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Commuter PSA: a new fleet of articulated “bendy buses” are joining Sydney’s bus network, with the first of 50 high-capacity vehicles now on the move across Sydney.
Backed by a $56 million investment from the NSW Government, the expanded fleet is designed to ease crowding on some of the city’s busiest bus routes. And if you’ve ever been wedged shoulder-to-shoulder on a peak-hour service, this news will likely land as a very welcome development.
According to the NSW Government, articulated buses can carry around 50 per cent more passengers than a standard bus. In practical terms, that means fewer people left waiting at the stop and shorter queues during the morning and evening rush. Once all 50 new vehicles are in service, the boost in capacity will be equivalent to adding roughly 75 standard buses to the network.
The new arrivals will complement 83 bendy buses that have been gradually returning to the road after being withdrawn in late 2024 for complex structural repairs. Their absence placed serious pressure on Sydney’s busiest corridors, particularly during peak hour and on school routes.
The first of the new vehicles – a Scania-Volgren articulated bus – has begun operating in Sydney’s northwest and will eventually serve the 500X route linking the Parramatta CBD and Ryde. The route is set to expand soon, reinstating the former M52 service that once connected the two centres.
According to Transport Minister John Graham, the maths behind the move is simple: “Longer buses mean shorter queues.” The single-deck, multi-door design allows passengers to board and exit quickly – a big win on high-frequency routes where buses stop frequently.
More bendy buses are also headed to the east later this year, where they’ll boost capacity on the famously busy 333 service between the CBD and Bondi Beach – widely regarded as the most heavily used bus route in Australia.
Elsewhere, commuters across the Northern Beaches, Lane Cove and the Lower North Shore are expected to benefit from improved reliability as repaired vehicles rejoin the fleet and additional buses are allocated to high-demand corridors like Victoria Road.
And there’s more on the way: the government has also ordered ten new double-decker Volvo buses for the B-Line service on the Northern Beaches, expected to arrive by mid-2026.
For Sydney’s long-suffering bus commuters: smoother journeys are just around the corner (pardon). You can find out more and plan your journey over here.
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