Sydney residents fund new public bus route after key services cut in timetable changes

Residents left high and dry by a reduction in public bus services have raised enough funds to charter their own public service that will launch free of charge for commuters this week.

The resident-funded bus service will connect commuters to the CBD.

Fed up commuters have turned to crowd-funding to bankroll their own public bus service after a popular route was cut as part of timetable changes in Sydney’s northern suburbs.

Residents left high and dry by a reduction in public bus services have raised enough funds to charter their own public service which will launch free of charge for commuters in Willoughby on Wednesday.

The crowd-funding effort was started after the number of services operating on Willoughby Rd was reduced from 33 to 22 during changes to timetables last year.

The cuts have included the removal of the 272 bus service, linking North Willoughby to Wynyard, with commuters instead told to use 120 bus services, connecting Chatswood to the CBD via Willoughby Rd.

Campaigner Ken Wilson said the crowdfunder has raised $570 – enough to charter an initial replacement 272 service on Wednesday for 22 local commuters.

Resident Ken Wilson (second from right) started the campaign.

He is hopeful more services can be added as part of the ongoing crowd-funding efforts.

“The idea came out of pure frustration because the more we complained about the reduction in our services, the more the services have been reduced,” he said.

“We are just trying to see proof of concept – can we actually run a bus service and is it viable?

“The services we have are no longer reliable – people are frequently unable to board buses in peak hour and are having to book Ubers or arrange for friends and relatives to drive them into the CBD.

“The advantage (of the chartered service) is you get to book a place so if you need to be in town a certain time you don’t have to risk getting stuck at a bus stop as full buses sail past without stopping.

“Our hope is that by chartering our own buses we’ll raise awareness of the issue and get our services restored.”

A photo of the 272 bus in Willoughby.

The reduction in local bus services were made in lead-up to last year’s privatisation of the local Area 7 bus network, which takes in the lower north shore.

Willoughby resident Fran Cumming, who relies on public transport to commute to the CBD, said reliable services were vital for local residents.

“The hard thing is when buses are cancelled the next services are often full and don’t stop,” she said.

“I work in the CBD and have to get to the bus stop by 7.15am to be at work because I hate running late.”

In a statement, Transport for NSW said the timetable adjustments offer “reliably predictable route services rather than cancelling services ad-hoc” and “give more certainty to commuters when planning their trip as they cater to customer needs based on driver availability.”

“Just like other states across Australia, NSW is dealing with an unprecedented bus driver shortage and some operators have introduced adjusted timetables,” a spokeswoman said.

“The new timetable for region 7 includes changes based on customer feedback and monitoring of travel and boarding patterns.

“Two new weekday morning Route 120 services starting at North Willoughby were introduced on 27 January 2023 to assist customers travelling to the CBD.

“Three additional weekday morning peak Route 120 services starting at North Willoughby are planned to start by the end of February 2023.

“Routes which will have full service restored under the new timetable are 203, 207, 251, 252, 254, 255, 261, 265 and 267.

“Suspended services are focused on high-frequency route corridors where another bus comes along sooner and affect routes 115, 120, 288, 292, 500X, 501, 533, 545 and 550.

“Route 120 replaced route 272 as part of wider network changes introduced in early 2021. The introduction of this new route saw a number of improvements for commuters.

“The former route 272 service only operated during weekday peak periods and only as far as Wynyard. Service frequency during peak periods on route 120 is similar to that operated on the former route 272.

“Transport for NSW and operators are closely monitoring customer travel patterns and we will continue to adjust timetables if required, based on driver availability.”

Mr Wilson said the need for regular bus services had been exacerbated by population growth in the area.

The need is expected to increase further when a major 460-unit redevelopment of the former Channel 9 studios on Willoughby Rd is completed this year.

A 195-unit building is also in the early stages of construction directly south of the former studios on the corner of Willoughby Rd and Walter St.

The resident-funded bus service will depart from Willoughby Rd near the Willoughby Leisure Center at 8am on Wednesday.

Mr Wilson said future crowd-funded services would include other areas impacted by timetable changes including the 257 route to Balmoral.