‘All seven layers of Dante’s Inferno’: The northern beaches commuters dragged into bus hell

Northern beaches residents enduring long queues for buses have complained of their fraught commutes, as their local MPs call for a pause to a government housing plan they worry will choke the transport-starved community.

Natalya Munro of North Balgowlah travels daily to the city for work and study, regularly waiting for more than 25 minutes to board a bus for her “abhorrent” commute.

Commuters wait in a snaking line for B Line buses at Wynyard Station. Credit: Wolter Peeters

“It’s like going through all seven layers of Dante’s Inferno over and over again, dragged by my ankles,” Munro said while waiting at Wynyard on Tuesday.

The worsening wait times come after dozens of bendy buses were taken out of service because of chassis cracks and during a driver shortage. It also comes as the state government plans to build 100,000 medium-density homes in Sydney over the next five years, with development focused around existing transport hubs, including on the northern beaches.

Independent MPs for Wakehurst and Pittwater, Michael Regan and Jacqui Scruby, on Tuesday called for a pause to the development proposals on the northern beaches until transport links into the city were improved.

Retail worker Natalya Munro, who railed against her hellish commute.Credit: Wolter Peeters

“Clearly none of those doing the [development] assessments live in the area or catch the bus every day to work like I and many others do,” Regan said. “Kids aren’t getting to school on time now, let alone the workers. People can’t get a seat on the bus at these locations if they can get on a bus at all. That is how bad things are getting.”

Susie Siegle, a Narrabeen resident who went to the city for an appointment yesterday, said she was not prepared for the long wait times. She was “dead against” increased development on the northern beaches until transport improved.

“We were denied the money for Mona Vale Road. We were denied the money to upgrade the Wakehurst Parkway, and yet they’re still willing to put more development in there. It doesn’t make sense, this is just going to get worse. It’s very frustrating.”

Another waiting in the “terrible queue”, Helen O’Shea, is contemplating commuting by car until the issue is resolved.

“It’s just so bad with the buses lately. Getting cancelled services randomly, it’s really hard to get on a bus ... sometimes you have to wait half an hour to get onto a bus, or there’ll be cancelled buses without warning. It’s really hard to plan your commute into the city.”

Reports of 700-metre queues, 40-minute waits and children arriving late to school were reiterated by a large volume of reader responses to the Herald.

However, delays appeared to have improved on Wednesday morning, with short queues during peak travel times at Dee Why, Spit Junction and Neutral Bay.

Transport for NSW was contacted for comment. The agency previously acknowledged “pinch points” due to the removal of bendy buses and the driver shortage, and said it was seeking to fast-track new vehicles.

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