Two NSW operators have taken over metropolitan bus contracts following a competitive tender
Bus customers in South West Sydney will benefit from 33 new buses and 360 extra services per week as part of a raft of improvements being delivered by two new bus operators.
Bus operators Interline and Busabout started running services in South West Sydney this week following a competitive tender of metropolitan bus contracts last year.
Interline will provide services for the Liverpool, Glenfield, Ingleburn, Bringelly and Hoxton Park region. Busabout is the new operator for customers around Campbelltown, Narellan and Camden.
Minister for Transport Gladys Berejiklian says past bus contracts were simply rolled over each year with little competition to encourage customer improvements.
“With around 4.8 million bus trips taken by customers in Sydney’s South West, they deserve better than a business as usual approach – that’s why the Government put bus contracts out to competitive tender to drive better outcomes for customers,” she says.
“As part of our new approach to bus tendering, customers are seeing improved bus services right across Sydney and better value for money.”
The new operators in South West Sydney will roll out 33 extra modern, accessible and air-conditioned buses to give customers a more comfortable ride, and will need to meet stricter on-time running requirements, providing more reliable services for customers.
Berejiklian says the new bus contracts follow major improvements being delivered for Sydney bus customers.
“Since March 2011, we’ve delivered almost 6,500 extra bus services a week across Sydney, including more than 3,900 in Western Sydney,” she says.
“Opal is rolling out across buses, including the South West, with the whole bus network set to be covered by Opal by the end of the year.”