NSW inquiry into bus privatisation finds commuters are suffering

By DALE BARRETT

Last week a NSW Legislative Council report found that the privatisation of busses in Sydney’s public transport network has come at a significant cost to commuters.  

The report found that privatisation of public transport incentivised the implementation of cost-cutting strategies that unjustly impacts vulnerable people, and ultimately leads to a decline in service quality and higher prices for commuters. 

The report was released following a NSW Parliamentary inquiry into the impacts of the NSW government privatising bus services. Chair of the Inquiry, MP Abigail Boyd MLC, assessed that privatisation has been “nothing short of a disaster”.

Region 9 bus services, which covers the eastern and southern suburbs of Sydney and the CBD, has the highest patronage of any region in the Sydney bus network, with 68 million trips recorded across the network every year.

In April 2022 the NSW Government decided to privatise the remaining public buses in Sydney through company TransDev, who now operates Region 9 services.  

Waverley council continues campaign to reverse sell-off

Waverley Mayor Paula Masselos said that Waverley council also “maintains the commuters are worse off under privatisation”.

“I am pleased that the Committee is now calling on the NSW Government to consider taking action to bring privatised Regions back into the operation, control and ownership of the NSW Government” Cr Masselos said. 

In 2019, Cr Masselos submitted an urgent motion to the Strategic Planning and Development Committee which called on the state government to reverse privatisation.

The Mayor also gave a submission to the Parliamentary inquiry stating that “Council strongly objects to the public purse being used to subsidise commercial operations that are geared to making a profit rather than fulfilling a social contract between the government and the people of NSW”.

Privatisation has also been met with public outcry across Sydney, with commuters speaking out against a lack of bus services to and from the CBD. Eastern suburbs residents have expressed issues accessing health care facilities, getting to work, completing shopping duties and visiting friends and families. 

In late 2021, the NSW government removed 50 stops and 25 bus routes across Sydney’s eastern suburbs. These cuts are an addition to the previous 6 routes the government had reduced and eventually cut services to. 

In his recent appearance on the podcast Coogee Voice, Divisional Secretary of the Australian Rail, Tram and Bus Union, David Babineau, said that “We have a system specifically designed so the vulnerable people within our society are cared for”. 

“It’s about providing a service to the community” Babineau said. 

The report recommended that the NSW government consider restoring public ownership and operation once the contracts in the Northern beaches, Inner West and Inner Suburbs expire. The report also made note of committing to improved service and quicker use of zero emission buses to reduce our carbon footprint.