contract regions. [1]

History

A horse-drawn omnibus in 1898 Sydney Omnibus.jpg
A horse-drawn omnibus in 1898

At the beginning of the 20th century, Sydney's public transport network was composed of a suburban railway and inner-city trams, both operated by the New South Wales Government Railways. These were complemented by various privately operated ferry services on Sydney Harbour and the Parramatta River, and a few horse-drawn services.

The Railways experimented with a steam-powered bus service from Potts Point to Darlinghurst in 1905, but the vehicles quickly proved unsatisfactory and the service was shut down within a year. [2] The city's second bus route ran from Newport, in the north of the Northern Beaches district, to Manly, commencing in 1906. This was operated by the privately owned Manly-Pittwater Motor Omnibus Company. The company did not prosper, however, and the business was wound up in 1908. [3]

The return of servicemen from World War I in the late 1910s provided fresh impetus to the motor omnibus industry. Here, suddenly, were thousands of men with experience working with heavy vehicles – all looking for work. [4] In 1915, only 15 motorised buses were known to operate in Sydney. By 1929, the city's bus fleet numbered more than 600. A private bus industry, dominated by owner-operators and small family businesses, was taking shape. [2]

Seeking to protect the tram system from competition, Premier Jack Lang introduced the Transport Act 1930, which empowered a new Metropolitan Transport Trust to shut down private bus routes that competed with trams, trains or other buses. The Railways were also restructured, with the tram system hived off into a new Department of Road Transport & Tramways in 1932. [5] The Department introduced its first bus service, route 144 from St Leonards to Manly, on Christmas Day of that year.

Lang's reforms established a structure for the bus network that was to endure for close to a century. On the one hand, the Department – forerunner to today's State Transit Authority – began to shut down its trams and build an extensive bus network serving the inner suburbs and Northern Beaches. On the other, the heavily regulated private operators remained small-scale, relegated to the status of feeder services for the Government's trains. But Lang's draconian Transport Act held at least one benefit for the bus companies: just as the trams were protected from them, so too were they protected from new entrants to the industry. [2]

A 1936 Leyland Titan in the livery of the New South Wales Public Transport Commission. 1936 Leyland Titan double decker bus (5094026219).jpg
A 1936 Leyland Titan in the livery of the New South Wales Public Transport Commission.
A 1948 Leyland Titan OPD2-1 1948 Leyland Titan OPD2-1 double decker bus (5984405866).jpg
A 1948 Leyland Titan OPD2-1

From trams to buses

Route 144 started as a service in the 1920s connecting trains, trams and ferries. But the Department's focus began to shift inexorably towards building its bus network, starting in 1937 when Kogarah's steam trams were replaced with trolleybuses. Two years later, tram services from Manly were replaced with buses. In 1948, a recommendation was handed to the Department that the entire network be replaced with buses. Though initially controversial, the move to a bus network secured broad political support and was completed between 1957 and 1961. The Department, renamed 'Government Transport' in 1952, became an operator of buses only. [2] [6]

For much of the 20th century, land use planning in Sydney restricted development to corridors within a short distance of the existing railway lines. This discipline broke down in the 1980s, however, when the Wran Government released new areas for development far from existing rail lines. [7] [8] This meant that buses outside of the inner-city, government-operated network, would play an increasing role in meeting Sydney's transport needs.

Lang's model divided the city into hundreds of exclusive fiefdoms and did not allow for cross-regional services. Some private operators responded with joint ventures under the "Red Arrow" brand, agreeing to jointly operate routes between major centres in each other's territories. Some of these routes survive in whole or part today.

Contracts

From 1930 until 1990, private bus companies in Sydney operated as licensed local monopolies, with a relatively free hand to set fares, determine routes, set service levels and choose vehicles. The Greiner Government changed this with the introduction of the Passenger Transport Act 1990. Although the government was loath to challenge the operators' local dominance, it insisted on forming contractual relationships between bus companies and the Department of Transport. These formed the basis for improvements to service standards and – in time – would allow the Government to consolidate the industry and create a truly integrated public transport network. The Government also dismantled one of the shibboleths of the Lang era, allowing Forest Coach Lines and Westbus to run direct services to the City, rather than just the nearest train station. In 1992, an inbound bus lane was installed on the Sydney Harbour Bridge to facilitate the additional services.

Unsworth review

Development in the Hills and Forest districts, far from railway lines, meant that long-distance private bus services poured across the Harbour Bridge to the City each morning. The growth of employment centres outside of the City and inner suburbs, including the growing significance of Parramatta, meant that more and more commuters were making cross-regional, rather than suburb-to-city, trips. Finally, the profusion of bus networks – in 2004, they numbered more than 80 – was confusing to planners and passengers alike. In return for their acceptance of limits to their operations, the small family-owned bus companies had enjoyed immunity from competition themselves. The result was a disparity in fares, vehicles and service quality across Sydney.

The Government commissioned a report into the bus network from former premier Barrie Unsworth. This report, released in 2004, formed a blueprint for major changes to the bus network, including:

Consolidation of bus contract regions, from more than 80 to just 15, forced the amalgamation of decades-old bus companies and cleared the way for the entry of players from interstate and overseas.

Starting in October 2008 a number of Metrobus routes were introduced.

Cross-regional connectivity received further boosts with the completion of dedicated T-way networks, between Liverpool and Parramatta and between Parramatta, Blacktown and Rouse Hill.

Contract regions

A real-time electronic sign at the Sydney Airport International Terminal bus stop Sydneybusesrealtime.jpg
A real-time electronic sign at the Sydney Airport International Terminal bus stop

All bus services in Sydney are operated by privately owned bus operators, provided under service contracts between the operators and Transport for NSW. There are 11 contract regions (10 from October 2023), each of which is tied to a geographical area.

Current contracts commenced prior to 2018 operate for five years, with an option to extend for a further three years. Contracts commenced and awarded since 2018 are for an eight-year period. All of these contracts were awarded via open tender. [9]

RegionService areaCurrent operatorsStart date of
current contract
End date of
current contract (if known)
1 Blacktown LGA, Penrith LGA Busways 10 December 202328 June 2031 [10]
2 Campbelltown LGA, Liverpool LGA, Camden LGA Transit Systems 8 October 2023 [11] 28 June 2031 [12]
3 Liverpool LGA, Fairfield LGA, Cumberland LGA, Canterbury-Bankstown LGA Transit Systems6 August 202330 November 2030 [13] [14]
4 Hills District CDC NSW circa April 202328 June 2031 [15]
6 Inner West Transit Systems1 July 201830 June 2026 [16]
7 Northern Suburbs Busways9 January 20229 January 2030 [17]
8 Northern Beaches Keolis Downer Northern Beaches 31 October 202131 October 2029 [18] [19]
9 Eastern Suburbs Transdev John Holland 2 April 20222 April 2030 [20]
10 Sutherland Shire, Georges River LGA, Canterbury-Bankstown LGA U-Go Mobility
Maianbar Bundeena Bus Service (route 989)
1 July 202330 November 2030 [21]
14 Ku-ring-gai LGA, Northern Beaches CDC NSW21 May 202329 June 2030 [22]

Routes

B1 Mona Vale to Sydney CBD

This is a limited stops route operating in the Northern Beaches region of Sydney. It is operated with a dedicated fleet of double deck buses. [23]

T80 Liverpool to Parramatta

This is a bus rapid transit route operating in the south western part of Sydney, mostly along dedicated bus-only roads. [24]

North-West T-way

A variety of routes operate along various sections of this T-Way, including some express services to the CBD.

A Metrobus liveried Scania K280UB 14.5m at Castle Hill Metrobus liveried (mo 9867), operated by Hillsbus, Volgren 'CR228L' bodied Scania K280UB 14-5m at Castle Hill Interchange.jpg
A Metrobus liveried Scania K280UB 14.5m at Castle Hill

Metrobus routes

Metrobus routes operate in various parts of Sydney. The original Metrobus routes run along major inner city corridors, passing through the Sydney central business district without terminating there. Later routes operate in areas further out from the city centre, connecting major suburban precincts. Metrobus routes are increasingly being debranded into normal routes, with many routes having now lost the M prefix, in case of confusion with metro services.

Other routes

Bus, train and taxi signage at Arncliffe railway station adheres to the guidelines set by Transport for NSW. Arncliffe railway station 20171004 04.jpg
Bus, train and taxi signage at Arncliffe railway station adheres to the guidelines set by Transport for NSW.

Many other routes operate throughout Sydney. Most of these routes are classified with three-digit route numbers based on the area of the city they operate in:

Special services are denoted by letter prefixes in their route number:

  • MMetrobus services (all but two M routes have been renumbered into normal 3-digit numbers as of September 2023)
  • BB-Line services
  • BN – B-Line overnight services
  • X – Express service used by State Transit (region 9)
  • L – Limited Stops service (used by State Transit (regions 9). Other Limited Stops routes use normal three-digit numbers with or without an X suffix)
  • T – Services operating, at least for the most part, via a T-Way (only T80 left with those operating on the North-West T-way having been renumbered into normal 3-digit numbers in 2019)
  • S – "Shopper Hopper" route (used for some private operators' routes that typically run between morning and afternoon peaks, Monday to Friday only)

Additionally, NightRide services are prefixed with N

Some routes have a suffix to their route numbers instead of a prefix:

  • N – Overnight services for the routes concerned with some minor variations (used since 2018)
  • X – Express service equivalents for the routes concerned used by CDC NSW (services via Lane Cove Tunnel), Transit Systems (regions 3 and 6), State Transit (region 7, 8 and 9) and two Forest Coach Lines routes in region 14
  • Any other letter – Used by some operators to denote the destination of routes with more than two termini. For example, the suffixes W and K are used by Busabout to denote variants of routes 884 and 883 that service Wedderburn and Kentlyn respectively.

State Transit and Transit Systems Region 6 school bus services are suffixed with N (Region 8), S (Region 6), E (Region 9) and W (Region 7). However, bus destinations boards do not show the suffix due to technical limitations.

Rail and ferry replacement bus services

Rail replacement bus services in Sydney replace or supplement train services, but charge train or metro fares. Ferry replacement bus services also sometimes replace F3 Parramatta River services between Parramatta and Rydalmere when there is low tide.

A Station Link bus StationLink SL1 Bus (cropped).jpg
A Station Link bus

From September 2018 to May 2019, Station Link bus services replaced rail services between Chatswood and Epping, while the Epping to Chatswood rail link was converted and upgraded to metro services. The main service SL1, operated frequently throughout the day, stopping at all stops between Chatswood and Epping. [25] The other services SL2–SL7, operated only during weekday peak hours. Fares on these bus routes were charged at train rates. The services were jointly operated by Transdev NSW and Hillsbus. [26]

Two weeks before its cessation, over 4.3 million trips had been taken on Station Link. [27]

North West Night Bus

From 26 May to 5 November 2019, North West Night Bus operated on two supplementary late night bus services, NW1 and NW2, to supplement the Metro North West Line metro operations on Sunday to Wednesday nights. [28] They are successors to the Station Link, which was discontinued due to the opening of Sydney Metro. Metro fares were charged on these bus routes. Like Station Link, both Night Bus services were also operated by Transdev and Hillsbus. [29] [30]

Route 535

The T6 Carlingford Line ceased operations on 5 January 2020, and a replacement bus service, route 535, commenced operations on the same day. It charges train fares and runs between Carlingford and Parramatta. [31] It is operated by CDC NSW.

Bankstown Line replacement bus services

Beginning in 2019, buses are replacing trains between Bankstown and Sydenham during the Christmas and New Year period, along with selected school holiday periods for preliminary works relating to the Bankstown Line metro conversion. This procedure will continue until 2024, after which that section of the line will be temporarily closed for several months to complete its integration into the Metro North West & Bankstown Line. [32] [33]

In April 2024, it was announced by the state government that the metro conversion is expected to begin between July and October 2024 and operate for up to 12 months. Replacement buses will be branded as "Southwest Link". [34]

Trackwork buses

Buses are also frequently used to replace train lines that are closed for trackwork, mainly on weekends or late nights. These replacement services are contracted out to a bus company by Sydney Trains. Because it is impossible for one bus company to provide enough buses, the company will then subcontract some of the work to other bus companies. The routes are defined by Sydney Trains, with route numbers consisting of one or two digits, optionally followed by "A" (usually indicates short working variant), then the train line the route replaces. Examples include 35T3, 61T8 etc.

On Demand services

Since late 2017, a number of On Demand services have been introduced throughout the metropolitan and outer metropolitan bus regions. These are not part of the Opal card ticketing system and most do not accept concession fares. However, OpalPay and concession fares can be used and accepted on some of these services. [35]

As of March 2020, the on demand services in Greater Sydney are: [36]

Other on demand services have also been trialled but have since ceased, including:

Patronage

Distribution map showing the percentage of the employed population who travel to work by bus only, according to the Australian census 2011. Australian Census 2011 demographic map - Inner Sydney by SA1 - BCP field 7840 One method Bus Persons.svg
Distribution map showing the percentage of the employed population who travel to work by bus only, according to the Australian census 2011.

The following table lists patronage figures for the network of contract regions (in millions of journeys) during the corresponding financial year. Australia's financial years start on 1 July and end on 30 June. Major events that affected the number of journeys made or how patronage is measured are included as notes.

Bus patronage in Sydney by financial year
Year2010–112011–122012–132013–142014–152015–162016–172017–182018–192019–202020–212021–222022–23
Patronage
(millions)
198.7203.3204.6209.0232.0
[lower-alpha 1] [lower-alpha 2]
253.1
[lower-alpha 3]
264.3280.6229.5
[lower-alpha 4]
125.9112.4206.8
Reference [46] [47] [1]
  1. Opal rollout completed in November 2014
  2. Includes School Student Travel Scheme boardings and boardings on free shuttle services from January 2015
  3. Figures from 2016–17 onwards are based on Opal tap on and tap off data. Non-Opal tickets were discontinued in August 2016.
  4. Patronage was lower than previous years due to people staying at home and not taking public transport to school or work during the COVID-19 pandemic
2021–22 Sydney bus patronage by contract region [48]
Region 16100000
Region 21897000
Region 35148000
Region 48751000
Region 52051000
Region 623302000
Region 713311000
Region 814269000
Region 924219000
Region 103720000
Region 121583000
Region 133986000
Region 142539000
Region 151594000
2022–23 Transport for NSW patronage in Sydney by mode [49]
ModePatronage% of total
TfNSW M.svg
Metro
19,738,1713.93
TfNSW T.svg
Train
229,666,99745.75
TfNSW B.svg
Bus
206,846,83341.20
TfNSW F.svg
Ferry
13,230,5482.64
TfNSW L.svg
Light rail
32,518,8146.48
Total502,001,363100.00

Fleet

Bus types

As the Government has moved to a contestable contract model since the Unsworth report, so it has acquired a greater interest in the buses acquired to operate its routes. The NSW Government buys many of the new buses entering service in private operator fleets, and enjoys step-in rights where a private operator loses a contract. State Transit and the private operators must buy new vehicles from approved panel suppliers. These are Asia Motors, Bustech, Custom Coaches, Heavy Vehicles Australia, Hino, Iveco, MAN, Scania, Volgren and Volvo.

The approved bus types are: [50]

In 2017, the government announced that articulated buses would be progressively phased out in favour of double-deckers. [51]

Livery

Until 2010, each bus operator determined the livery for their vehicles. In late 2010, the NSW Government introduced a new livery for use on all new vehicles entering service on the network. The design is composed of a light blue (Pantone Matching System 297) background, a white chevron shape pointing in the direction of travel, and dark blue (Pantone Matching System 281) bumpers. Although there was some resistance from bus operators, including Forest Coach Lines, who feared losing their brand identity, all operators had accepted the new requirements by 2013. [52] [53] [54]

Bus priority infrastructure

Buses in Sydney
The bus-only roads in Sydney

Many roads in Sydney have bus priority lanes. There are two types of bus lanes in Sydney; [55]

Many of them are operational for 24 hours, or during the peak hour. Cameras are often set up along bus lanes and drivers who break rules by driving along bus lanes at dedicated times are fined. [56]

Dedicated bus only roads include a separate road in Moore Park which shadows parts of Alison Road and Anzac Parade, [57] as well as dedicated roadways at the centre of M2 Hills Motorway [58] and T-ways.

Sydney has three operating transitways (or T-ways):

These T-ways can only be used by buses or authorised T-way vehicles. Cameras have been set up along the three T-ways and vehicles without authorised access are fined. For Bennelong bridge, separate fines apply to cyclists using the T-way instead of the adjacent shared pedestrian path on the bridge. [59]

Ticketing and fares

The bus network uses the smartcard-based Opal ticketing system. Opal is also valid on metro, train, ferry and light rail services but separate fares apply for these modes. Opal's bus fares are the same as those for light rail but the fares are not combined when interchanging between the two modes. Bus drivers also sell non-smartcard Opal single trip tickets, however this facility has been withdrawn from bus regions 4, 7, 8 and 9. [60] The single trip tickets are more expensive than the standard Opal fare. They are only valid for travel on the bus service on which they are purchased. [61] The following table lists Opal fares for reusable smartcards and single trip tickets: [62]

Bus or light rail
As of 1 Jul 240–3 km3–8 km>8 km
Adult cards & contactless (peak)$3.20$4.36$5.60
Adult cards & contactless (off-peak)$2.24$3.05$3.92
Other cards (peak)$1.60$2.18$2.80^
Other cards (off-peak)$1.12$1.52$1.96
Adult single trip$4.00$5.20$6.70
Child/Youth single trip$2.00$2.60$3.40

^ = $2.50 for Senior/Pensioner cardholders

Notes and references

  1. 1 2 3 "Bus Patronage – Monthly Figures". Transport for NSW. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Lee, Robert (2010). Transport: an Australian history. Sydney: UNSW Press.
  3. JMacR. "Manly's first bus". Manly Library Local Studies Blog. Archived from the original on 8 May 2024. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
  4. Simpson, Margaret (2006). "New South Wales Government and private bus ticket collection" (published 1960). Archived from the original on 10 December 2022. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
  5. State Records Authority of New South Wales. "Department of Road Transport & Tramways". Archived from the original on 1 February 2016. Retrieved 3 March 2016.
  6. State Records Authority of New South Wales. "Department of Government Tram and Omnibus Services (1952) / Department of Government Transport (1952–1972)".[ permanent dead link ]
  7. Department of Environment & Planning (1988). Sydney Into Its Third Century: Metropolitan Strategy for the Sydney Region. Sydney.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  8. Ashton, Paul; Freestone, Robert (2008). "Planning". Dictionary of Sydney. Dictionary of Sydney Trust. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 3 March 2016.
  9. Transport for NSW 2013/14 Annual Report (PDF) (Report). Transport for NSW. pp. 38–39. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 December 2014. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
  10. "Greater Sydney Bus Contract 1 - GSBC1". eTendering NSW. Archived from the original on 20 May 2023. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  11. "Kelsian Awarded New Sydney Bus Services Contract" (PDF). Australian Securities Exchange. Kelsian. 18 February 2023. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 May 2023. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  12. "Greater Sydney Bus Contract 2 - GSBC2". eTendering NSW. Archived from the original on 20 May 2023. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  13. "Kelsian Awarded New Sydney Bus Services Contract". Australian Securities Exchange. Kelsian. 22 December 2022. Archived from the original on 22 December 2022. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  14. "Greater Sydney Bus Contract 3 - Greater Sydney Bus Contract 3". eTendering NSW. Archived from the original on 20 May 2023. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  15. "Greater Sydney Bus Contract 4 - GSBSC4". eTendering NSW. Archived from the original on 20 May 2023. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  16. "Region 6 Bus Services – SBSC 006". eTendering NSW. Archived from the original on 31 March 2019. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  17. "Greater Sydney Bus Contract 7 – TfNSW 2020-010". eTendering NSW. Archived from the original on 8 January 2022. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  18. "Keolis Downer partners with TfNSW to deliver innovative transport solutions in Sydney's Northern beaches as the future bus operator". Keolis Downer. 28 May 2021. Archived from the original on 16 June 2021. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  19. "Greater Sydney Bus Contract 8 (GSBC8) – TfNSW 2020-008". eTendering NSW. Archived from the original on 4 November 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  20. "Greater Sydney Bus Contract 9 – TfNSW 2020-009". eTendering NSW. Archived from the original on 16 April 2022. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  21. "Greater Sydney Bus Contract 10 - Greater Sydney Bus Contract 10". eTendering NSW. Archived from the original on 20 May 2023. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  22. "Greater Sydney Bus Contract 14 - GSBSC14". eTendering NSW. Archived from the original on 20 May 2023. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  23. New B-Line to transform Northern Beaches Bus travel Archived 2 February 2016 at the Wayback Machine Transport for NSW 9 November 2015
  24. Transit Systems secures Region 6 Bus Contract (Final Paragraph) Transit Systems
  25. "Station Link". Transport Info NSW. Archived from the original on 15 November 2018. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  26. "Upgrade of the Epping to Chatswood line – Station Link bus services" (PDF). MySydney – NSW Government. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 June 2018. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  27. "Upgrade complete between Epping and Chatswood". Sydney Metro. 23 May 2019. Archived from the original on 8 May 2024. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
  28. "North West Night Bus". Transport Info NSW. Archived from the original on 25 October 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
  29. "NW1 Timetable – May 2019" (PDF). Transport Info NSW. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 May 2019. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  30. "NW2 Timetable – May 2019" (PDF). Transport Info NSW. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 May 2019. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  31. "T6 Carlingford Line to close 5 January 2020". Parramatta Light Rail. 9 October 2019. Archived from the original on 24 November 2019. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  32. "Rail line closure to force 100,000 commuters a day to catch buses". Sydney Morning Herald. 18 July 2019. Archived from the original on 19 July 2019. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  33. O'Sullivan, Matt (5 February 2024). "Peak-hour trip times to double for commuters during Sydney rail closure". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 8 May 2024. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  34. Transport for NSW. "Southwest Link". transportnsw.info. Archived from the original on 30 April 2024. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  35. How OpalPay works Archived 12 June 2019 at the Wayback Machine Transport for NSW
  36. "On Demand public transport". Transport for NSW. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  37. Inner West On Demand service Archived 8 May 2024 at the Wayback Machine Transport for NSW
  38. "Northern Beaches". Keoride. Archived from the original on 19 March 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  39. Catch The Pod will be ceasing at 11:59PM, 14 October 2018 Archived 10 December 2022 at the Wayback Machine Punchbowl Bus Co
  40. Carlingford and North Rocks On Demand service Archived 8 May 2024 at the Wayback Machine Transport for NSW
  41. Transport for NSW, Customer Experience Division. "Eastern Suburbs On Demand trial to end 20 December". transportnsw.info. Archived from the original on 8 May 2024. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  42. "Macquarie Park On Demand trial ends 20 March". Transport for NSW. 25 February 2020. Archived from the original on 8 May 2024. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  43. "Manly on demand service – Transport for NSW". Archived from the original on 8 May 2024. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  44. Transport on demand. Ready when you are. TransdevLink
  45. "Wetherill Park On Demand service". Transport for NSW. Archived from the original on 7 August 2018. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
  46. "Transport for NSW Annual Report 2013–14" (PDF). Transport for NSW. p. 395. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 May 2015. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
  47. "Transport for NSW Annual Report 2014–15" (PDF). Transport for NSW. p. 131. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 March 2016. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
  48. "Bus Patronage – Monthly Figures". Transport for NSW. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  49. See Transport for NSW patronage in Sydney by mode for sources
  50. Transport for NSW (July 2015). "Outer and metropolitan bus system bus specification guidelines". Archived from the original on 11 July 2015.
  51. Gerathy, Sarah; Raper, Ashleigh (13 June 2017). "NSW Budget: New hospital, bus boost and roads planning announced with one week to go". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 20 June 2017. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
  52. Smith, Alexandra (22 December 2010). "Out of the blue, an illusion of more buses, all dressed alike". Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  53. Blue over green Forest Coach Lines buses Archived 29 April 2013 at the Wayback Machine Manly Daily 11 January 2013
  54. Transport for NSW (October 2013). "Livery specification, Custom Coaches rigid 12 metre" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 March 2016. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
  55. NSW, Roads and Maritime Services. "Bus lanes". Roads and Maritime Services. Archived from the original on 8 May 2024. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  56. "Bus lanes". rms.nsw.gov.au. Archived from the original on 5 November 2015. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
  57. "Temporary closure of Moore Park Bus Roadway from 5 June – 26 Feb 2015". State Transit. Archived from the original on 2 July 2015. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
  58. Tan, Su-Lin (12 March 2015). "Traffic chaos as bus catches on fire on M2 motorway". The Sydney Morning Herald . Archived from the original on 8 May 2024. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
  59. 1 2 "A camera has been set up to catch drivers sneaking across the Bennelong Bridge between Wentworth Point and Rhodes". The Daily Telegraph. 1 November 2016. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  60. Most buses in the North West of Sydney are moving to Opal only services Archived 17 June 2019 at the Wayback Machine Transport for NSW 16 June 2019
  61. "Opal single trip tickets". Transport for NSW. Archived from the original on 20 March 2023. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
  62. "Opal fares". transportnsw.info. Transport for NSW. Archived from the original on 27 March 2023. Retrieved 22 June 2019.

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The State Transit Authority of New South Wales, also referred to as State Transit, was an agency of the Government of New South Wales operating bus services in Sydney. Superseding the Urban Transit Authority in 1989, it was also responsible for the provision of ferry services in Sydney until 2004 and bus and ferry services in Newcastle until 2017. It ceased trading after 2 April 2022 with its remaining operations to be contracted out by Transport for NSW to replacement operators.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buses in Melbourne</span> Australian Transportation

Buses in Melbourne, Australia, are a major form of public transport in Melbourne, with an extensive bus network. There are 346 routes in operation with a varying range of service frequencies, operated by privately owned bus companies under franchise from the State Government, under the Public Transport Victoria branding. The Night Network bus system consists of 10 routes and operates on Friday and Saturday nights, and a SmartBus orbital bus network currently consisting of nine routes, which is intended to facilitate cross city travel, while the current network is predominantly a radial network. Most of the bus network is a covered by the myki ticketing system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sydney Ferries</span> Public transport ferry service

Sydney Ferries is the public transport ferry network serving the city of Sydney, New South Wales. Services operate on Sydney Harbour and the connecting Parramatta River. The network is controlled by the New South Wales Government's transport authority, Transport for NSW, and is part of the authority's Opal ticketing system. In 2017–18, 15.3 million passenger journeys were made on the network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transdev NSW</span>

Transdev NSW was a bus operator in the northern, southern and western suburbs of Sydney, Australia. It was a subsidiary of Transdev.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newcastle Buses & Ferries</span>

Newcastle Buses & Ferries was a commuter bus and ferry service operating in Newcastle and Lake Macquarie from 1935 until 2017. Part of the State Transit Authority, it operated 26 bus routes and the Stockton ferry across the Hunter River.

Public transport ticketing in New South Wales, Australia operated using magnetic-stripe technology between 1989 and 2016. This ticketing system, known variously as the Automated fare collection system, STATS and, from 2010, MyZone, was progressively replaced by a contactless smart card called Opal between 2012 and 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manly ferry services</span> Ferry services on Sydney Harbour

Manly ferry services operate on Sydney Harbour connecting the Sydney suburb of Manly with Circular Quay in the CBD, a journey of seven nautical miles.

The Sydney Metropolitan Bus Service Contracts are contracts issued by the Government of New South Wales to metropolitan bus operators in Sydney, Australia, to operate its public bus route network. Since 2005, the government has moved from individual contracts with operators to larger contract regions, leading to the consolidation of bus operators.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metrobus (Sydney)</span> Sydney high frequency, high capacity bus network

Metrobus is a high frequency, high capacity bus network in Sydney, Australia, first introduced in 2008. Metrobus services run every 10 minutes during peak periods, 15 minutes during off-peak weekday periods, and 20 minutes on weekends, linking key commercial suburbs and centres throughout the city, with the intention of making timetables obsolete. All buses were initially painted in a distinctive red livery but recently, the standard Transport for NSW livery of blue and white has been adopted. All Metrobus services are wheelchair accessible. All route numbers were prefixed with an "M" followed by a two-digit number.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keolis Downer</span> Australian transportation company

Keolis Downer is a joint venture between Keolis, the largest private sector French transport group, and Downer Rail, an Australian railway engineering company, that operates bus and tram services in Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Opal card</span> Contactless fare collection system used in New South Wales, Australia

Opal is a contactless smartcard fare collection system for public transport services in the greater Sydney area and most other urban areas of New South Wales, Australia. Operation of the Opal system is managed by Transport for NSW. First launched in late 2012, Opal is valid on Transport for NSW's metro, train, bus, ferry and light rail services that operate in Sydney and the neighbouring Central Coast, Hunter Region, Blue Mountains, Illawarra and Southern Highlands areas. Opal equipment was designed from the start to support a variety of cards, but launched with the captive Opal cards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transit Systems</span> Public transport operator in Australia, Singapore & London

Transit Systems Group is an Australian-based public transport company, which also operates overseas through its subsidiary Tower Transit Group. Transit Systems Group is a subsidiary of the Kelsian Group, formerly SeaLink Travel Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sydney Trains</span> Operator of passenger rail services in metropolitan Sydney

Sydney Trains is the operator and brand name of the principal train network serving the Greater Sydney metropolitan area in New South Wales, Australia. The network is a hybrid urban-suburban rail system with a central underground core that covers 369 km (229 mi) of route length over 813 km (505 mi) of track, with 170 stations on eight lines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inner West Light Rail</span> Light rail line in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

The Inner West Light Rail is a 12.8-kilometre (8.0 mi) light rail line in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, running from Central railway station through the Inner West to Dulwich Hill and serving 23 stops. It was the original line of the Sydney light rail network. Services on the line are branded as the L1 Dulwich Hill Line since 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transit Systems NSW</span> Bus company in Sydney, Australia

Transit Systems NSW, previously known as Transit Systems Sydney, is a bus operator in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is a subsidiary of Transit Systems.

Transdev Australasia is an operator of bus, ferry, light rail and rail services in Australia and New Zealand. It is a subsidiary of French-based, international Transdev. It was formed in 2013 by grouping the operations of Veolia Transport Australia and former Transdev together, as a result of the global rebranding from Veolia Transdev to Transdev.

Sydney, Australia is served by a number of bus operators, with Transit systems the largest privately owned operator in New South Wales as of January 2024 when the company took-over Transdev Liverpool, Busabout and Interline. Other major operators include CDC and Busways. Most services are provided as part of the city's integrated public transport system, with routes, fares, service levels, fleet specifications and customer service standards determined by Transport for NSW. A small number of services operate outside of this network.

The Opal card rolled out across New South Wales public transport services from 7 December 2012 until December 2014. Additionally, from December 2017, OpalPay was introduced and can be used as payment on selected third party services. This article contains all the dates of official Opal card and OpalPay rollouts.

The 2010s saw many developments relating to transport in the Australian city of Sydney, New South Wales. The decade saw a substantial investment in infrastructure, including a new airport, motorway projects, light rail lines, Australia's first metro system, the new Waratah fleet and the demise of the non-air conditioned S sets from the rail network. Planning and branding of public transport services became substantially more centralised.