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Budget: bus growth

The New South Wales Government has announced an increase in services as part of the budget

Double decker buses will serve some of Sydney’s busiest routes, with around 3,800 extra weekly services to be added as part of a $108 million investment in new buses as part of the 2016-17 New South Wales (NSW) Budget.

The 80 seat double deckers can carry 65 per cent more capacity than normal size buses, and will be used on key corridors.

“Thousands of Sydneysiders rely on bus travel every day to get from A to B and we know demand for services is continually increasing, particularly in growth centres in the North West and South West, as well as in inner city areas like Green Square,” says Minister for Transport and Infrastructure Andrew Constance.

“This is all about staying ahead of the curve to ensure customers have sufficient levels of service well into the future.”

Treasurer Gladys Berejiklian says the government will continue to fund more services and infrastructure in the upcoming Budget.

“These double decker buses have allowed us to deliver good customer outcomes and we are pleased to be rolling out more of them across Sydney,” she says.

“This announcement is the latest example of the NSW Government delivering new and improved services for our growing state.” 

As part of this year’s commitment, there will be 12 new or extended routes including a new cross suburban link between the Inner West and Lower North Shore.

New or improved services will also be rolled out in outer metropolitan areas including the Lower Hunter, Central Coast, Blue Mountains and the Illawarra. 

The Budget also includes funds to replace older buses with new accessible, air conditioned buses. Transport for NSW will now work with industry over the coming months to finalise an implementation plan for the entire package of work.

This will include further detail on how many double decker buses will be used, the rollout plan, replacement bus schedule, exact number of new trips, routes and when they will be implemented. 

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