Commuters, HSC students warned to expect delays after cracks found in dozens of Sydney buses

HSC students have been told to allow more time to travel to exams after dozens of bendy buses were pulled from service due to safety concerns as the city’s trains receive their biggest timetable change in almost a decade.

There will be more crowding, some queuing and cancellations for thousands of bus passengers across the lower north shore, northern beaches and Parramatta thanks to 83 bendy buses being taken off the road after “cracking” appeared in the vehicles, the state’s transport office warned on Saturday.

Transport for NSW Chief Operations Officer Howard Collins said the bus situation would lead to more crowding.Credit: Flavio Brancaleone

Transport for NSW Coordinator-General Howard Collins said he was working with bus operators to limit impacts on passengers, prioritising school services and maximising allocation of the remaining bus fleet to areas in the greatest need.

He said the cracking had occurred on the articulated part of the buses: the section in the middle where the bus pivots.

“But we want to be upfront with passengers, replacing articulated [bendy] buses with standard two-door city buses does reduce capacity by about a third, so you may see more crowding, some queuing, and it may take you more time to get to your destination,” Collins said.

At a press conference on Saturday, Collins said transport officials had juggled the fleet of 4000 buses around Sydney to make up for the lack of bendy buses, which meant 25 buses in total were missing from the network.

Services along Victoria Road to West Ryde and routes from Parramatta to Macquarie Park will also be affected.

It comes as Sydney’s trains will have their biggest timetable change since 2017, starting on Monday.

Normally, bus timetable changes occur at the same time as train timetable changes so services can be synchronised for quicker passenger journeys across different modes of transport.

Asked why that did not occur, NSW Transport Minister Jo Haylen said adjustments would be made over time, referencing recent industrial action and the bendy bus safety issues.

NSW Transport Minister Jo Haylen told HSC students to plan ahead.Credit: Steven Siewert

“These buses have been repaired over many years, and safety has got to come first. We can’t have vehicles on our road that are not absolutely up to scratch,” she said.

HSC exams begin this Tuesday, October 15, and Haylen appealed to students to take extra time to get to their exams.

“For those students that we know will nervously be making their way to their first exam next week, our message to those students and their families is really clear: make sure you allow plenty of extra time,” she said.

A Transport for NSW spokeswoman said the process of fixing the issues with the buses would take some time.

“We are still finalising a rectification plan with the manufacturer; however, we understand that repairing these buses and safely returning them to passenger service will take some time,” she said.

“While this work takes place, we are also looking to fast track the commissioning of new vehicles, including getting more electric buses on the road.”

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