The death of Metrobus.

[Fleet Lists]

I thought there was a thread on this subject some time ago but I cannot find it.
But now that route M52 is to be withdrawn in late January 2021, this only leaves the three Transdev routes M90, M91 and M92. But even there all red buses have had the Metrobus signage removed and buses with all liveries now operate intermixed on Metrobus and non Metrobus routes. So the death of Metrobus is nigh if it has not already happened.

[Campbelltown busboy]

The M90 is now mostly done by a mix of ex stationlink and delivered new to region 13 contracted B8RLEs

[rogf24]

The Transdev Metrobus routes still end painfully early even though it's quite an important service now and there aren't alternatives. Should have hours extended to midnight across the entire length of all routes at least every half hour. With maybe a 15 minute service between Chester Hill-Parramatta and Strathfield-Bankstown with short services in between at night.

[Richard290]

Much of the 2010-era Metrobus post signage that lined the route of the former M54 (now route 550) between Parramatta and Macquarie Park via Carlingford and Epping has been either: struck/damaged by errant vehicles, vandalised in the early hours of the morning, or been sporadically replaced by blue Hop signage. A similar hodgepodge of old and new signage occurs along the former common M50/M52 routing on Victoria Road between Drummoyne and Rozelle, too. Very few remaining Metrobus posts remain intact, let alone in mint condition!

[swtt]

The Transdev Metrobus routes still end painfully early even though it's quite an important service now and there aren't alternatives. Should have hours extended to midnight across the entire length of all routes at least every half hour. With maybe a 15 minute service between Chester Hill-Parramatta and Strathfield-Bankstown with short services in between at night.

I suspect those services will simply be renumbered without being split or have their frequencies cut. The STA ones are only being split due to the upcoming region tenders.

m90 --> 900 (need to renumber the Parramatta Shuttle first!)
m91 --> 910 (back to what it was)
m92 --> 920

[Campbelltown busboy]

The Transdev Metrobus routes still end painfully early even though it's quite an important service now and there aren't alternatives. Should have hours extended to midnight across the entire length of all routes at least every half hour. With maybe a 15 minute service between Chester Hill-Parramatta and Strathfield-Bankstown with short services in between at night.

I suspect those services will simply be renumbered without being split or have their frequencies cut. The STA ones are only being split due to the upcoming region tenders.

m90 --> 900 (need to renumber the Parramatta Shuttle first!)
m91 --> 910 (back to what it was)
m92 --> 920

I think the M91 and M92 will be split at Bankstown with Parramatta part of both routes being numbered and would be placed in region 13 and the southern part of both routes being numbered and would be placed into region 10

[stajourneyman]

The death of metrobus is simply an act of bastardry by the current NSW government.

It was a Labor government initiative that seemed to work and was popular with the people.

The incoming government wouldn’t have any of that, so they set about dismantling it as soon as possible.

Apparently one of their first steps was instructing STA to stop deliberately allocating metrobuses on metrobus rosters. Apparently it was to make rostering more ‘flexible’.

Don’t mind the pensioners who relied on the bus by its colour etc.

The arrogance of this government, and particularly the everloving transport minister defies belief.

[Swift]

The arrogance of this government, and particularly the everloving transport minister defies belief.

Very typical of the Liberal party. The party for the rich.
I knew Metrobus would never be implemented to the full and would eventually fizzle out as it's original conception. NSW never disappoints in disappointing.
It's always been a middle of the road state and that shall continue. The Neville Wran era was the closest to greatness.

[Jurassic_Joke]

The death of metrobus is simply an act of bastardry by the current NSW government.

It was a Labor government initiative that seemed to work and was popular with the people.

The incoming government wouldn’t have any of that, so they set about dismantling it as soon as possible.

Apparently one of their first steps was instructing STA to stop deliberately allocating metrobuses on metrobus rosters. Apparently it was to make rostering more ‘flexible’.

Don’t mind the pensioners who relied on the bus by its colour etc.

The arrogance of this government, and particularly the everloving transport minister defies belief.

To be honest, in my view, there was hardly anything really to distinguish this from the rest of the services. The buses were painted red, there were internal displays and announcements, thats pretty much it. The Metrobus timetables being hidden from the public at the start because “you dont need one its turn up and go”, was actually a point against it in my opinion

I have more issue with the current Liberal Government’s approach to bendy buses and the dead-on refusal to order any more. If we just had some more delivered in the last couple of years, who knows, maybe it would be a bit easier to social distance today for one thing. While I acknowledge that they’ve done more for public transport than any other recent NSW Government, there are still a couple of things I disagree with what they’ve done, those most notably being the pledge to phase out bendy buses and replace Variotram with the Urbos 3

[Campbelltown busboy]

The arrogance of this government, and particularly the everloving transport minister defies belief.

Very typical of the Liberal party. The party for the rich.
I knew Metrobus would never be implemented to the full and would eventually fizzle out as it's original conception. NSW never disappoints in disappointing.
It's always been a middle of the road state and that shall continue. The Neville Wran era was the closest to greatness.

It's funny that the 5 non STA metrobus routes where rushed and implemented between December 2010 and March 2011 witch would of been around the time that the labor government went into pre election caretaker mode. I think the renumbering of the castle hill-city route to M61 and the 900 to M90 along with the amalgamation of routes 910 and 948 to make up route M91 and the creation of routes M60 and M92 was to win labor some major seats in the 2011 state election

[Swift]

It's funny that the 5 non STA metrobus routes where rushed and implemented between December 2010 and March 2011 witch would of been around the time that the labor government went into pre election caretaker mode. I think the renumbering of the castle hill-city route to M61 and the 900 to M90 along with the amalgamation of routes 910 and 948 to make up route M91 and the creation of routes M60 and M92 was to win labor some major seats in the 2011 state election

Flippant moves like that served to undermine the concept and start it's gradual unravelling. NSW is like that. It can't succeed at anything without compromises ruining it. This is why I'm sick of pie in the sky announcements I know for a fact will never materialise in the proposed form. It will always be truncated, watered down in some way or not see the light of day. This state is bogged down in it's own arrogance.

[tonyp]

To be honest, in my view, there was hardly anything really to distinguish this from the rest of the services. The buses were painted red, there were internal displays and announcements, thats pretty much it. The Metrobus timetables being hidden from the public at the start because “you dont need one its turn up and go”, was actually a point against it in my opinion

I have more issue with the current Liberal Government’s approach to bendy buses and the dead-on refusal to order any more. If we just had some more delivered in the last couple of years, who knows, maybe it would be a bit easier to social distance today for one thing. While I acknowledge that they’ve done more for public transport than any other recent NSW Government, there are still a couple of things I disagree with what they’ve done, those most notably being the pledge to phase out bendy buses and replace Variotram with the Urbos 3

Amen to that. On top of that, they're still very reliant on artics to do the heavy lifting they need on certain services while at the same time running hot and cold on double deckers (which aren't really a suitable replacement anyway), which suggests that they don't really have any high capacity answers for the longer-term future and are sticking with the one-size-fits-all approach.

It will be interesting to see the result when the artics reach the end of their lives. On top of their apparent love of the unsuitable stepped-entry Bustechs, the only conclusion from all of this is that TfNSW has hands down the worst fleet and route planning of any major bus system in Australia. Relief from other modes is not exactly around the corner either. Tram system expansion now seems to be stalled indefinitely and, while metro is going ahead like the blazes, it's not able to come on line fast enough to catch the fallout from the bus system's inadequacies. The Metrobus system would at least plug some of the gaps in the meantime, but the artics will start coming up for retirement before 2030.

[boronia]

Don’t mind the pensioners who relied on the bus by its colour etc.

How did they ever catch the right bus before that!?

The problem was when plain buses were used on M routes. Passengers would be watching for a red bus, and could miss the service if it wasn't. Not just pensioners either.

[PaxInfo]

On top of their apparent love of the unsuitable stepped-entry Bustechs, the only conclusion from all of this is that TfNSW has hands down the worst fleet and route planning of any major bus system in Australia.

That is a big call.

Adelaide ditched their big bus reform due to the political reaction earlier this year.

Bus reform in Melbourne is stagnant with service km added trailing population growth for the better part of a decade.

Brisbane can't get their city and state governments to sort things out and abandoned its last big attempt.

Of the main cities, only Perth can claim superiority, but even they would envy Sydney's new 10 minute 7 day routes.

[tonyp]

That is a big call.

Adelaide ditched their big bus reform due to the political reaction earlier this year.

Bus reform in Melbourne is stagnant with service km added trailing population growth for the better part of a decade.

Brisbane can't get their city and state governments to sort things out and abandoned its last big attempt.

Of the main cities, only Perth can claim superiority, but even they would envy Sydney's new 10 minute 7 day routes.

Yes, you're right of course. I'll leave route planning out of it and stick with NSW fleet planning: high capacity buses getting the toss, flexible low-capacity buses not getting a look-in and one-size-fits-all standard buses about to lose capacity through electrification and the associated weight issue. I don't think any other major jurisdiction is suffering all those issues, except for the looming electrification. Nobody else is prejudiced against high-capacity normal buses where they need them and the Metrobus concept is sort of premised on them.

[Swift]

There is poor utilisation of the nearly 250 existing artics. We have them stored away when they're sorely needed because an obstinate TNSW won't approve them being sent out more. Then we have Transit Systems who want to offload theirs don't they?
Other times the artics carry around enough fresh air to supply the International Space Station.
We need to use the fleet smarter.

[boronia]

I don't know that they are being "stored away", at least not in the east. They are quite prominent on Coogee and Anzac Pde services on weekends, replacing previously overcrowded rigids; they were definitely needed here pre COVID.

Did TSA want to get rid of theirs, or were they requisitioned by TfNSW?

[tonyp]

A glance at Anytrip any day shows plenty of artics running around, with the greatest concentration around E and SE and northern suburbs to northern beaches, also out west. When you see the distribution of them, it's hard to imagine them being replaced by rigids and deckers.

I understand the region 6 ones are being moved across the harbour for the new route 100.

[Fleet Lists]

So a requisitioning by TfNSW?

[Campbelltown busboy]

Would the the light rail caused downfall of the Parramatta shuttle free up 900 to use as the replacement route number for the M90

[stajourneyman]

Don’t mind the pensioners who relied on the bus by its colour etc.

How did they ever catch the right bus before that!?

I'm guessing, from that comment, that you don't get out on public transport much.

Pensioners often have poor eyesight and are easily confused when it comes to public transport.

It's not uncommon for a pensioner to ask the bus driver two or three times where he is going.

The onset of metrobus made it easier for those who otherwise struggled with public transport.

Don't worry, mate ...it's in your future

[boronia]

Would the the light rail caused downfall of the Parramatta shuttle free up 900 to use as the replacement route number for the M90

If they wanted to use 900 that way, they could renumber the shuttle; 999 is available. I wonder how many people realise it has a number?

[Swift]

How did they ever catch the right bus before that!?

I'm guessing, from that comment, that you don't get out on public transport much.

Pensioners often have poor eyesight and are easily confused when it comes to public transport.

It's not uncommon for a pensioner to ask the bus driver two or three times where he is going.

The onset of metrobus made it easier for those who otherwise struggled with public transport.

Don't worry, mate ...it's in your future

Reminds me long ago when I was on a staff bus and when an old lady went to flag it down (it had 000 Special on the roll) the driver yelled out the open front door "can't you read the f####n sign?!!".

[Campbelltown busboy]

Would the the light rail caused downfall of the Parramatta shuttle free up 900 to use as the replacement route number for the M90

If they wanted to use 900 that way, they could renumber the shuttle; 999 is available. I wonder how many people realise it has a number?

Would Parramatta council let the state government discontinue their creation if that ever happens

[Linto63]

There is poor utilisation of the nearly 250 existing artics. We have them stored away when they're sorely needed because an obstinate TNSW won't approve them being sent out more.

Transit Systems elect to keep theirs locked up on Sundays, not a Covid thing either, was happening pre March.

Did TSA want to get rid of theirs, or were they requisitioned by TfNSW?

Transit Systems clearly felt them not suited to region 6. Even before the M10 and M50 ceased, artics were operating maybe only half of the former Metrobus duties, whereas in State Transit days it was rare to see anything else, again this was happening pre Covid. The only additional duties they began operating were some peak hour 438 and 470s. Today they operate on routes 320 ,430, 438X and 470 and peak-hour 440 Leichardt to Railway Square short workings,

A glance at Anytrip any day shows plenty of artics running around, with the greatest concentration around E and SE and northern suburbs to northern beaches, also out west. When you see the distribution of them, it's hard to imagine them being replaced by rigids and deckers.

Aside from a handful of Atlanteans and later Mercedes O305Gs on Northern Beaches services, Sydney operated without high capacity vehicles for over 20 years from about 1980. No reason it couldn't happen again, would just require more rigids.