School kids told to make their own way home as inner west commuters about to be hit by afternoon bus strike cancellations

MORE than 160 school bus services have been cancelled this afternoon after 1200 bus drivers angry at the NSW Government’s inner west bus privatisation moves continue their 24-hour strike.

Commuters sit waiting at a bus stop on Railway Rd Burwood during today’s bus strike. Picture: John Grainger

• Sydney bus strike: Transport Minister demands drivers get back to work

MORE than 160 school bus services have been cancelled this afternoon after 1200 bus drivers angry at the NSW Government’s inner west bus privatisation moves continue their 24-hour strike.

About 100 peak hour passenger services are also affected by the stoppage due to finish at midnight tonight.

Transport authorities have drafted in a number of buses from private bus fleets in an effort to ease the expected commuter chaos.

CBD Co-ordinator General Marg Prendergast said extra bus services will be put on for journeys home from the CBD, with privately-owned buses expected to run along Parramatta Rd to Five Dock and Burwood from Railway Square.

“We will prioritise those buses to really service the school runs so we can get the kids home this afternoon,” she said.

Striking bus drivers outside Parliament House. Pic: John Grainger

There will be extra staff and services on the city’s train and light rail services, which are expected to experience a big surge in passengers as people look to alternatives to the buses.

The industrial action is continuing despite a ruling by the NSW Industrial Relations Commission that the action of the drivers was illegal.

The Commission ordered the Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) to inform its members of the order and to tell them comply with it.

The union’s bus division chief Chris Preston said the union did not call the strike and that it was a decision of the drivers.

Transport Minister Andrew Constance called on the drivers to immediately get back behind the wheel and threatened to take the matter to the Supreme Court this afternoon.

Buses sit still at Burwood station during a strike today. Pic: John Grainger

“The message I would say very clearly to drivers today is ‘no work, no pay’ and you’ll stand condemned if you leave schoolchildren on bus stops and commuters are left hanging,” Mr Constance said.

Earlier this week Mr Constance announced that the contract to run buses in the inner west would be tendered out to improve “consistently late and unreliable State Transit services”.

He said authorities received more than 12,000 complaints across 233 bus routes in just 12 months.

Overseas and local operators will be invited to compete to run bus services in the inner west to improve customer service on what are some of the city’s busiest routes.

This afternoon dozens of hopeful passengers were waiting for buses on Parramatta Rd despite the 24-hour bus strike.

School students at Strathfield station during the Sydney bus strike on Thursday. Picture: Keely McDonough

Queues of people waiting at a bus stop at Annandale were not aware of the strike.

“I’ve been waiting for 10 minutes,” said UTS student Frances Green. “I read something last night (about the strike) but didn’t think about it this morning.”

Ms Green had hoped to catch the bus to her bar job at Martin Place but when she learned the buses were not coming, she got an Uber to pick her up.

“Taxis are expensive,” she said.

Mana Misumi, of Annandale said a bus was supposed to arrive in 18 minutes.

“I have been waiting for 10 minutes so far.

“I am heading to Central Station. I go to Blue Mountains International Hotel School.

“If there were no buses, I would have to get a taxi.”

University of Sydney student Daniel Thant Nay Hsu was unaware of the strike and said he would have to walk to Stanmore to get the train.

Sydney University student Daniel Thant Nay Hsu and Genevieve Rogan waiting for the bus at Annandale on the day the bus drivers were on strike in the inner west.

Genevieve Rogan was also caught short — she was headed to a meeting in Darlinghurst — and was left considering a train or taxi when informed about the strike.

Only one lonely state government bus was spotted heading to Rozelle — otherwise Parramatta Rd was completely empty of buses.

While no one expressed any anger about the bus union decision to hold the strike, the disruptions were clearly widespread.

There was a silver lining for taxi driver William Zheng who started work at 3am this morning and said business had been 30 per cent busier than usual.

“I have been lucky,” he said.

Taxi driver William Zheng's business improved by 30 per cent today thanks to bus drivers going on strike.

Did he feel sorry for the bus drivers? “No,” he said.

The Transport Management Centre warned students and parents that no school bus services are operating in the inner west this afternoon.

It advised parents to make alternative arrangements but said School Opal cards can be used on trains and the Inner West Light Rail.

Routes 438 and 461 are operating, but only as a limited and modified service along Parramatta Rd during the afternoon peak — 3pm-7pm.

These services will operate in the peak direction only

Real-time apps will not provide accurate information for modified services.

REGULAR BUS ROUTES IMPACTED:

401 406 407 408 412 413 415 418 422 423 425

426 428 430 431 433 436 437 438 439 441 442

444 445 460 461 462 463 464 466 470 473 476

477 478 479 480 483 487 490 491 492 493 495

502 504 508 526

L23 L28 L37 L38 L39

M20 M30 M41

X04 X25

SCHOOL BUS SERVICES IMPACTED:

560S 561S 562S 563S 565S 566S 567S 568S 569S 570S 571S 572S 573S 574S 575S 576S 577S 578S 579S 580S 581S 582S 583S 584S 585S 586S 587S 588S 589S 590S 591S 592S 593S 595S 596S 597S 598S 600S 601S 602S 603S 604S 605S 606S 607S 608S 609S 610S 611S 612S 613S 614S 615S 616S 617S 618S 619S 620S 621S 622S 623S 624S 625S 626S 627S 628S 629S 630S 631S 632S 633S 634S 635S 636S 637S 638S 639S 640S 641S 642S 643S 644S 645S 646S 647S 648S 650S 651S 652S 654S 655S 656S 657S 658S 659S 660S 661S 662S 663S 664S 670S 671S 672S 673S 674S 675S 676S 677S 678S 679S 680S 681S 682S 683S 684S 685S 690S 691S 692S 693S 700S 701S 702S 710S 711S 712S 713S 714S 715S 716S 718S 720S 721S 725S 726S 730S 731S 732S 733S 734S 735S 736S 738S 740S 741S 743S 745S 750S 751S 753S 755S 757S 760S 761S 762S 763S 764S 765S 765W 766S 767S 768S 769S 780S 781S