Removal of direct bus link from Leichhardt to USYD could create dislocation

Removal of direct bus link from Leichhardt to USYD could create dislocation

By KATELYN MILLIGAN

The Inner West Council has objected to the NSW government’s plans to modify the 370 bus service to run only between the University of Sydney and Coogee.

Council claims that the 370 service no longer operating between the University of Sydney and Leichhardt would create significant dislocation to the Inner West.

Transport for NSW has proposed amendments to the popular 370 service, with a new 469 service introduced to replace the University of Sydney to Leichhardt section of the route.

The removal of the route will mean passengers travelling from Glebe, Annandale or Leichhardt will have to change from the 469 to the 370 at City Road in Camperdown to travel to Newtown, Marrickville or Coogee.

“The proposed changes reflect a focus on the eastern suburbs, virtually ignoring impacts on the community of the Inner West, most particularly social synergies between Leichhardt, Annandale and Newtown,” said an Inner West Council spokesperson.

“Council wishes to strongly object to the proposed changes to the 370 bus route… It is considered that deleting the link between Leichhardt and the University [and] Newtown severely reduces the attractiveness of the service, particularly for residents of Leichhardt and Annandale.”

Commuter comment

There is opposition from the community, with some saying that it is unlikely the two buses will be punctual, and the forced changeover could cause further disruption to commuters.

The 370 has been previously named the “worst bus in Australia” with a Facebook group with 1,500 members dedicated to it never running on time. Some members of the Facebook group hope that the route split could be beneficial, preventing the bus from getting caught in the Coogee Bay Road to King Street traffic.

Transport for NSW said that the proposed changes to route 370 will only affect 13% of all patronage and will improve the reliability of the route to better support demand and reduce overcrowding.

“Based on the proposed changes, the majority of customers will continue to have a direct bus journey available to their destination,” said a Transport for NSW spokesperson.

“As part of the proposed plan, route 370 is to be upgraded and modified, becoming a frequent route with services at least every 10 minutes or better during the day.”

Transport for New South Wales are currently considering the 8,800 pieces of feedback from the eight-week consultation period before a finalised route will be implemented later this year.

A ‘Save Our Buses’ petition has been signed by over 11,092 community members in opposition to the NSW government’s plan to remove 25 bus routes from the South East bus network.

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