When Angela Plows heads to the bus stop to go to the doctor, to the shops or to catch a train to visit her family on the central coast she first slings a backpack over her shoulder, heavy with the weight of an emergency nebuliser for her asthma.
The bus used to be convenient for Ms Plows, 67. When she moved to her home in Shalvey, north-west of Mt Druitt, in 1973, there was a bus stop in the street behind. Later there was a stop outside her house.
But about four years ago the weekday buses changed routes and weekend buses were slashed. The stop on her street vanished.
These days getting to a bus stop means a walk of at least 25 minutes, backpack on, through an unlit park, or a circuitous route around a school, or a field where Ms Plows is sometimes attacked by a dog.
Weve gone backwards, weve gone absolutely backwards, says Ms Plows, who has an eye condition and is unable to drive.
Her experience is unfortunate but not atypical.
According to maps developed by Kurt Iveson and Laurence Troy at the University of Sydney for an advocacy group, the Sydney Alliance, vast stretches of Sydney are without regular public transport services.
In some areas, particularly those with frequent services in the morning and afternoon peak, the maps might look overly harsh.
But in many places from Penrith to Palm Beach, from Condell Park to Caringbah South as soon as you get away from a main road or thoroughfare and into the windy streets of low-density suburbia, the frequency of services and the accessibility of public transport falls away sharply.
In demonstrating this, the maps fit the alliances agenda. That agenda is to promote public transport within 400 metres of every point across the city, running at a frequency of every 15 minutes.
To derive the maps, bus, train and ferry frequencies were averaged across a period from 5am to midnight.
Most regions of Sydney, including outer suburban areas, actually have some patches of good, frequent services, says Dr Iveson, a senior lecturer in urban geography.
But with the exception of the inner city, most regions also have significant gaps.
For instance, around Fairfield and Liverpool, some train stations and main roads offer frequent public transport services. But if you live in some of the suburbs in between these stations and roads, your public transport options are far more limited and dont meet the 400-15 minimum standard.
Ms Plowss transport options started to suffer when bus runs around her Shalvey home began to be concentrated on main roads about three years ago.
This meant that the main roads received a more frequent service at the expense of streets like hers.
They dont do loops of suburbs now, they just go down the main road, says Ms Plows, who raised seven of her own children and took in several foster children in her Shalvey home.
Thats no good, you know, for elderly people or people with kids.
Amanda Tattersall, director at the Sydney Alliance, says the gaps exposed by the maps show what happens when ordinary people are left out of the development of transport policy.
People are left in the lurch without access to transport that is reliable and usable, and therefore are left to suffer in congested traffic jams and forced to spend hours in parking lots on the M4 and M5 rather than with their family, she says.
Blackspots
Sarah Sullivan: Palm Beach
When Sarah Sullivan was thinking of moving to Palm Beach from Wahroonga with her husband and four kids a year ago, she was attracted to the beach and all the signs. There are bus signs all around the Palm Beach area and the Whale Beach area ... it says 7am to 7pm, says Sullivan, 50. So we figured - great, buses. 7am to 7pm.
But the signs arent real.
The reality is that there are three school buses a day ... and they dont stop at all those signs.
Sullivan, a receptionist, drives most days. She says there is still plenty of demand for public transport from people to the east of Barrenjoey Road.
We have a broad range demographic, I know that there are three elderly people across the road that dont drive themesleves anywhere, says Sullivan, whose two younger children suffer an intermittent school bus service.
Valda Leate: Padstow Heights
Valda Leate is very happy with where she lives, with one exception public transport.
I live in a retirement village and we dont have public transport come down our street, and at the top of our street there is a phantom bus stop, says Leate. It is just a pole.
When I came here to buy this place I thought there was transport at the corner, she says. There used to be a bus, but they withdrew it from Saturday and Sunday transport.
Leate lives at the Beauty Point Retirement Resort at Padstow Heights. About two years ago the 927 bus stopped running weekends. But even before then, the 927 had stopped running all the way down the hill to Beauty Point.
This left residents of the retirement home, and surrounding streets, facing a long walk uphill.
It is probably only a kilometre or so, but when you are 83 thats a long way. Im spending an awful lot of money on taxis, she says.
Frequently Asked Questions about this Article…
What does the Sydney Alliance's '400 metres and every 15 minutes' public transport standard mean?
The Sydney Alliance is promoting a minimum standard that every point in the city should be within about 400 metres of a public transport stop and that services should run about every 15 minutes. The maps in the article were created to illustrate how far current services fall short of that 400m / 15-minute benchmark.
How were the maps that reveal Sydney's public transport gaps created?
University of Sydney researchers Kurt Iveson and Laurence Troy produced the maps for the Sydney Alliance by averaging bus, train and ferry frequencies across the day — from 5am to midnight — to show where frequent, usable services exist and where significant gaps remain.
Which parts of Sydney are most likely to have poor public transport access?
The article highlights that, beyond main roads and the inner city, many low‑density suburban areas have sharp drops in service frequency. Examples given include stretches from Penrith to Palm Beach and from Condell Park to Caringbah South, and local stories from Shalvey, Palm Beach and Padstow Heights show how some streets are now poorly served.
Who is most affected by cuts and changes to bus services?
Elderly residents, people with health or mobility issues, parents with young children and anyone who cannot drive are singled out in the article. Personal accounts show these groups can face long walks to stops, unsafe routes at night, or extra costs because weekend and local services have been reduced.
Why have some suburban bus routes been concentrated on main roads?
According to residents and the researchers quoted, operators have increasingly concentrated runs on main roads to boost frequency on those corridors. That has come at the expense of loop routes into side streets, so some local stops were removed and weekend services were slashed.
What are 'phantom bus stops' and misleading bus signage mentioned in the article?
The article describes poles or bus signs that suggest regular services (for example 7am–7pm) but in reality only a few school buses run or the buses don’t stop there. Residents call these 'phantom bus stops' because the stop exists on paper but not in practical, regular service.
How do gaps in public transport affect residents’ everyday costs and commuting?
The article gives examples of people forced to drive more, spend a lot on taxis, or waste hours in traffic on routes like the M4 and M5. Reduced local services can increase transport costs, time spent commuting, and limit access to appointments or family time.
What should everyday investors and local residents look for when monitoring public transport and policy changes?
Watch for advocacy campaigns and mapping exercises (like those by the Sydney Alliance and University of Sydney) that set standards such as the 400m/15‑minute target, and monitor announced changes to service frequency or weekend timetables. These signals can indicate where access is improving or deteriorating and who in the community is being affected.
Call 1300 880 160
Start a chat
Schedule a call
