All public transport buses across the Hunter and Lower North Coast are now fitted with smart technology which means customers will be able to view reliable timetable information and real-time trip updates any time they use buses in their local area.
Over recent months, GPS tracking devices and automatic passenger counting systems have been fitted on 233 buses across a region stretching from from Diamond Head in the north to Cessnock in the south and as far inland as Cassilis, as part of the Transport Connected Bus (TCB) program.
This means passengers who use bus services in the Cessnock, Maitland, Myall Lakes, Port Stephens and Upper Hunter electorates can find out where their bus is in real time, how soon it is due to arrive and how full it is.
They can also use Transport for NSW’s website or mobile apps such as TripView to access digital timetable information.
The technology has been installed on all regular passenger route buses and school buses, meaning parents can digitally track the bus their child is on in real time.
The Hunter and Lower North Coast was the first of the regional NSW areas completed under Phase 3 of the Transport Connected Bus program. Transport for NSW worked with 22 bus operators during the roll out.
Locations serviced by these buses include Aberdeen, Broke, Buladelah, Cassilis, Cessnock, Denman, Dungog, East Maitland, Forster, Gloucester, Hawks Nest, Karuah, Lochinvar, Maitland, Medowie, Merriwa, Murrurundi, Muswellbrook, Nabiac, Old Bar, Port Stephens, Raymond Terrace, Rutherford, Scone, Seaham, Singleton, Smiths Lake, Taree, Tinonee and Tea Gardens.
Buses in Newcastle that are part of the Opal network already have similar technology.
The TCB program is progressively rolling out this technology across regional NSW. By the end of June 2025, the entire NSW fleet of Transport-contracted buses will be tracked.