The Manly to Barrenjoey bus region, known as Region 8, has faced serious issues with a shortage of high-capacity buses since 83 Volvo articulated buses were temporarily removed from service in October 2024 because of safety concerns after cracking had been found in their chassis. More than half of these buses normally operate in Region 8.
See: New Bus Timetable Leaving Commuters Stranded Along Essential Routes, again - February 2025 PON report (includes Audit Office of NSW released report on Bus contracts in metropolitan Sydney).
'Procurement of these much-needed extra buses will improve reliability on the B-Line and increase capacity across the Northern Beaches, North Shore and the wider network. They will be the first new articulated buses bought in 14 years and will provide a big boost to the ageing fleet after more than a decade of neglect by the former Liberal Government.' the government said
'These new buses are expected to roll out and enter service towards the end of 2025.
'Repairs to the first six existing articulated buses are currently underway and are forecast to return to service from April 2025. Transport is currently working to deliver a repair program for the remaining articulated buses for a staged return to service over 2025.
'Pressure on northern beaches key routes is expected to ease over the coming months as the repaired articulated buses begin to return to service.
During this challenging period Transport is also improving support at key locations like Dee Why and Wynyard to assist with bus loadings and passenger communications.' the released statement says
'Transport has also worked with the operator to mitigate the impact on passengers, including measures to protect priority services from cancellations like dedicated school services, other trips carrying high numbers of students, minimising consecutive cancellations and first and last services of the day.
The procurement of these new high-capacity buses are in addition to the new standard size Zero Emission Buses (ZEB) that will begin entering service at Brookvale Depot over the next 12 months.
This will enable Transport to deliver more and improved bus services in Region 8, Region 14 and across the wider network. As more buses are added to the network, Transport will progressively work towards the restoration of the full timetable.'
Significant progress has been made to address the bus driver shortage that is especially acute across the North Shore and beaches regions. There are currently 154 driver vacancies across metropolitan Sydney as of 3 March 2025, down from more than 500 in April 2023.
Transport is also investing in future high capacity zero emission buses which are in the early stages of development. Transport has ordered four articulated ZEBs to test and trial for suitability in Sydney conditions.' the statement reads
Minister for Transport John Graham said:
“We know it’s been a difficult couple of months for bus passengers on the northern beaches who’ve been dealing with the shortage of articulated buses. Our drivers have been doing their best, but the fleet shortage has meant many services haven’t been up to scratch. That’s why we’re bringing in more high-capacity buses.
“As these additional high-capacity buses and repaired articulated buses enter service over the next 12 months this will mean fewer disruptions, improved reliability and bus services that better meet the needs of the people who rely on them.
“The rollout will be prioritised to the areas of greatest need and provide a solution to ease the fleet shortage on the northern beaches.
"We should start to see the 50 new articulated buses on the road progressively and we expect the first repaired bendy buses to re-enter service from April.”
Pittwater MP Jacqui Scruby, who has been campaigning for a resolution to incessant cancellations of services since the beginning of the year, when the timetable was reset - reducing some services further - stated:
“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,”
“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.”
“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.
“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 first-hand, 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.
See: Pittwater MP Jacqui Scruby calls on Minns government to shelve Low to Mid-Rise Housing until the bus crisis - Mona Vale Road are fixed - March 2025 PON report.
Manly MP James Griffin, who has also been outspoken about the bus problems, stated:
“This is welcome news, but the tender process should have begun the moment the bendy buses came off the road, not half a year later after my commuters experienced some of the worst commuting conditions seen in 10 years,”
“I’ll be monitoring the process closely to ensure the buses are delivered and the service improves. There is still more work to do but at least the Government has heard our concerns”, Mr Griffin said.
Pressure on key routes across the area is expected to ease over the coming months as the repaired articulated buses begin to return to service.
During this period Transport is also improving support at key locations like Dee Why and Wynyard to assist with bus loadings and passenger communications. Transport has also worked with the operator to mitigate the impact on passengers, including measures to protect priority services from cancellations like dedicated school services, other trips carrying high numbers of students, minimising consecutive cancellations and first and last services of the day.
The procurement of these new high-capacity buses are in addition to the new standard size Zero Emission Buses (ZEB) delivered by the former Coalition Government, that will begin entering service at Brookvale Depot over the next 12 months, Mr Griffin stated. This will enable Transport to deliver more and improved bus services in Region 8, Region 14 and across the wider network. As more buses are added to the network, Transport will progressively work towards the restoration of the full timetable.
Transport for NSW is also investing in future high capacity zero emission buses which are in the early stages of development. Transport has ordered four articulated ZEBs to test and trial for suitability in Sydney conditions.
On 5 February 2025 Keolis Downer announced the appointment of an Interim CEO - Leila Frances will step in as interim CEO of Keolis Downer starting in March 2024.
In a released statement Keolis Downer said Leila will assume the role of interim CEO at Keolis Downer (KD) on March 17, based in Melbourne. She will take over from current CEO Julien Dehornoy, who will be pursuing a new international career opportunity after five years with Keolis Downer, including his prior role as CEO of Yarra Trams, the Melbourne Tram network operator.
Leila is a well-known figure in the Australian transport sector, having been instrumental in the establishment of Keolis Downer in 2009 with the award of the Yarra Trams franchise. She has been with the Keolis Group for over 15 years, leading key international projects and commercial development across various countries, including Australia. Leila also served as Chair of the Keolis Downer Board for five years until 2022.
Currently, she is a non-executive board director in the UK’s transport sector.
Leila will relocate to Melbourne to serve as interim CEO until a permanent successor is appointed.
Laurence Broseta, Keolis International CEO and Chair of the Keolis Downer Board, commented:
“We are thrilled to welcome Leila back as interim CEO of Keolis Downer. Her leadership and strategic insight will be invaluable to the company. Keolis Downer remains dedicated to expanding its presence in Australia, and Leila will play a crucial role in shaping the right strategy, partnerships, and organizational structure to drive this growth.
“I would also like to extend my gratitude to Julien for his outstanding leadership over the past five years; his contributions have had a lasting impact on our organization, and we wish him all the best in his future endeavours.”
Keolis Downer northern beaches has also issued a statement this week, posting on social media on Thursday March 13 the following:
However, as this Issue goes to publication residents have experienced multiple in a row bus cancellations again this week, leaving them stranded and unable to get to work on time.
screenshot from Friday March 11, 2025. Image supplied
screenshot from Friday March 14, 2025. Image supplied
B-line at Warriewood. Photo: Joe Mills