NSW Government today unveiled the first of the new state-of-the-art buses which started running on the new Metrobus Route 20 today.

The Route 20 Metrobus services would provide an extra 80,000 spaces for people travelling between the lower North Shore and Sydney’s south, via the city, every week.

The new Route 20 runs between Gore Hill and Mascot and is the second stage of a five-route Metrobus network, which will be completed by the end of 2010.

This is the first of 75 new buses for the metro network and sees the introduction of the high-capacity, three-door Volvo ‘bendy’ buses which have added features to improve the safety, comfort and convenience for passengers.

These new buses have been designed with the environment in mind and are two steps ahead of current Australian conditions for exhaust emissions.

They also have technological advancements which will result in better performance, a smoother ride, lower fuel consumption and lower fuel emissions than current Euro 5-standard buses.

The whole network will cater for future patronage growth by providing 300,000 additional passenger spaces on Sydney’s busiest corridors every week.

The Route 20 follows the Metrobus model successfully trailed on the Leichhardt to Kingsford Route 10 service.

The Route 20 will run south along the Pacific Highway from Gore Hill, through Crows Nest, North Sydney, through the City, Surry Hills, Redfern, Waterloo, Victoria Park and on to Mascot.

It will service industrial and business offices to the south of the City and offices in North Sydney and St Leonards; Royal North Shore and the Mater Hospital; and dining venues at Crows Nest, the City and Surry Hills.

Route 20 will have rail connections at St Leonards Station, North Sydney Station, City stations and Central Station, and a multitude of bus connections along its route, including at Park Street in the City.

The Route 20 was originally planned to run between Lane Cove and Rosebery, however, the northern terminus location was changed to Gore Hill, as a terminating location at Lane Cove was not available.

The southern terminus for Route 20 was extended from Rosebery to Mascot to give residents and workers in the Mascot area greater access to public transport.

The three Metrobus routes rolling out in 2010 were:

• Route 30 running between Mosman and Enmore
• Route 40 running between Chatswood and Bondi Junction
• Route 50 running between Drummoyne and Randwick.

State Transit, bus chassis manufacturer Volvo and the bus builder Volgren have worked closely together to consider what could be done to make a bus trip better for passengers, better for bus drivers and better for the environment.

Features on this new three-door ‘bendy’ include:

• A wider aisle at the front of the bus to make it easier for wheelchair-users;
• Additional handrails and hang straps for passengers;
• Wider middle and rear doorways and more room around the door areas to aid passengers getting off;
• A more advanced climate control system including an “air wall” to prevent a change in temperature when doors open;
• Extra door safety sensors that will disarm the doors should they detect any object or person that may get in the way of their operation;
• Additional ‘Stop’ buttons on the bus walls for easy use by passengers sitting closest to the walls;
• 11 CCTV cameras, four more than a standard ‘bendy’ bus, to increase the driver’s vision around the bus, including doorways, and to enhance security; and
• Two LCD displays mounted overhead in the front and back of the bus to provide passenger information such as the next stop information.

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