Sydney commuters are going to find themselves at something of a standstill this week as bus drivers join the train staff in protest.
Drawn-out industrial action that threatens to carry on for months has pulled another element of the transport industry into the fray as the NSW government fails to reach an agreement with the Rail Tram and Bus Union.
It’s set to be the final gripping finale of three weeks of sustained industrial action that has brought the country’s largest city to a virtual standstill and forced office workers to continue working from home.
City bus drivers will strike on Wednesday, August 31 from 4am to 7am and then again from 2:30pm to 5:30pm. The strikes will impact ‘region six’ of the Greater Sydney transport network. This includes the Inner West suburbs of Burwood, Ashfield, Campsie, and Leichhardt, as well as Sydney Olympic Park and Rockdale.
Busses operating in Chatswood, Taronga Zoo, Westfield Eastgardens, Bondi Junction, Hurstville and Miranda will also cease operations during the above times.
The Transport Workers Union have said that bus services will not resume immediately following the strikes and that delays are to be expected outside of these hours as backlogs of passengers build up.
Busses are supposed to be running replacement rail services between Lidcombe, Bankstown, and Olympic Park as trains will be halted on the T3 and T7 lines tomorrow. This diversion of vehicles could further affect the availability of buses.
Transport for NSW has told everyone to basically stay indoors on Wednesday.
“We recommend you avoid non-essential travel,” they said in a statement.
“If you must travel, please plan ahead and consider using alternative transport if you need to travel during the affected times”.
Parents have been warned that “all school services” will be affected tomorrow and that prior arrangements should be made to transport kids to and from school.
“Parents, carers and students are advised to plan their trip ahead,” Transport for NSW has said.
This will be the second time that the busses have joined the trains on strike in so many months, as similar action took place back in April.
Passengers who do decide to travel are being urged to check travel alerts for the latest updates and use TransportNSW’s Plan Your Trip service to find alternative transport options.
Related: More Train Disruption to Hit NSW This Week So Tell Your Boss You’re WFH
Related: Two NSW Teachers on What It’s Really Like on the Front Line and Why They Support The Strikes
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