Free city loop bus

The long sought after free city loop has finally arrived.  Not in the form of free rail trips on the city circle or a light rail loop but in the form of the CBD shuttle - eight green buses that will run every ten minutes in both directions around a loop that runs along George and Elizabeth streets from Circular Quay to Central Station.

The shuttle, designated route 555, will run every day of the year (except Christmas) from 9.30am to 3.30pm weekdays and 9.30am to 6pm weekends and public holidays.  Interestingly, it will also run right through the afternoon peak on Thursdays up until 9pm.

The shuttle is targeted at city workers, tourists and shoppers.  Sydney is one of the last major cities in Australia to get a free city loop, something locals and businesses have been demanding for decades.


Sydney Lord Mayor welcomes the initiative but says it is inferior to her plans to build a light rail loop along a similar route claiming light rail would be cleaner and more efficient due to existing congestion along George and Elizabeth.  I wonder how she can make this claim since light rail also competes for space with road traffic.  Perhaps she feels her planned light rail loop along Sussex Street and Hickson Road will have less traffic impact.  Either way, I think six additional off-peak buses on the road won't hurt the city too much.


It will definitely reduce short car and taxi trips into and around the CBD but whether that will actually reduce the amount of taxis in the CBD is unclear.  It has also been suggested that the southbound trips may become overcrowded with people planning to ride the shuttle from Circular Quay to Central then change buses to save a couple of sections worth of bus fare.


Overall, this is a good service for the CBD for the relatively low price tag of $1.3m.  It achieves the basic principle of getting bums on public transport seats.  It also contributes to one of my three key transport improvements, which are:


1. Mass transit to public transport voids (e.g. North-West Sydney and the Northern Beaches)


2. More non-radial connections (not every train line needs to run to the CBD.  We need mass transit connecting Parramatta, Liverpool, Penrith and Campbelltown)


3. Clear the CBD (this means more public transport and fewer cars in the CBD)


A free city bus loop is a big help to getting the CBD untangled and liveable.