History of Sydney Nightride bus services - help sought

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robert
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History of Sydney Nightride bus services - help sought

Post by robert »

I am researching the history of Nightride bus services in Sydney from their commencement in 1989 for inclusion in sydneybusroutes.com.

What I already know are the routes and contracted operators until the contracts let effective from 31 October 1999. The routes & operators at that date appear to be:

1 City shuttle (Southtrans)
10 Sutherland (Southtrans)
11 Cronulla (Southtrans)
20 Riverwood (Southtrans)
30 Macarthur (Southtrans sub-contracted to Punchbowl)
40 East Hills (Southtrans sub-contracted to Punchbowl)
50 Liverpool (Southtrans sub-contracted to Punchbowl)
60 Fairfield (Southtrans)
70 Penrith (Busways)
80 Hornsby via Strathfield (Shorelink)
90 Hornsby via North Sydney (Shorelink)

When contracts were next changed effective 1 November 2002, contracts for routes 40, 70, 80 & 90 were transferred to Punchbowl (but were there other changes?)

By 2014, known contract holders were:

10 & 11 Punchbowl
30, 40, 50, 70, 80 & 90 Transdev
Others not sure.

As at 1 March 2018, known contract holders were:

10, 11, 81 (Olympic Park) & 90 State Transit
50 & 80 Hillsbus.
Others not sure.

As at 24 January 2021, known contract holders were:

10, 11, 80, 81, 90 & 91 (Bondi Jun-Macquarie) State Transit
20 Punchbowl
30 & 40 Transdev
31, 50, 60, 61, 70, 71 (Richmond) & 92 (Tallawong) Hillsbus

Another route was 100 to Bondi Junction, started off by Transdev on 2 April 2010, and ceased by 1 March 2018. Any other contractors?

Can anyone fill in the gaps please? Contracts have normally been let every three years, so missing info are the contactors between 2002 & 2018.

Many thanks in advance.

Robert
For information about private & Government bus routes in Sydney, look at http://www.sydneybusroutes.com
iamthouth
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Re: History of Sydney Nightride bus services - help sought

Post by iamthouth »

Hi Robert,
2011, possibly from 23/10, Route N61 was introduced by Hillsbus. N60, N70 and N71 transferred from Bonnyrigg Depot to Northmead depot.
In 2014, Hillsbus, not Transdev, operated N70.
From 01/03/2018, Hillsbus successfully won the tenders to operate N50 N80 N81, and retained the operation of N60 N61 N70 N71.
From 23/08/2020, routes N31 and N92 were introduced by Hillsbus, and N71 operated all trips to Richmond (previously some terminated at Schofields and Blacktown).
From 24/01/2021, under TfNSW instruction, routes N80 N81 transferred from Hillsbus to STA Region 7.
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boronia
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Re: History of Sydney Nightride bus services - help sought

Post by boronia »

My records of STA destination signs show the following on rolls or digital for early Nightride services:

CAMPBELLTOWN
CITY CIRCLE
CRONULLA
FAIRFIELD
HORNSBY
LIVERPOOL
PANANIA
PENRITH
RIVERWOOD
SUTHERLAND
SYDNEY CITY

Some of these might have "wishful thinking"?
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Re: History of Sydney Nightride bus services - help sought

Post by Fleet Lists »

Does that mean that N80 and N81 will go to Busways with region 7?

And some of those early STA ones would have been wishful thinking.
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Re: History of Sydney Nightride bus services - help sought

Post by J_Busworth »

State Transit operated Route N30 for a period in the 1990s. As far as I'm aware, it was initially operated out of Tempe with MkVs and later from Kingsgrove with Scania L113TRBs. Sadly I don't know start or end dates for that operation, only that it happened.
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Re: History of Sydney Nightride bus services - help sought

Post by 745-Castle Hill »

From the Busways wayback archives:
ROUTE N71 BLACKTOWN-RICHMOND NIGHTRIDE BUS SERVICE TO BE DISCONTINUED

Route N71 Blacktown-Richmond Nightride bus services will be discontinued.



The last day of operation will be early morning Sunday 26 October 2003.

The service has been operated under contract to the NSW Ministry of Transport by Busways.
It ran on a trial basis for 6 months from 30 November 2002 and was then extended for another 5 months.

It is regretted that patronage has not proved to be sufficient.

The Route N70 Nightride bus service between the City and Penrith will continue unaltered.
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Re: History of Sydney Nightride bus services - help sought

Post by Stonesourscotty »

N70 is Now partially operated by Blue Mountains. First run of the night ex Penrith is run by Blue Mountains can't remember which is the return working.
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Re: History of Sydney Nightride bus services - help sought

Post by Fleet Lists »

https://www.transsee.ca/#AU shows
Hillsbus operating the 12.59 from Penrith and the 3.15 from Town Hall
And Blue Mountains doing
1.59, 2.59 and 3.59 from Penrith and
12.15, 1.15 and 2.15 from Town Hall

To me it seems that Blue Mountains and Hillsbus are the wrong way around.
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Re: History of Sydney Nightride bus services - help sought

Post by Swift »

Peninsula of Umina did the Hornsby via Strathfield in the beginning. I saw them on a couple of occasions going through Eastwood late at night.
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Re: History of Sydney Nightride bus services - help sought

Post by Glen »

Are you sure Punchbowl ever operated N80 & N90 ?

I think Glenorie had them until the late 1990's.

I have in my notes that Westway operated N30 & N40 from 2002.

Seems like such a long time ago!

Hope that helps a little.
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Re: History of Sydney Nightride bus services - help sought

Post by Glen »

Also in my notes, Punchbowl was operating N10, N11, N20, N50 & N60 during 2002.

Then by 2011 Punchbowl was operating only N10, N11 & N20, ............ also the same noted in 2015.

Veolia was running N30, N40 & N50 in 2009 and also noted in 2011.

I recall the running of N10, N11, N20, N30, N40 & N50 was stable for quite some time back then.

I also think CDC had N60 around then.
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Re: History of Sydney Nightride bus services - help sought

Post by Campbelltown busboy »

stajourneyman
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Re: History of Sydney Nightride bus services - help sought

Post by stajourneyman »

I recall Busways originally doing the Penrith nightride using their MAN 16.240s.

I’m almost certain that this was well before 1999, and quite probably as far back as the early 1990s.
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Re: History of Sydney Nightride bus services - help sought

Post by Fleet Lists »

Campbelltown busboy wrote: Fri Aug 27, 2021 7:51 am Neville’s did the N50 in the early 90s judging by these two photos

https://www.busaustralia.com/gallery/di ... play_media

https://www.busaustralia.com/gallery/di ... play_media
Both links show a minibus at Oberon to me - I think they are faulty links.
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Re: History of Sydney Nightride bus services - help sought

Post by Campbelltown busboy »

Fleet Lists wrote: Fri Aug 27, 2021 8:31 am
Campbelltown busboy wrote: Fri Aug 27, 2021 7:51 am Neville’s did the N50 in the early 90s judging by these two photos

https://www.busaustralia.com/gallery/di ... play_media

https://www.busaustralia.com/gallery/di ... play_media
Both links show a minibus at Oberon to me - I think they are faulty links.
I think these are the right photos
http://www.busaustralia.com/gallery/dis ... p?pid=9056
http://www.busaustralia.com/gallery/dis ... p?pid=4523
I should have previewed my previous entry before posting
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Re: History of Sydney Nightride bus services - help sought

Post by iamthouth »

Fleet Lists wrote: Thu Aug 26, 2021 4:12 pm Does that mean that N80 and N81 will go to Busways with region 7?

And some of those early STA ones would have been wishful thinking.
Yes, these two routes were in the tender documents.
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Re: History of Sydney Nightride bus services - help sought

Post by iamthouth »

Stonesourscotty wrote: Thu Aug 26, 2021 7:24 pm N70 is Now partially operated by Blue Mountains.
That is correct, CDC outsource some trips to operate from Emu Plains depots since 01/03/2018.
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Re: History of Sydney Nightride bus services - help sought

Post by Fleet Lists »

Not really outsourced as it still part of CDC.
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Re: History of Sydney Nightride bus services - help sought

Post by Swift »

stajourneyman wrote: Fri Aug 27, 2021 8:02 am I recall Busways originally doing the Penrith nightride using their MAN 16.240s.

I’m almost certain that this was well before 1999, and quite probably as far back as the early 1990s.
These German Leopards with planetary hub sets (closest thing to a cross between a Mercedes 0305 and a Leyland Leopard), would have coped with any open road running required thanks to their ZF ecomats.
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Re: History of Sydney Nightride bus services - help sought

Post by tonyp »

Robert, I know you're talking about the current "Nightride" brand, but I'm wondering whether there were many overnight services between 1961 and 1989? The trams had overnight services up to the end and some of these were continued on by the DGT buses, but how long did that last?
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Re: History of Sydney Nightride bus services - help sought

Post by boronia »

There were all-night bus services along Bondi Road carried over from the trams.

There was an all night tram service from Wynyard to Mosman PO, guess this also carried over to the buses.
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Re: History of Sydney Nightride bus services - help sought

Post by Glen »

boronia wrote: Fri Aug 27, 2021 1:34 pm There were all-night bus services along Bondi Road carried over from the trams.
I recall as a high schooler being at the PTC Archives (John Forsyth's section) when some guys who remembered the all night trams commented that they used to leave Circular Quay at some odd time like 19 past the hour, and wondered how anyone could come up with that pattern.

They said "back in those days" young men would catch the all night trams after seeing their girlfriends back to their family home.

A different era!
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Re: History of Sydney Nightride bus services - help sought

Post by Swift »

A more moral and disciplined era you mean.
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Re: History of Sydney Nightride bus services - help sought

Post by tonyp »

Glen wrote: Fri Aug 27, 2021 6:24 pm They said "back in those days" young men would catch the all night trams after seeing their girlfriends back to their family home.

A different era!
The one-kiss-too-many syndrome usually lost me the last bus and I ended up walking the 4 km home from Lane Cove to Hunters Hill in the freezing dark. Kept me fit.
Swift wrote: Fri Aug 27, 2021 6:42 pm A more moral and disciplined era you mean.
No.
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Re: History of Sydney Nightride bus services - help sought

Post by Swift »

Yes.
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