Bus services in the Greater Sydney Metropolitan area are divided into 15 regions, serviced by individual contracts. Historically, these contracts have been operated by a combination of the State Transit Authority and private operators.
Contract Seven and Eight - entered procurement processes for private operation in 2020 and 2021.
Contract Nine involves the operation and maintainance of bus services across Sydney’s CBD and south-eastern suburbs, between Circular Quay, Central and Port Botany for an eight-year term, and was awarded to Transdev John Holland Buses in November 2021.
Over the course of the contract, 136 zero emissions buses (ZEB) will be introduced into service across the region.
Under the franchising model, the NSW Government will retain ownership of all buses, as well as all other assets such as bus depots. The government will also retain the right to regulate timetables, safety, and service priorities, as well as set fares through the Opal system.
Key Dates
| Oct 2019 | Project Announcement |
| Nov 2020 | RFT Open |
| Apr 2021 | RFT Close |
| Nov 2021 | Contract Award |
| Apr 2022 | Region Nine expected to transition to new provider |
| 2030 | Operations/Service Completion |
Procurement
| Procuring Agency: | Transport for NSW |
| Successful Tenderer: | A John Holland and Transdev joint venture. |
PROJECT HISTORY
| Oct 2019 | The NSW Government announced it will competitively tender 13 of the 14 Sydney metropolitan bus contracts over the coming three years. This follows the award of Bus Region Six in 2018 to Transit Systems. The NSW Government also announced it will be replacing Sydney's diesel bus fleet with electric vehicles. |
| Dec 2019 | An industry briefing detailed the procurement timeline for the contracts. 13 contracts are expected to be tendered over the next three years, with new contracts established by early 2023. |
| May 2020 | TfNSW announced that tendering for Region Seven would likely commence in August. TfNSW also made available Virtual Data Rooms for prospective tenderers for Regions Seven, Eight and Nine. These contain materials that will assist tenderers conducting their due diligence for bidding on the contracts and provide a forum for any queries or requests from bidders. |
| Aug 2020 | TfNSW confirmed Request for Tenders would be released in November 2020. New operators are now expected to commence services in April 2022. |
| Nov 2020 | The Request for Tender for Bus Contract Nine was released, closing on 30 April 2021. |
| Nov 2021 | The contract was awarded to a John Holland and Transdev joint venture. Services are expected to commence in April 2022. |
