Member for Pittwater Jacqui Scruby MP has called for an urgent briefing and sweeping safety actions following an incident where a young passenger was injured after falling from a moving B-Line bus near The Spit yesterday (Monday 28 September).
"Our thoughts are with the young passenger injured last night," said Ms Scruby. "Whatever the formal investigation concludes, this should never have happened. No resident should have to step onto a bus that isn’t safe and fit for purpose."
Initial reports indicate the bus involved was a 2017 blue double-decker. These older vehicles were introduced to supplement the fleet, but have repeatedly drawn complaints from local commuters over poor quality, safety standards, and passenger experience.
Northern Beaches commuters have faced years of deteriorating services under bus privatisation, with cancellations, timetable reductions, out-of-service buses, and critical driver shortages ongoing. While the planned arrival of new electric buses and 10 yellow B-Line double-deckers is welcome, Ms Scruby stressed that the transition cannot wait while passenger safety remains at risk.
Ms Scruby is calling on the NSW Government and operator Keolis Downer to provide an immediate briefing and take the following four actions:
- Immediate fleet-wide safety inspections: Prioritise urgent checks on all door systems across the entire Region 8 fleet.
- Comprehensive maintenance audit: Require Transport for NSW to conduct a full audit of Keolis’ maintenance logs and inspection protocols.
- Public disclosure: Release the full audit findings to the community and publish a binding timeline to permanently retire older substitute double-deckers.
- Firm delivery timeline: Provide clear confirmation of the exact date the 10 new yellow double-decker buses will enter service.
"Keolis is contracted to maintain and operate these buses safely, and the NSW Government remains ultimately accountable for the fleet and enforcing that contract," Ms Scruby said. "Commuters deserve complete transparency and a public transport fleet they can trust. If that is something Keolis can’t deliver, then the NSW Government must act in the best interest of commuters and review the current contract."