The role of the bus in Sydney
Morris Caputi, Managing Director of Veolia Transdev NSW
Buses play a critical role in Sydney’s public transport offering with 3,000 buses carrying 4 million passengers every week1. Having worked for almost 9 years in NSW’s public transport industry, I am very aware of our increasing reliance on buses and the challenges currently facing Sydney’s bus network.
Over 600 buses enter Sydney’s CBD across the Harbour Bridge every morning, causing severe traffic congestion. With current projections of a 30% increase in buses by 2016/172, I believe that we must take action to improve the future of public transport for Sydneysiders.
Recent changes to the structure and arrangement of transport bodies in NSW has already led to improvements that reflect positively on the future of Sydney’s public transport. A streamlined transport planning authority will encourage the sort of efficiencies that private operators like Veolia Transdev continually seek and implement.
In the case of buses, two changes would lead to significant improvements. First, involving private transport operators in delivering more bus services will lead to improved customer service and increased competition. The ‘bus per kilometre’ cost in NSW is 51.6% greater for government-run services within Sydney buses than for private operators (see graph below)3. Furthermore, the government is able to concentrate on policy and planning and transfer risk to the private operator.
The second change would be to introduce a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) network to help deliver a flexible, truly multimodal transport system, integrating easily with other transport modes. A BRT system can feature technology such as traffic signal prioritisation and off-board ticketing and benefits from dedicated or protected lanes. Services can also be expanded quickly and less expensively than other transport modes as requirements change. The introduction of Metrobus goes some way towards this, however more can be done to ensure Sydney’s BRT is best in class.
Veolia Transdev has unparalleled experience in developing and operating buses and BRT systems, including the TransMilenio network in Bogota, Colombia, and the VIVA network in the York region of Canada, which was recognised as “the most innovative transit network in North America” by the American Public Transportation Association in 2006. Click here for more information about BRT.
Despite its many challenges, public transport remains one of Sydney’s greatest opportunities. With investment, the current model could become an increasingly competitive and efficient system, showcasing the very best of Sydney.
1 Glazebrook G, University of Technology Sydney (2009), A Thirty Year Public Transport Plan for Sydney
2 NSW Government (1998), Action for Transport 2010: An Integrated Transport Plan for Sydney
3 Parry T.G, (2003) Ministerial inquiry into sustainable transport in New South Wales. A framework for the future
