Dozens protest against privatisation of buses in Ryde
Dozens of furious residents, bus drivers and politicians have protested against the privatisation of Sydney buses at West Ryde.
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More than 60 furious residents and bus drivers protested against the privatisation of Sydney buses at West Ryde.
Organised by the Tram and Bus Union (RTBU), the rally on Saturday was held in protest of the NSW Government’s plans to privatise Sydney’s buses which would see parts of Ryde (region 7) affected.
Tram and Bus Divisional Secretary of the Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) NSW, David Babineau claimed “privatisation simply doesn’t work.”
“We’ve seen what it’s done to services in Newcastle and Sydney’s Inner West – you see routes axed, bus stops closed and commuters forced to endure longer journey times.
“We can’t afford to let the NSW Government attack our public bus services in this area too.
“The community is coming together to say enough is enough,” he added.
Yet the state government disputed the claim it was privatising buses in the Ryde area, instead saying it was "franchising" them out to private companies.
“The NSW Government isn’t privatising the operation of bus services in Region 7,” a spokesman for the NSW Minister of Transport said.
“The NSW Government will continue to own the buses and other assets in Region 7 such as the depots at Ryde and Willoughby.
“The Government will continue to regulate timetables, routes, bus stop locations, and strict safety and service standards.
The spokesman claimed a tender process will deliver “better bus services” to commuters in Region 7.
She also said it would provide better value for money for taxpayers and better environmental outcomes with transition to zero-emissions buses.
“Under the franchising model that has been used for Sydney’s bus services since 2011, contracts are issued via a competitive tender process for bus operators to run the services. 11 of the 14 bus service contracts for metropolitan Sydney are already operated by the private sector.
Bus drivers and maintenance staff covered by awards in Regions 7 will have the opportunity to transfer to the new operator with a two-year employment guarantee, according to the spokesman.
Opal cards and contactless payments will still be used and fares will continue to be set by the Government.
Unions NSW Secretary Mark Morey was joined by Shadow Transport Minister Chris Minns, The Hon. Rose Jackson MLC and City of Ryde Mayor Jerome Laxale at the weekend’s rally.
In a speech, Ryde Mayor Jerome Laxale said bus services should remain in “public hands.”
“Our community knows that private services will lead to less routes, less services, less on-time running,” Cr Laxale said on Saturday.
“And this government has already made this mistake in the Inner West. Why are they doing it again here in Ryde?”
Cr Laxale said Ryde’s population was set to increase in the next 15 years and said the community needed more public transport.
“Ryde is a booming city. We’re expected to fit in another 50,000 residents in the next 15 years. Our roads are already choked … we need more public transport,” he said.
“It's 2020, we need more buses on the road, more reliable services. And the only way we can do that is if we keep public transport in public hands.”
East Ryde resident Bronwyn Ellens said, “It makes me angry that the NSW government is seriously considering privatising Sydney buses (...).
“Buses are an essential service. Sydney is a very wide city to service.
“Trains and ferries don’t cover vast areas of Sydney. We need the symbiotic relationship to connect to trains. We need all of it.”