Nightride (bus service)

Last updated

NightRide
Sydney Bus "B" Logo.svg
Overview
Owner Transport for NSW
Locale Sydney, Australia
Transit type Bus
Number of lines14
Number of stations120
Operation
Began operation18 June 1989 (1989-06-18)
Operator(s)

NightRide, also Nightride, is a network of bus routes in operation between midnight and 4.30am in Sydney, Australia. The thirteen routes are run by bus operators as listed below and allow for a nightly shutdown of the Sydney Trains commuter rail network. The NightRide network was established in mid-1989 as low-patronage late-night train services were progressively withdrawn. [1] [2] Services follow major roads, and some stops are some distance from the railway stations they replace. In addition, some routes serve stations on multiple railway lines. In the city, most services depart from George Street, above Town Hall station.

Contents

Normal bus fares apply to NightRide journeys. [3]

The suspension of train services overnight allows for maintenance to occur on tracks. Passengers reportedly feel safer on buses than mostly-empty trains late at night. However, in 2014, it was reported that patronage on most NightRide routes was falling. The Tourism and Transport Forum has called for 24-hour train operations to resume. [2]

History

The first NightRide routes, to Riverwood, Campbelltown and Sutherland, commenced in June 1989. Services to Penrith, Hornsby and Cronulla began two months later. [4] New services were introduced to Bondi Junction in 2009; and Carlingford and Richmond in 2011.

A city loop route, called N1, was established in 2000 and cancelled two years later. [5]

New contracts for all routes commenced 1 March 2018 with a number of routes going to different operators. The routes then became normal commuter routes under the administration of Transport for NSW instead of Sydney Trains. Changes included N100 Railway Square to Bondi Junction which commenced in 2009 ceasing, replaced by route N91 in conjunction with frequency changes to some routes. [6]

From 23 August 2020, two additional routes, N31 and N92 were introduced, and all N71 services standardised to operate to Richmond. [7]

Network

As of 12 December 2021 the network consists of [3]

RouteOrigin/destinationReplacesOperatorIntroduced
N10 Town Hall to Sutherland T4 Illawarra Line Transdev NSW 1989
N11Town Hall to Cronulla T4 Illawarra Line Transdev NSW 1989
N20Town Hall to Riverwood T8 Airport Line Punchbowl Bus Company 1989
N30Town Hall to Macarthur T8 Airport Line, T3 Bankstown Line Transdev NSW 1989
N31 Liverpool to Leppington T2 Leppington Line, T5 Cumberland Line Hillsbus 2020
N40Town Hall to East Hills T8 Airport Line, T3 Bankstown Line Transdev NSW 1989
N50Town Hall to Liverpool T2 Inner West Line, T3 Bankstown Line Hillsbus 1989
N60Town Hall to Fairfield T8 South Line Hillsbus 1989
N61Town Hall to Carlingford T6 Carlingford Line Hillsbus 2011
N70Town Hall to Penrith T1 Western Line Hillsbus and Blue Mountains Transit 1989
N71Town Hall to Richmond T1 Western Line Hillsbus 2011
N80Town Hall to Hornsby (via Strathfield) T9 Northern Line State Transit Authority 1989
N81Town Hall to Parramatta (via Olympic Park) T1 Western Line State Transit Authority 2018
N90Town Hall to Hornsby (via Chatswood) T1 North Shore Line State Transit Authority 1989
N91 Bondi Junction to Macquarie Park T4 Eastern Suburbs Line, T1 North Shore Line State Transit Authority 2018
N92Town Hall to Tallawong M1 Metro North West Hillsbus 2020

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References

  1. "Nightride services" Fleetline August 1989 page 120
  2. 1 2 Late night travellers vote with their feet to dump NightRide Sydney Morning Herald 10 March 2014
  3. 1 2 Late Night services Transport for NSW Info
  4. "Nightride Bus Service Starts" Railway Digest August 1989 page 271
  5. "Changes to NightRide Buses: 1 November 2002", Action for Public Transport (NSW), retrieved 28 March 2006
  6. NightRide bus changes Transport for NSW Info 26 February 2018
  7. Bus service changes in August Transport for NSW 9 August 2020