Waverley Mayor takes action on bus privatisation

6 November 2019

Mayor of Waverley, Paula Masselos, is calling on the state government to reverse its decision to privatisate the operation of the last remaining State Transit-operated bus regions in NSW.

Councillor Masselos tabled at urgency motion at last night's Operations and Community Services Committee Meeting in which she also calls on the government to reinstate the 378, 389 and 361 bus routes.

“Waverley residents are highly supportive of public transport and are high users of public transport, as evidenced by the response to the recent Bring Back the 378 awareness campaign,” Mayor Masselos said.

“The state’s own transport agency has shown that the punctuality of buses has worsened since privatisation, as demonstrated in the Hunter.

The government plans to hand over regions 9 (eastern suburbs), 8 (lower north shore and northern beaches) and 7 (Sydney north western suburbs including Ryde) to new private operators in mid-2021.

“Public transport is a fundamental right, and Waverley residents are looking to our Council for leadership on this issue.

“Waverley Council’s People, Movement and Places policy supports the role of public transport in making the Waverley local government area more walkable and safer for pedestrians while addressing the reduction in traffic congestion,” Mayor Masselos said.

Mayor Masselos’ urgency motion notes NSW Premier, Gladys Berejiklian’s pre-election commitment not to privatise the state’s buses.

“We cannot stand by and watch our local bus services take another hit like in October 2015 when the state government replaced the 378 bus service from Bronte to the city without any consultation.

Media inquiries: media@waverley.nsw.gov.au or 0416 075 532.