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North Shore Electorate Bus Services

Published on: March 2025

Record: HANSARD-1323879322-150980

North Shore Electorate Bus Services

Ms FELICITY WILSON (North Shore) (18:25:35):

I address this place on behalf of the frustrated and exhausted commuters across the North Shore who have been affected by the ongoing bus crisis that has disrupted their daily lives. I echo the words of the member for Balmain, who is also experiencing this issue in her electorate. Every day in my electorate, commuters are facing overcrowded buses, frequent cancellations, increasingly unreliable services and shockingly long queues that can stretch for 700 metres around the block. Since October last year, a number of bendy buses across the network have been removed from service due to structural cracking and safety concerns. Forty-three of these are from bus region 8, which services the eastern part of my community.

I hear from residents in my community every day who have been left stranded at bus stops. They watch packed buses go by without stopping and see apps that show the constant cancellation of bus services. I speak to workers whose commutes have been extended by hours each week, which forces them to wake up earlier, return home later and lose valuable time with their families. Our community deserves a functioning public transport system, and I have been pushing for urgent action to restore services. Last week the Government finally announced the purchase of 50 new diesel-powered bendy buses and 10 double-decker buses for the B-Line fleet. While this is a step in the right direction, it does not alleviate the commuter stress inflicted on my community in the short term.

Commuters will potentially not feel the impact of these additions as repairs to the existing fleet may continue for six to 12 months. The newly purchased buses are not due for delivery until later this year. These delays are costing people time, wages and peace of mind, and they are causing significant stress. As their elected representative, I want to ensure that North Shore locals' concerns are heard. I will place some of them on the record in the Parliament tonight. Ben from Neutral Bay said:

Each morning at Watson Street, I stand in a 100m long queue, watching packed buses pass by for 10 minutes straight. Today, I gave up and walked to the metro adding up to an hour just to get to the city. With more people back in offices, things are only getting worse. Where are the solutions?

Alison from Mosman said:

After 8.40 a.m. there are no buses from my stop and the last one is often full. I've been forced to take taxis, but many people have no options at all.

William from Mosman said:

What used to be a 45-minute bus ride to Brookvale is now over 80 minutes for just 12km. Overcrowded buses and constant cancellations have made public transport unbearable. I see more 'Not in Service' buses than actual ones.

Chris from Cremorne said:

The bus services around are too unreliable. I now allow 45 minutes just to get into the city. It's often late, cancelled, or too full to stop. Queues are turning into a mad rush. With more apartments going up, this just isn't sustainable. We need more drivers, more buses, and real solutions now.

Hillary from Mosman said:

The 100 buses have been infrequent and overcrowded that I've been waiting over 25 minutes and constantly arriving late to work. This morning, commuters behind me were told to give up on waiting for a bus and take a train instead.

Arianne from Mosman said:

Every morning between 7:45 and 8:45, I watch packed buses from the North Beaches pass by leaving Mosman, Cremorne, and Neutral Bay commuters stranded. Some wait 20-30 minutes just to squeeze onto a bus. We urgently need services that start in Mosman because relying on overflow from the Beaches just isn't working.

Yasmine from Mosman said:

Every morning at 8am, I watch full buses pass by as I stand in a line … [many] people deep. By the time I finally squeeze onto a bus, I'm late for my 9am meetings at Barangaroo.

We all know that public transport should be reliable, efficient and accessible. It should not be a daily source of stress. It should not leave elderly residents with no option but to take expensive taxis. It should not force commuters to arrive at work late or exhausted, or to not get home to spend precious time with their families; yet this is the reality for too many people in my community. This is more than just an inconvenience. It is a failure of basic public transport services. Instead of immediate and meaningful solutions, commuters are being told to wait. I refuse to accept this delay as the status quo. The North Shore community deserves better than a transport system that leaves them stranded.

My community deserves a public transport system that they can rely on. People in my community love our public transport. We are one of the highest users of public transport and we have a significant reliance on public transport. I have met with the Minister. I appreciate particularly the work that his team and Transport for NSW are doing to make changes in this area, but it needs to occur more quickly. I urge the Government to accelerate not just the rollout of new buses but to look at interim measures, including shuttle buses to the metro if necessary, to get the North Shore moving again. The commuters of my electorate have waited long enough. It is time for action.