Busways To Officially Take Over Region 7 (including Buses Servicing Lane Cove) on 9 Jan 2022

Public Transport, and in particular buses, has always been a hot topic in Lane Cove.  Over the last couple of years, ITC has led a push for Lane Cove commuters to have more bus services.  Of course, this was before the world changed, and now most of us work from home.  One day we will return to normal, and buses will be a hot topic again.

The NSW Government has now taken another step towards changing the way bus services are delivered in Lane Cove.

Lane Cove buses are part of Region 7.  This region covers the northwestern suburbs, with services extending to the CBD. The region operates out of Ryde depot and Willoughby depot.

Since 2005, the region has been operated by State Transit.

On 30th July 2021, the State Government has announced that the successful tenderer of Region 7 is Busways.

Busways Take Over Region 7 9th January 2022

Busways will officially take over Region 7 on 9th January 2022.  ITC asked Busyways to provide information on how this will impact Lane Cove commuters.  A spokesperson for Busways advised as follows:

“Busways are looking forward to commencing services in Lane Cove on 9 January 2022. Customers will be able to rely on the same services they know and use, there will be no changes to routes or services on 9 January 2022 and the Opal payment system will continue.

As we said previously, we will initially focus on investment in fleet improvements to enhance customer journey experiences in the region including fleetwide upgrades for onboard CCTV, two-way radio systems to improve safety and reliability and working to lift fleet presentation standards.  Over the following years, we will work with Transport for NSW to electrify the fleet, introduce smart technology that helps customers and to engage with customers to identify network improvements.”

Background to the Change from Transport for NSW/Sydney Buses to Busways – October 2019

In October 2019, the NSW State Government published a plan to “franchise” the buses servicing Sydney, Northern Beaches, Eastern Suburbs and the Lower North Shore/CBD.  Sydney Bus Areas would be operated by private contractors, with the NSW Government owning the buses and depots. The unions labelled this move as privatisation.

When announcing the plans to franchise the buses, the NSW Minister for Transport and Roads said he would invite leading public transport operators, Australian and international, to lodge a bid.

Plan Not Well Received by Drivers or Commuters

The Rail, Tram and Bus Union NSW Branch launched a campaign and website to stop the privatisation and encouraged commuters and supporters to sign an online petition to stop the privatisation. (details  here) 

In an email to supporters, they said:

“Selling off public services for private operation in the middle of a pandemic is a disgrace. The NSW Government isn’t even bothering to wait for the Parliament debate that you helped secure when you joined with 22,000 other people and signed a petition demanding the Government reconsider its shocking privatisation plans.”

“We’ve asked all state MPs in NSW to take a pledge opposing the privatisation of our transport services. Several members of the Labor Party, The Greens, and the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers have already promised to protect our public bus services.”

The  Transport Action Network sent out an email on 24th June 2020 – extract below.

“The NSW Government has just released tenders for the private takeover of Sydney’s last publicly operated buses.

This is despite overwhelming public opposition to the move.  Just days ago, 22,000 petition signatories demanding an end to bus privatisation forced a second debate on the issue in Parliament.

We are calling on Premier Berejiklian to give the people of NSW an iron-clad guarantee that no stops or services will be cut, and no workers will be worse off under privatisation. But we need your help.

Will you call the Premier’s electorate office on 02 9439 4199 and demand she commits to preserving our bus network?

If you live in one of the affected regions and your MP is a member of the Government, you can call their office and ask them to oppose this decision”

Anthony Roberts in Favour of “Privatisation”

In 2019, ITC asked our Local Member the Hon Anthony Roberts, to comment on this plan.  Anthony Roberts said that the system was not being privatised but was being opened up to the private sector to competitively tender to operate the buses.  He said this was the first step towards introducing a more flexible public transport system to benefit Lane Cove.  He noted that certain services during the daytime are losing money, and it would be better to have an on-demand system during the day.

It’s a shame that the only on-demand service in Lane Cove has been cancelled.  The Keoride buses from Lane Cove to Macquarie Park ceased operating in 2020.  Read more here.

Lane Cove Council’s Response

Public Transport is a State Government matter. However, it impacts all Lane Cove residents.

Councillor Andrew Zbik tabled a Notice of Motion at the Lane Cove Council Meeting asking Lane Cove Council to write to the NSW Premier and our local member Anthony Roberts to express opposition to the proposed privatisation or franchise of local Sydney Buses services in the Lane Cove local government area.  He also asked Lane Cove Council to seek assurances that bus services enjoyed by the people of Lane Cove not be cut or removed.

To support his motion Councillor Zbik highlighted the issues with Ausgrid since it has been privatised.

His Notice of Motion includes the following:

The recent storms in Lane Cove during February resulted in large parts of the Lane Cove LGA going without electricity for up to a week. On Monday 9th March during NSW Parliament Budget Estimates hearings is was revealed that Ausgrid is currently operating at its lowest staffing level in years, shedding almost 3,000 jobs under the current Government. The electricity operator’s workforce is 3228 – well below the legally required 3570 employees. What’s more, leaked documents revealed last week showed that Ausgrid has plans to cut another 500 jobs next year, bringing their total workforce down to almost 2,700. The reduced number of electricians that are employed by Ausgrid was cited as one of the major factors contributing to the delay in restoring electricity services to local residents. It is clear that the privatisation or the franchise of public owned entities has resulted in reduced quality of service delivery.

Councillors Zbik’s motion was lost.

Instead, a watered-down motion moved by Councillor Brooks- Horn that Council writes to the NSW Premier – The Hon. Gladys Berejiklian and Member for Lane Cove The Hon. Anthony Roberts to seek assurances that bus services enjoyed by the people of Lane Cove not be cut or removed if bus services in our area are privatised or franchised.

Tender Awarded 30 July 2021

The Minister for Transport and Roads, Andrew Constance, released the following media statement on 30 July 2021:

“Commuters in Sydney’s North West and parts of the Lower North Shore will soon benefit from 35 new electric buses and new onboard bus safety systems after the NSW Government appointed Busways North West as the operator of local services.

Minister for Transport and Roads Andrew Constance said Busways will deliver more than 1.1 million services a year for customers, while also saving taxpayers around $75 million over the eight-year contract.

“Busways is an Australian owned family company which currently runs bus routes, with integrated On Demand services, in Sydney’s West and the Hills District, and will now operate in the North West and Lower North Shore,” Mr Constance said.

“Busways will introduce 35 electric buses to replace diesel buses that need to be retired, meaning cleaner, quieter and smoother rides for customers. Charging infrastructure will be installed at the Willoughby depot to support the new fleet.”

Busways will start running services in the North West and parts of the Lower North Shore in January, with all State Transit drivers and maintenance staff offered a two-year job guarantee.

“Busways will also roll out enhanced CCTV and high-definition cameras across all its buses, allowing for real-time monitoring of on-board behaviour and faster response times to ensure the local community, customers and drivers are safe,” Mr Constance said.

“Busways will be responsible for delivering around 22,000 services each week, which includes two new all-day frequent services operating between both West Ryde and Chatswood and the city.”

Transport for NSW will work with Busways to explore opportunities for On-Demand services in the region, drawing on their experience from the Hills District to enhance local connectivity.”

Busways Announcement

Busways announced their appointment on their website and made the following statements:

“NSW Minister for Transport and Roads, Andrew Constance, today announced the award of one of Greater Sydney’s largest bus contracts to Busways.

From January 2022, we will operate almost 1.1 million trips a year for customers in the Lower North Shore and Inner North West for Greater Sydney Bus Contract 7, extending from Parramatta into the Sydney CBD. It is the first time this network will be managed by a private operator.

We have been innovating in the evolving Australian public transport landscape for eight decades. With an appetite for collaborative government and industry partnerships, we are working across five of Transport for NSW’s (TfNSW’s) Future Transport Technology Roadmap’s six priority programs for transport technology and customer benefits. This includes projects in zero emissions technology, demand-responsive transport, automated passenger vehicle services, and real-time customer information to improve customer experience on the NSW public transport network.

Managing Director Byron Rowe said Busways will focus on efficiencies, new technologies and improving the customer experience over the new eight-year contract, including the fleet transformation to zero emissions 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.

“We look forward to continuing our highly effective and positive working relationship with the NSW Government, our partner for eight decades, to deliver customer value and introduce innovations that help more people to easily, quickly and safely use public transport.”

Busways’ Sydney operations more than double with the award of one of Transport for NSW’s largest bus contracts

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