Buses in Sydney

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This article is a general one on buses in Sydney. For a specific article on the organisation responsible for running government buses in Sydney, see Sydney Buses.
The Ministry of Transport manages an integrated metropolitan bus system stretching from Newcastle in the north to Wollongong in the south.
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The Ministry of Transport manages an integrated metropolitan bus system stretching from Newcastle in the north to Wollongong in the south.

Buses are a major part of public transport in the city of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Commuter bus services account for more than half of the public transport journeys taken in the city on a given weekday. Of the 885,000 bus trips taken of a weekday, 559,000 are carried by the State Transit Authority of New South Wales, a government bus company. The remainder are carried by a large number of private-sector operators.

For the purposes of this article, Sydney is defined as the metropolitan area encompassing Sydney and the neighbouring cities and regions of Newcastle and the Hunter, the Central Coast, the Blue Mountains, Wollongong and the Illawarra.

The bus system is managed by the New South Wales Ministry of Transport, which allocates operations regions to State Transit and the private operators, and distributes subsidies for certain kinds of service. Recent reforms to this process, implemented in the wake of the 2004 Unsworth review, are driving consolidation among the various smaller bus companies.

Contents

[edit] Operations

Sydney Strategic Bus Corridors

Services are operated by both a large government operator, the State Transit Authority of New South Wales (STA), and numerous smaller private operators. The STA generally operates services in Sydney's east, north and part of the southern suburbs, a legacy of the former tram network, most of which was replaced by the current bus network in the late 1950s. The western suburbs and most of the southern suburbs are served by smaller private operators in contract areas. There were previously 87 small contract areas where private bus companies operated, however the recent Unsworth Bus Reform has seen this consolidate into 10 areas, which will be further consolidated into just 8 areas in 2012. This will also include 43 'strategic' bus corridors, offering enhanced and more frequent services. The first of these have come into operation (Hurstville to Miranda, and Liverpool to Bankstown). [1]

[edit] Network

Inner metropolitan bus routes have three-digit route numbers, grouped by region.

The bus networks of neighbouring regions are integrated with Sydney's.

Buses also serve to replace trains between midnight and 5.00 am on the CityRail network. This service is called NightRide.

[edit] Bus Transitways (T-Ways)

Main article: Liverpool-Parramatta Rapid Bus Transitway

Sydney has one operating bus transitway, from Liverpool to Parramatta. There are more transitways planned, including the North-West T-way for which construction commenced in June 2005[2].

[edit] List of current bus operators in Sydney

Operates bus services in the Liverpool area, many of which act as feeder services to Cityrail trains.
Operates bus services in and around Miranda, Cronulla and Kurnell.
Operates buses in the Blacktown and Campbelltown areas.
Operate from depots at Blacktown, Campbelltown and Camden.
Operates bus services in Sydney's south.
Operate bus services in Sydney's northwestern suburbs.
Operate from depots at Dural, Northmead and Seven Hills. Owned by Westbus.
Operates services in the Parramatta and Merrylands area
Operates buses in the Campbelltown area.
Operates feeder buses in Sydney's south west to Liverpool Station
Operate buses in the south and inner south western suburbs, from a depot at Riverwood.
Operates services on Sydney's North Shore.
Government operator
Operates services in inner Sydney and on the T-Way
Operates services in South West Sydney
Formerly known as Connex NSW, and before that, Southtrans, then previously Deane's. Operates services in Sydney's southern suburbs.
A large company that operates buses in the greater west.

[edit] List of defunct bus operators in Sydney

In the past, many of Sydney's bus services were operated by small companies, particularly in the middle and outer suburbs. Some of these companies only operated one or two routes. Most operated before the current revised route numbers and contract areas were introduced.

  • Allways
Closed in 1992
  • Bankstown Strathfield Bus Service
Operated routes 484-5-6 until taken over by Transit First in 2003
  • Barklimore Bros
Operated routes in Merrylands until taken over by Baxters in 1981. Routes taken over by Transit First in 2005.
Trading name of Holroyd Bus Lines Pty Ltd; operated bus services in the western suburbs. Sold to Westbus in 2006. [3] Baxter's remains a tour and charter company only.
  • Brighton Bus Lines
Operated route 196 in the Brighton and Kyeemagh areas until 1993 when the route was bought by State Transit, becoming the 479 [4]. The company carried an orange livery with a blue stripe.
  • Bustrans
Operated Routes 817 and 818 in the Fairfield area. It was taken over by Baxters Holroyd Bus Lines in 2004.
  • Canterbury Bus Lines
Operated routes 450 and 451 until routes taken over by Punchbowl Bus Company in 1998
  • Carss Park Charter Tours and Buslines
Routes taken over by Southtrans
  • Deanes
Became Southtrans, until taken over by Connex in the late 1990s. Now operates as Veolia Transport
  • Foley's Bus Service
  • GP Bus Company
Later became Punchbowl Bus Company
  • Harbour City Coaches
Operated lower North Shore services from 1987 until sold to North and Western in 1989
  • Harris Park Bus Company
  • Hawkesbury Valley Coaches
  • Holsworthy Bus Company
Operated between Holsworthy and Liverpool until 1982.
  • Hopkinsons Coaches
  • Katen & Heath
Founded 1956, became Bustrans in 1996.
  • Kingsgrove Bus and Coach Company
Now operates as a charter company only
  • Kogarah-Carss Park Bus Service
  • Lane Cove Bus Service
Bought bus services in the Lane Cove area from Deanes in the early 1980s until 1987.
  • Liverpool Transport Company
  • Longueville Bus Company
Operated services in the Lane Cove/Longueville area until the early 1950s when taken over by Deanes Coaches.
Operated routes, mainly out of Bankstown, until 1978
  • Metro Link
  • Midshore Busways
Routes taken over by Shorelink
  • Milperra Bus Service
Operated routes around Bankstown until 1987, taken over by Transit First.
  • Moore's Tours
Operated route 954 from a depot in Blakehurst until 2004 when route taken over by Punchbowl Bus Company. Continues as a charter operator only.
  • Narwee Bus Service
Taken over by Punchbowl Bus Company in the late 1950s
  • Neville's Bus service
Now part of Busabout.
  • North & Western Bus Lines
Sold to Sydney Buses in 1999.
  • Oatley Bus Service
  • Parramatta Ryde Bus Service
Operated services in the Parramatta area until it was sold to State Transit in 2000 [5].
  • Peakhurst Bus and Coach Company (Saints)
Operated three routes (32, 88, 108) in southern Sydney until 1989 when its routes were taken over by the Punchbowl Bus Company. The buses carried a black and white livery.
  • Pioneer Coaches, Bexley
Operated what is now route 452 between Beverley Hills and Bexley, as the 112. The company carried a red and blue livery.
  • Pleasure Tours
Operated routes 446 and 447 until 2005 when routes taken over by Punchbowl Bus Company.
  • Revesby Bus and Coach Service
Routes taken over by Crossley Bus Lines
  • Richmond Coaches
Routes absorbed by Westbus
  • Riverside
Sold to State Transit in 2000.
  • Southtrans
Taken over by Connex in the late 1990s. Now operates as Veolia Transport [6].
  • St Ives Bus Service
Operated until 1998 when its operations were split between Forest Coach Lines and Shorelink [7].
  • Sydney Coachlines
Routes taken over by Pioneer and Sydney Buses
  • West Bankstown Bus Service
Operated routes 935, 936 and 937 until 2003, routes taken over by Transit First
  • Western Road Bus Service
Operated in Wentworthville until 1987, taken over by Baxters
  • Westway Bus and Coach Service
Relaunched as transitFirst in 2003
  • Windsor Towns

[edit] Notes and References

  1. ^ Bus Reform in NSW. Ministry of Transport NSW. Retrieved on 25 August 2006.
  2. ^ T way website, accessed 25 August 2006
  3. ^ cdc Baxters Announcement. ComfortDelGro. Retrieved on 31 August 2006.
  4. ^ NSW Legislative Assembly Hansard. NSW Legislative Assembly Hansard. Retrieved on 2 October 2006.
  5. ^ Parramatta Ryde Bus Services. Bus Australia. Retrieved on 25 August 2006.
  6. ^ Veolia NSW. Veolia NSW. Retrieved on 25 August 2006.
  7. ^ St Ives bus Lines. Bus Australia. Retrieved on 25 August 2006.

[edit] External links

Public transport operators in metropolitan New South Wales
Government
 		 Automated Fare Collection System | Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal | New South Wales Ministry of Transport | Rail Infrastructure Corporation | Tcard | Transport InfoLine | Transport Infrastructure Development Corporation
Rail Airport Link | CityRail | Metro Transport Sydney | Veolia
Ferry Cronulla Ferries | Matilda Cruises | Palm Beach Ferry | Newcastle Buses & Ferries | Sydney Ferries
Bus
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Taxi Taxis in New South Wales | Cabcharge
Public transport in metropolitan New South Wales |  v • d • e 
Bus Transport in Australia
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Transportation in Australia
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