Buses in Sydney

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.

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.

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:

• harmonisation of private and State Transit fares
• consolidation of bus regions and competitive tendering for rights to operate
• introduction of new, cross-regional routes.

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.

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.[22]

This is a bus rapid transit route operating in the south western part of Sydney, mostly along dedicated bus-only roads.[23]

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 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.

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:

• 100 series – Northern Beaches
• 200 series – Northern Districts and North Shore
• 300 series – Eastern Suburbs
• 400 series – Inner West and Southern Suburbs
• 500 series – North West
• 600 series – Western Suburbs and Hills District (T-way)
• 700 series – Outer Western Suburbs and Hills District (T-way)
• 800 series – Outer South-Western Suburbs
• 900 series – St George/Sutherland and South West

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

• M – Metrobus services (all but two M routes have been renumbered into normal 3-digit numbers as of September 2023)
• B – B-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.

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.[24] 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.[25]

Two weeks before its cessation, over 4.3 million trips had been taken on Station Link.[26]

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.[27] 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.[28][29]

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.[30] It is operated by CDC NSW.

Beginning in 2019, buses are replacing trains between Bankstown and Sydenham during the Christmas and New Year period for preliminary works relating to the Bankstown Line metro conversion. This procedure will continue until 2023, after which that section of the line will be temporarily closed for several months to complete its integration into the City & Southwest Metro Line.[31]

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.

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:[47]

• 14.5-metre two-door city bus, with a combined seating and standing capacity of 80
• 18-metre articulated two- or three-door city bus, with a combined seating and standing capacity of 110
• 12-metre two-door double deck city bus, with a combined seating and standing capacity of 96-120
• 10-metre single-door 'mini' bus, with a combined seating and standing capacity of 40
• 12.5-metre single-door city bus, with a combined seating and standing capacity of 65
• 12.5-metre single-door school bus, with a combined seating and standing capacity of 70

In 2017, the government announced that articulated buses would be progressively phased out in favour of double-deckers.[48]

• 
  A Bustech CDi bodied double-decker operated by Hillsbus.
• 
  A Volgren Optimus bodied Volvo B7RLE operated by the State Transit Authority
• 
  A Bustech VST bodied Scania K280UB operated by the State Transit Authority
• 
  A Custom Coaches CB80 bodied Volvo B7RLE
• 
  A Gemilang bodied Scania K310UB operated by Transit Systems
• 
  Bustech bodied MAN 18-310 operated by Busways

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.[49][50][51]