New Year bus changes ready in time for back to school

Bus passengers are being urged to check for route changes and plan their trips with the first school term of the year beginning soon.

Services across Sydney – but particularly in the North West and Inner West of the city – have had changes to their routes and timetables in a shake-up designed to improve frequency and reliability, as well as provide passengers with better connections to the broader transport network.

Transport for NSW Coordinator-General Howard Collins said passengers should look out for tweaks to both their routes and timetables as the summer holidays draw to a close and families prepare for the new school year.

“We don’t want students being late to their first day back so we’re reminding students and mums, dads and carers, please check your routes as they may have changed,” Mr Collins said. 

“Just before and over the holiday period, there were a number of bus timetable changes designed to make Greater Sydney more connected.

“The Inner West bus timetable changes started on 8 December and were implemented to support improved service reliability and give passengers the connections they need for seamless connections to other transport options.

“This included the 423 from Kingsgrove to Martin Place receiving additional services across the week, as did the 418 from Burwood to Sydenham – a service that supports Southwest Link services and connects Marrickville, Dulwich Hill and Hurlstone Park passengers with Metro services at Sydenham and Sydney Trains services at Ashfield and Burwood.

“Route 526 linking Strathfield, Sydney Olympic Park, Wentworth Point and Rhodes was upgraded to an All Day Frequent route with a bus every 10 minute during the day, 7 days a week.

“For commuters in the North West, major routes connecting areas including Tallawong, Rouse Hill, Riverstone, Box Hill, Bella Vista, Melonba and North Kellyville have been enjoying more services and extended operating hours since January 19 - making it easier for commuters to access stations along the Metro line. Route 748 has also been extended to Melonba to give residents there access to Metro.

“At the same time a number of services across the Northern Beaches and lower North Shore have had their timetables tweaked to improve on-time running and reflect changing traffic patterns, while minor timetable changes will also be made to services in the Eastern Suburbs to improve capacity and on-time running, largely around the Randwick area.

“And don’t forget that the T3 line between Sydenham and Bankstown is closed for Metro conversion, and passengers can utilise the fare-free, high-frequency Southwest Link bus services SW1, SW2 or SW3 instead.”

Mr Collins said that the changes to the bus network would ultimately deliver a better-connected transport system for the whole city.

“I want to thank everyone for their patience as we continue to invest in, better integrate transport options and manage disruption,” Mr Collins said.

“We encourage passengers to always check the Trip Planner at transportnsw.info/trip before they travel and get the latest information on network changes.”

Students and their families should also note that dedicated school bus routes will return to full operation on January 31, in line with the Department of Education’s school calendar for 2025.

Please check Trip Planner if your school returns before 31 January for available services.

Reminder on articulated buses

Transport for NSW (Transport) withdrew 83 articulated buses from service after cracking was identified on some buses.

Transport continues to work with bus operators to limit impacts on passengers, including prioritising school services, timetable adjustments, routes most affected and maximising allocation of high-capacity fleet to services of greatest need.

Commuters on some routes may see more crowding or queuing, and it may take a bit longer to get to your destination where articulated buses have been replaced with standard buses. On these routes please allow extra travel time and visit Trip Planner at transportnsw.info to plan your trip:

Northern Beaches

100, 114, 144, 166, 167, 178, 179, 180, 194, 199, 246, 270, 271, 280, 160X, 165X, 168X, 170X, 172X, 173X, 174X, 176X, 177X, 180X, 194X, B1

Lower North Shore and Lane Cove

115, 119, 120, 206, 207, 209, 288, 292

Victoria Rd and Parramatta/Macquarie Park

500X, 501, 506, 550