Improvements for Newcastle Transport bus services

Newcastle Transport customers will see more bus services and improved reliability when annual service improvements are made to public transport next month.

Keolis Downer Hunter, General Manager, Mark Dunlop said the annual service review would see further improvements to Newcastle Transport bus routes and timetables in December.

“The network continues to perform well, but there are always tweaks we can make to improve the efficiency of the network for our customers.

“We have taken on board customer and community feedback and, for example, will be introducing a better connection between Newcastle East and Marketown.

“Overall, we have been able to rework resources to provide an additional 45 trips each week to improve the frequency of some services and provide greater travel options for our customers.

“Bus timetables will also be updated to improve reliability and provide better connections to heavy rail.

“We are currently making the final adjustments to timetables and will consult with our drivers, before timetables are released at the end of the month.

“We assure customers they will have plenty of time to check their trip prior to these improvements being implemented in December.” 

Changes will come into effect on Sunday 13 December. Key changes will include:

• An additional 45 trips per week to improve frequency on some services and provide greater travel options for customers
• Extending the route 23 to Newcastle East to provide a direct connection for Newcastle East residents to Marketown (the route 21 will now terminate at Customs House)
• Adjustment of bus timetables to better reflect traffic congestion and travel times.

Each year, Keolis Downer continue to review and monitor the network making tweaks to services to deliver the best public transport solution for Newcastle and Lake Macquarie.