New Sydney and Outer Metro bus contracts (as from 2020)

[Linto63]

Although it doesn't really tell us anything we didn't already know, just restating what was in the Go-Ahead and UGL press releases.

[Campbelltown busboy]

What will happen with the Busways issuing of fleet numbers if they regain region 15 as a portion of the current Busabout region 15 fleet were transferred from Busways in 2014

[Fleet Lists]

I would not worry about that as I think there is very little chance of that happening. But if it did, they would just reissue the previous numbers as that seems their policy generally.

[Fleet Lists]

The fleet list changes yesterday recorded that two pre 2007 Punchbowl Bus Co buses m/o 7658 and 7926 have been repainted into a white livery out of TNSW livery. It looks as though they are not going the new region 10 operator. Maybe others to get the same treatment,

[1whoknows]

It has been suggested elsewhere that PBC is going to retain a Sydney presence as a charter operator. If so, the repainting of those units not mandated to be transfered would make sense.

[Fleet Lists]

m/o 919 has also been given the treatment.

[Fleet Lists]

U-Go Mobility is supposed to start operating with 225 buses.

Looking at the fleet lists:-

Kingsgrove has 36 vehicles less 4 on TV plates = 32
Menai has 53 vehicles less 2 on TV plates = 51
Revesby has 32 vehicles less 2 on TV plates = 30
Taren Point has 59 vehicles less 5 not on m/o plates = 54
Total = Transdev 167
Punchbowl has 74 vehicles less 3 repainted into white =71
Total 238

Punchbowl possibly another 16 pre 2007 leaving 55 to be transferred.
To be transferred Transdev 267 plus Punchbowl 55 = 222 so only 3 of the Punchbowl pre 2007 would be required or they could be obtained elsewhere.

[Glen]

Should your Transdev total be 167 not 267 ?

[Fleet Lists]

Fixed.

[The Doctor]

Sad news I’m afraid.

https://www.transitsystems.com.au/news/ ... -portfolio

With PBC having lost their contract already, and now Busabout and Interline, this brings an end to the era of the smaller family run companies.

[tonyp]

Sad news I’m afraid.

https://www.transitsystems.com.au/news/ ... -portfolio

With PBC having lost their contract already, and now Busabout and Interline, this brings an end to the era of the smaller family run companies.

Within Sydney you mean. There's Busways - not smaller nowadays admittedly.

[Campbelltown busboy]

The merging of regions 2 and 15 is offical

https://www.transitsystems.com.au/news/ ... -portfolio

Transit Systems continues to grow its government bus portfolio
Transit Systems has secured a new Greater Sydney Bus Contract (GSBC), which will see the operator welcome nearly 400 employees and 230 buses to its growing network of government bus contracts.

This contract award means, from October, Transit Systems will operate from Bondi Junction in the east to Camden in the southwest, servicing major urban centres including the CBD, Burwood, Parramatta, Bankstown, Liverpool and Campbelltown. Transit Systems, Sydney’s largest bus operator, will have more than 1,200 buses in operation across a network which CEO Michael McGee said provided more than 50 million customer journeys in 2022.

It will also bolster Transit Systems’ zero emission bus fleet, with an additional 18 electric vehicles being added to what is already Australia’s largest zero emission bus fleet.

“Our global collaboration means we invest heavily into researching and deploying the latest innovations, and we have the confidence and knowledge to deliver improvements to customers in local communities,” Mr McGee said.

The new GSBC Region 2 combines the existing Sydney Region 2 and Region 15 bus contracts and covers the Liverpool, Ingleburn, Bringelly, Oran Park, Campbelltown and Camden areas across Sydney’s southwest.

Mr McGee said Transit Systems is the most experienced public Transport operator in Australia when it comes to transitioning contracts.

“We will focus on a seamless transition and welcoming the drivers and mechanics to our Sydney team, which will increase to 2,400 people.

“We are proud to continue our partnership with Transport for NSW and look forward to onboarding our new team members,” he said.

Transit Systems commenced operating in Sydney in 2013, and currently operates 855 buses across the Transport for NSW network. In addition to this award for the operations covering the existing Sydney Region 2 and Region 15 networks, Transit Systems announced in December that it will become the operator of the existing Sydney Region 13 bus network in August this year.

Transit Systems has also partnered with Transport for NSW to deliver the largest electrified bus depot in Australia, with 55 zero emission buses in operation at the company’s Leichhardt depot in Sydney.
NSW

[Fleet Lists]

Within Sydney you mean. There's Busways - not "smaller" nowadays admittedly.

So that leaves us now to find out about region 1 where Busways is the current operator.

[The Doctor]

Sad news I’m afraid.

https://www.transitsystems.com.au/news/ ... -portfolio

With PBC having lost their contract already, and now Busabout and Interline, this brings an end to the era of the smaller family run companies.

Within Sydney you mean. There's Busways - not smaller nowadays admittedly.

Correct. I wasn’t including Busways for that reason, especially now that they’ve got contracts in South Australia.

[boronia]

This contract award means, from October, Transit Systems will operate from Bondi Junction in the east to Camden in the southwest, servicing major urban centres including the CBD, Burwood, Parramatta, Bankstown, Liverpool and Campbelltown. Transit Systems, Sydney’s largest bus operator, will have more than 1,200 buses in operation across a network which CEO Michael McGee said provided more than 50 million customer journeys in 2022.

A bus from Bondi Junction to Camden would be a nice day out LOL

[stupid_girl]

This contract award means, from October, Transit Systems will operate from Bondi Junction in the east to Camden in the southwest, servicing major urban centres including the CBD, Burwood, Parramatta, Bankstown, Liverpool and Campbelltown. Transit Systems, Sydney’s largest bus operator, will have more than 1,200 buses in operation across a network which CEO Michael McGee said provided more than 50 million customer journeys in 2022.

A bus from Bondi Junction to Camden would be a nice day out LOL

and Wollongong (887) in the south

[Campbelltown busboy]

The new region 2 will be mostly based in Liverpool Campbelltown and Camden LGAs with routes 32,39,40,49,887 and 889 running though parts of the Wollondilly shire LGA. The two digit routes start from John street camden where the 887 and 889 start at Campbelltown station

[Linto63]

and Wollongong (887) in the south

and as far north as Chatswood (530) and west as Kingswood (835).

Quick and dirty calculation is that Transit Systems will operate about 1,300 buses once all have transitioned, or about 30% of Sydney's total.

[swtt]

and Wollongong (887) in the south

and as far north as Chatswood (530) and west as Kingswood (835).

Quick and dirty calculation is that Transit Systems will operate about 1,300 buses once all have transitioned, or about 30% of Sydney's total.

Effectively creating something even bigger than the former STA!

[Linto63]

Effectively creating something even bigger than the former STA!

Some way to go yet, State Transit had over 2,100 buses before the Newcastle operation left the fold in 2017.

[tonyp]

A quick tally of the depot fleets in the former STA Sydney contract regions shows that there are still 2,000 buses. The figure stands out in my mind because Sydney government bus patronage was, in recent years before covid, about the same as that of Melbourne's trams (about 200 million ppa or just under) and the operating area similar.

Melbourne needs only 500 trams to do the same job.

It would be interesting to compare operating costs, leaving aside the Melbourne operator having to maintain its own perway while the bus operators get that for close to free. At least 1,500 extra drivers and the higher operating costs of a diesel fleet vs electric - the productivity of serving inner Sydney with buses must be pretty poor. The new battery buses are going to worsen the situation with capacity pushed down towards 60, only about half that of the oldest type of Melbourne tram, which are being replaced by bigger trams.

[Merc1107]

It would be cool to look into that further - in terms of the square kilometre area of tram-serviced Melbourne and the former STA areas of Sydney, and the approximate population of the two areas.

I'd have thought the ex STA area to be far larger (both area and population) than what is serviced by Melbourne's trams, but then I've never visited either City(!), so cannot really cast much judgement without more information.

[Linto63]

Given that this is a bit off topic, have started a new thread in the general section.

[Campbelltown busboy]

Does anybody know how many depots will be in this new merged region 2 is that upto Transit Systems or does the contract include both Interline depots and the Busabout depot

[Linto63]

Any depots built within the life of the current contracts are TfNSW owned and will transfer, so Busabout's Smeaton Grange depot will.