The NSW Government has announced 60 new buses for the Northern Beaches - 50 articulated ‘bendy’ buses and 10 double-deckers, along with repairs to sidelined buses - in a win for Pittwater commuters and local independent MP Jacqui Scruby.
“This is the breakthrough we needed and a good start. I’ve fought hard for action on the bus crisis, and it’s great to see the government stepping up although more needs to be done to address immediate issues,” Ms Scruby said.
“Today’s announcement of more fleet will address the underlying problem but in the meantime my constituents are facing reliability challenges and I will keep advocating and holding the government to account. Commuters are furious and exasperated with timetable cuts and cancellations, causing commute times to have doubled to 2 hours, with many forced into their cars. People have told me they’re considering moving because their commute is unbearable - let’s hope this announcement is the beginning of the tide turning.”
The new bendy buses, the first in 14 years, will begin rolling out in late 2025. Meanwhile, repairs to existing buses will start returning vehicles to service from April.
“I’m hopeful that I won’t need to continue signing late notes for commuters to provide to their employers about their bus service being in crisis.” Ms Scruby said.
Ms Scruby said there had been recent improvements to key routes, including the struggling 190X - the only direct peak hour direct city service north of Mona Vale.
“One day last week we saw zero cancellations on the 190X - that’s a huge step forward from the week earlier where cancellations were at over 50%.
“We’re left dealing with the legacy of the Liberal’s privatisation of our buses and whilst the new fleet is a big step forward, the government needs to put pressure on Keolis Downer to deliver the services expected by commuters, services they are contracted to deliver.”
Ms Scruby is also calling for better real-time bus tracking via the Opal App.
“Northern Beaches residents currently get more accurate updates on sharks arriving in Pittwater via SharkSmart than they do on bus arrival times.”
Ms Scruby’s campaign included direct appeals to Minister John Graham, bringing complaints to Parliament, challenging Premier Chris Minns to experience the Northern Beaches’ longest commute firsthand, and an electorate-wide survey.
“Today’s announcement is thanks to the hundreds of commuters who shared their frustrations with me. I ended up forwarding almost daily updates to the Minister’s office so he knew exactly what was going on. I’ll keep pushing to make sure this is just the beginning of lasting improvements.”
Ms Scruby also warns that long term strategic improvements to the bus services on the Northern Beaches are needed, particularly following the announcement of town centres under the government’s Low and Mid-Rise Housing Policy.
“We can’t add more people to our suburbs without fixing our roads and buses first,” she stated.