This week, the Sydney Morning Herald published an article about the ongoing issues of bus service disruptions, driver shortages, and their impact on commuters.
The changes impact not only commuters but also students who travel on buses that are not designated school buses (for a variety of reasons). With overcrowded buses, service cancellations, and long wait times, many parents have resorted to driving their children to school, further increasing peak-hour traffic congestion.
Since the start of the academic year, there have been widespread complaints about unreliable services, particularly during peak times.
Some students have struggled to get to school on time because full buses pass stops without picking up passengers. The cancellation of key services has only exacerbated the problem. Elderly residents and workers who rely on public transport have also voiced their frustration, with some forced to make alternate, more expensive travel arrangements.
Frustrations have been mounting within the community, as evidenced by the growing number of complaints on Lane Cove Chat by ITC.
One commuter shared their exasperation: “Two days in a row now, buses running off timetable or not at all. I know they are short bus drivers but really????”
Another commuter, stranded in the city for nearly an hour, described their struggle: “I have been standing on the bus stop in the city for 50 mins now to get back to Lane Cove to pick the kids up from school and not even one bus came!! There were 2 x 288 and 2 x 292 scheduled during this time! 7 x 120 buses to Chatswood passed us by but not even one to Lane Cove! Chatswood has a train, a metro and plenty of buses on top of it! How come it is so impossible to create a normal connection for people to a suburb only 7km away from the city!!”
Anthony Roberts, Member for Lane Cove, told ITC that over 20 constituent enquiries have been received from concerned parents regarding the cancellation of the 795W bus service. Many have expressed disappointment that such changes were made without adequate community consultation, leaving them without viable alternatives. This bus goes from Hunters Hill to Putney and Lane Cove students take a bus to Hunters Hills to connect with this bus to access schools such as Holy Cross and St Josephs College.
Mr. Roberts said, “The fact the Transport Minister would allow a service cancellation without any form of community consultation is extremely concerning.”
He further stated, “The community is right to be concerned, and I am exploring all avenues available to reinstate the service.”
The Rail, Tram and Bus Union has reported that numerous services operating out of local depots are being cancelled daily, leading to extensive queues and delays for commuters. There is growing pressure on Transport for NSW to address these issues and restore reliable services to Lane Cove and surrounding areas.
One local resident highlighted the unreliability of the 253 bus to Wynyard, stating, “Over the last several months the reliability of the 253 bus to Wynyard is ridiculous, particularly any service between 8 am and 8.30 am. I know this impacts lots of others so I have added the link below for complaints for Transport NSW. Hoping a mass complaint will make it something on their radar.”
There is no immediate resolution in sight.
Bus Timetable Changes
Transport for NSW released the following statement:
“From Monday 3 March, we’ll be making changes to some bus services across North West and South East Sydney.
The changes support improved connections between buses, improved reliability and better meet passenger demand.
Adjustments will also be made to some school services.
Please use the Trip Planner or Opal Travel app to see if these changes affect your travel.”
The routes impacted are below – if you use any of the bus routes below ITC recommends you check any changes before 3 March 2025.
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