NightRide (bus service)

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

NightRide
Overview
OwnerTransport for NSW
LocaleSydney, Australia
Transit typeBus
Number of lines16
Number of stations120
Operation
Began operation18 June 1989 (1989-06-18)
Operator(s)Busways
CDC NSW
Transit Systems NSW
U-Go Mobility

NightRide is a network of bus routes in operation between midnight and 4.30am in Sydney, Australia. The sixteen routes are run by bus operators as listed below and allow for a nightly shutdown of the Sydney Trains commuter rail network. The NightRide network was established in mid-1989 as low-patronage late-night train services were progressively withdrawn.[1][2] Services follow major roads, and some stops are some distance from the railway stations they replace. In addition, some routes serve stations on multiple railway lines. In the city, most services depart from George Street, above Town Hall station.

Normal bus fares apply to NightRide journeys.[3]

The suspension of train services overnight allows for maintenance to occur on tracks. Passengers reportedly feel safer on buses than mostly-empty trains late at night. However, in 2014, it was reported that patronage on most NightRide routes was falling. The Tourism and Transport Forum has called for 24-hour train operations to resume.[2]

History

The first NightRide routes, to

Carlingford and Richmond
in 2011.

A city loop route, called N1, was established in 2000 and cancelled two years later.[5]

New contracts for all routes commenced 1 March 2018 with a number of routes going to different operators. The routes then became normal commuter routes under the administration of Transport for NSW instead of Sydney Trains. Changes included N100 Railway Square to Bondi Junction which commenced in 2009 ceasing, replaced by route N91 in conjunction with frequency changes to some routes.[6]

From 23 August 2020, two additional routes, N31 and N92 were introduced, and all N71 services standardised to operate to Richmond.[7]

Network

As of 2023, the NightRide network operations are as below:[8][9][10]

Route Origin/destination Replaces Operator First Introduced
N10 Town Hall to Sutherland T4 Illawarra Line U-Go Mobility 1989
N11 Town Hall to Cronulla T4 Illawarra Line U-Go Mobility 1989
N20 Town Hall to Riverwood via Sydney Airport T8 Airport Line U-Go Mobility 1989
N30 Town Hall to Macarthur T8 Airport Line, T3 Bankstown Line Transit Systems NSW 1989
N31 Liverpool to Leppington T2 Leppington Line, T5 Cumberland Line CDC NSW 2020
N40 Town Hall to East Hills T8 Airport Line, T3 Bankstown Line Transit Systems NSW 1989
N50 Town Hall to Liverpool T2 Inner West Line, T3 Bankstown Line CDC NSW 1989
N60 Town Hall to Fairfield T8 South Line CDC NSW 1989
N61 Town Hall to Carlingford T6 Carlingford Line CDC NSW 2011
N70 Town Hall to Penrith T1 Western Line CDC NSW 1989
N71 Town Hall to Richmond T1 Western Line CDC NSW 2011
N80 Town Hall to Hornsby via Strathfield T9 Northern Line Busways 1989
N81 Town Hall to Parramatta via Olympic Park T1 Western Line Busways 2018
N90 Town Hall to Hornsby via Chatswood T1 North Shore Line Busways 1989
N91
Macquarie Park
T4 Eastern Suburbs Line, T1 North Shore Line Busways 2018
N92 Town Hall to Tallawong M1 Metro North West CDC NSW 2020

Note: Routes N61 and N81 operate early morning on Friday, Saturday and Sunday only.

References

  1. Fleetline
    August 1989 page 120
  2. ^
    Sydney Morning Herald
    10 March 2014
  3. ^ "Transport NSW Adult Opal Fares".
  4. ^ Nightride Bus Service Starts Railway Digest August 1989 page 271
  5. ^ Changes to NightRide Buses: 1 November 2002 Archived 21 September 2006 at the Wayback Machine Action for Public Transport (NSW), retrieved 28 March 2006
  6. ^ NightRide bus changes Transport for NSW Info 26 February 2018
  7. ^ Bus service changes in August Transport for NSW 9 August 2020
  8. ^ Transport for NSW, Customer Experience Division. "Late night services". transportnsw.info. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
  9. ^ "Timetables Complete GTFS - TfNSW Open Data Hub and Developer Portal". opendata.transport.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
  10. ^ "Timetable N20 Riverwood to City Town Hall via Airport" (PDF). transportnsw.info. Retrieved 15 October 2023.