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Back to school 2026 - bus changes
Changes to some school bus services will be introduced across Sydney from Day 1 of Term 1, 2026 to improve reliability, coverage and alignment with school and community needs.
The changes have been developed in collaboration with bus operators and schools and take into account updated school bell times, new and expanding school communities, changing travel patterns, and feedback from families and operators.
Service changes include adjusted routes and timetables, new and extended services in growth areas, the withdrawal of underused trips, and temporary changes to account for roadworks and network changes such as new road and light rail connections.
Transport for NSW has communicated these changes directly to schools, with operators also providing information to affected communities.
We encourage you to plan your trip on Trip Planner before travelling. To ensure dedicated school services appear as a travel option for students, click ‘refine’ and select the ‘school bus’ option. Students are reminded to tap on and off on all trips.
Bus changes by area
How we plan bus services
We use a principles-based approach to service planning to help our decision making and to determine the optimal viable service for daily operations now and into the future.
We consider customer values and customer experience with a focus on direct, easy-to-use services and legible routes.
When we plan our bus services, we consider efficiency, connectivity, frequency, demand and capacity, simplicity and reliability.
Service planning consists of four stages:
Stage 1: Concept
- Customer and stakeholder feedback
- Operator feedback
- Network response to major developments
- Transport strategy
- Government policy and commitments
Stage 2: Service development
- Service planning
- Customer analysis
- Timetable analysis
- Contract considerations
- Operator collaboration
Stage 3: Service finalisation
- Implementation planning – services and infrastructure
- Community engagement
- Operator scheduling
Stage 4: Implementation
- Communications and marketing
- Transport and operator systems updates
- Monitoring and adjustments