Services canned and others added: Changes to Sydney bus routes revealed

Another 1000 weekly bus services will be added to Sydney’s network, but two key routes will disappear as part of a shake-up.

Changes are being made the Sydney bus services. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Bianca De Marchi

Two major bus routes will be canned to make way for an additional 1000 weekly services across Sydney’s inner west.

Transport Minister Andrew Constance said the move comes in response to a 50 per cent increase in patronage over the past five years, describing it as “unbelievable growth”.

Communities from Concord to Haberfield will benefit from the additional services, which will kick in next month. Two hundred of the new services will run on the weekend.

“We’re also going to run express-style services down the City Westlink and down Parramatta Rd into town,” he said.

Mr Constance said 95 per cent of services were running on time before the pandemic.

Transport Minister Andrew Constance said 1000 new bus services will be added to the inner west. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Jeremy Piper

More services will be added to routes 348, 389, 412, 413, 420, 423, 428, 433, 440, 445, 464, 470, 502 and 504 (part of Region 6).

“(There will be) new all-day limited stops services along Parramatta Rd between Abbotsford, Burwood and the Sydney CBD, as well as a new direct service travelling through Rodd Point, Haberfield, Leichhardt and Lilyfield to the city,” Mr Constance said of the changes.

However the announcement signifies the end of two bus routes, the M10 and M50, which extend from the inner west to the eastern suburbs.

These routes partly follow the same path as Sydney’s new light rail services.

Transport for NSW chief operations officer Howard Collins said less than 4 per cent of customers travelled the entire journey on the M10 or M50.

The M50 and M10 routes will be removed. Photographer: Adam Yip

He said the decision was based on data the government had received from Opal, as well as feedback from bus operators, stakeholders and the community.

“We want to simplify our network,” he said.

“We’re also looking at making the numbering system easier. Our bus network has been traditionally complicated and hard to understand.

“We’re trying to ensure that when you see an ‘X’ it means express and when you’ve got an ‘N’ that means it’s a night service.”

When probed about cutting two services, Mr Collins said there were plenty of alternative routes, such as the 370.

But he confessed the 4 per cent of people who travelled “that very long” route (M10 or M50) would have to interchange.

“It’s a very small number,” he said.

NSW chief operations officer Howard Collins supported the need for electric buses. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Jeremy Piper

“One of the things about shortening long routes is that it creates better reliability, because it doesn’t get caught up in, you know, over an hour-and-a-half journey time: this will improve reliability.”

The government is still looking at the roadways and determining what needs to be done to ensure buses have a smooth journey down the notoriously congested Parramatta Rd.

Mr Collins said part of the state government’s longer term plan was to upgrade the existing fleet.

Mr Constance echoed those comments, saying Sydney needed to step up and replace the 7000 diesel buses active on the transport network.

“When we look around the world we see the electrification of bus fleets … Sydney needs to do this,” he said.

The new services are being introduced as part of the government and Transit Systems’ plan to deliver 4.8 million additional kilometres of services to Region 6.