After removing 83 articulated buses from service in October 2024 because of safety concerns coupled with the ongoing driver shortage, the Northern Beaches bus region, known as Region 8, has been facing serious issues.
Commuters have had frustrating delays, cancellations and encountered repeated breakdowns while they eagerly awaited a fix from the NSW government.
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Now, the state government is addressing the gap in the aging high-capacity bus fleet by moving to buy 50 new diesel-powered Euro 6 articulated buses as well as 10 double decker buses to supplement the B-Line fleet.
The procurement of these new buses will improve reliability on the B-Line and increase capacity across the Northern Beaches, North Shore and the wider network.
These will be the first new bendy buses purchased for the region in 14 years, and will also be accompanied by new standard sized Zero Emission Buses (ZEBs) that will also be rolled out in the area over the next 12 months.
“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,” transport minister John Graham says.
“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.”
Repairs to the previous bendy buses are currently underway and are forecast to return to service from April 2025, with the rest aiming to hit the roads again across the year.
The new purchases however, will not begin services until the end of 2025.
“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,” Graham says.
“The rollout will be prioritised to the areas of greatest need and provide a solution to ease the fleet shortage on the northern beaches.”
Significant progress has also 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 March 3 2025, down from more than 500 in April 2023.
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