Forty-minute waits, 700-metre queues: Bus chaos causes long commutes in Sydney’s north

Schoolchildren and other commuters on Sydney’s north shore and northern beaches are regularly finding themselves waiting at bus stops for long periods due to cancellations and packed services.

Compounding problems caused by a driver shortage, three-quarters of 83 bendy buses that have been out of service in Sydney since October due to chassis cracks are dedicated to the northern beaches and lower north shore, cutting capacity on routes.

North shore resident Amanda Smythe said it could take her daughter, who is in year 8 at a North Sydney school, up to an hour to travel by bus from Cammeray to the school gates.

North shore resident Amanda Smythe says she has “given up” on buses and is now driving her daughter to school.Credit: Nick Moir

When dropping her daughter to a bus stop on Miller Street in Cammeray by 7.30am, she found buses were either full when they turned up or never arrived.

“It seems like there are simply not enough to take the number of passengers. Buses don’t stop as they are already full, which means it can take 45 minutes to be able to get on the bus. If they do take passengers, it’s often only a handful.”

She said she had “given up” on buses and was driving her daughter to school. “Given the number of schools in North Sydney, we would be better with dedicated school buses,” she said.

Commuters queue at a bus stop in Neutral Bay this month.Credit:

According to the Rail, Tram and Bus Union, which represents drivers, up to 90 services operating out of a Mona Vale bus depot are cancelled on weekdays. In addition, some 40 services operated out of Brookvale are typically cancelled each day and about 50 from a North Sydney depot.

RTBU divisional president Peter Grech said private operators were squeezing running times to keep buses on the road, despite having unachievable route times and not enough buses.

“The whole network is a mess. We have queues at bus stops close to 700 metres long in the morning peak at Dee Why, Manly Vale, Spit Junction, Neutral Bay Junction and Lane Cove. All the main stops are getting hammered,” he said.

“We also have extensive queues at Lane Cove and on Victoria Road, with people waiting up to 40 minutes for buses. People get frustrated at waiting at bus stops, and drivers are having to stop them from boarding due to loadings. It leads to drivers regularly copping abuse.”

Scores of bendy buses across Sydney have been out of service for months.Credit: Edwina Pickles

Busways, which provides services covering the north shore, and northern beaches and lower north shore operator Keolis Downer, were among the worst performers of the government-contracted bus operators in Sydney in December, Transport for NSW’s latest figures show.

Drivers who work for Busways have also been in uproar over the introduction of a two-tier roster system, which the RTBU says separates former State Transit Authority drivers from new employees on lower pay.

Transport for NSW said “pinch points” experienced by commuters were due to the removal from service of bendy buses for repairs and a shortage of drivers.

The agency said in a statement that a rectification plan with the manufacturer of the bendy buses was under way, and the first prototype repair had been undertaken to “enable finalisation of the full repair plan”.

“We understand that repairing these buses and safely returning them to passenger service will take some time,” it 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.”

The 83 Volvo articulated buses that have been pulled from service were built between 2005 and 2006. The longer bendy buses have often been replaced by standard buses which seat fewer people.

Busways acknowledged that some services had been delayed or cancelled and apologised to commuters for the inconvenience.

“Our current focus is on addressing fleet availability challenges, and we are working closely with Transport for NSW to minimise disruptions,” it said.

The company said the two-tier roster for drivers was consistent with the contract it was awarded to provide services by the government, and that it was honouring all its obligations under industrial agreements.

Keolis Downer said in a statement that it was “focused on service reliability by addressing driver shortages and optimising the use of our available fleet”.

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