End of the road: last bus departs George Street

BY KENJI SATO

The last bus to travel down the length of George Street quietly departed Railway Square on Sunday morning at 5:52am, before the sun had even risen.

After more than 75 years of service, buses will no longer operate down the entire stretch of George Street to make way for the construction of Light Rail.

The Sydney Bus Museum, a non-for-profit run by bus enthusiasts, allowed Sydneysiders to ride their vintage buses down George Street on Saturday to mark the end of 75 years of bus service.

The buses dated back to the 1930s and 1970s, and they ferried over six thousand passengers in the span of five hours.

“It was a big success,” said David Benett, the Director of the Sydney Bus Museum.

“People turned out from all over the place to come and bid farewell. All our volunteers enjoyed it.”

Mr Benett said that the vintage buses brought on feelings of nostalgia for the bus enthusiasts at the museum.

“For older people, it’s about reliving those experiences of their childhood. When they were younger, how they used to get to school, or work, or university,” he said.

“But for younger people it’s also about learning about what transport was like back in that era. We’re hoping we’ll be able to operate a similar service in the future around the CBD to give people the opportunity to ride these historical buses.”

Buses that previously travelled down George Street have had their routes changed, and CBD Coordinator General Marg Prendergast told Sydney commuters to expect short-term confusion and congestion.

“We have been pleading with bus customers for weeks to plan for this change, but despite handing out more than 300,000 flyers and brochures, we know some customers still need to get across the changes,” she said.

But NSW opposition leader Luke Foley told reporters on Monday that the “short-term pain won’t deliver the long term gain”.

“As the CBD light rail construction ramps up, congestion will gridlock the city,” Mr Foley said.

“This will mean a permanent congestion nightmare for the city forever more with 66-metre tram sets blocking all motor vehicles travelling east-west through the city.”

Minister for Transport and Infrastructure Andrew Constance said that the vintage buses were a suitable way to bid farewell to an ‘historic’ piece of heritage.

“Having these vintage buses drive in the heart of our great city one final time is a fantastic reminder of Sydney’s proud public transport history,” he said.

“[This is] one of the most significant changes to CBD bus routes in a generation. Today we look back fondly on where we’ve come from but also look forward to exciting times ahead.”