TWU, Transport for NSW, Wollongong City Council and the NSW Government are celebrating a new bus layover terminal. Photo: Keeli Dyson.
The launch of Wollongong’s relocated bus layover terminal is now set to improve safety for drivers, reduce disruptions during major events and increase parking opportunities near City Beach and WIN Entertainment Centre.
After 30 years using a ‘temporary’ location on Marine Drive, Wollongong bus drivers can finally access better facilities at a convenient location with a new bus layover terminal completed in the CBD.
The permanent Atchison Street site will help provide convenience and consistency for drivers, residents and the broader community, with the former beachside location regularly impacted by events in and around Lang Park and Wollongong Harbour.
“We’ve seen bus drivers are the ones that have had the most disruption as a result of some of those events,” Planning Minister and Wollongong MP Paul Scully said.
“It means that we can run a continuous bus service, drivers know exactly what’s going to happen, we don’t have the complexity of huge route rearrangements to accommodate events. This is an event-proof space.”
The upgrade has been long sought by the Transport Workers’ Union (TWU), which continues to advocate for increasing bus driver numbers to meet the community’s demand.
“Retaining drivers, when the average income is generally about 50 to $60,000 a year less than driving a truck, it is hard,” TWU organiser Bradley Gibson said.
The safety and suitability of the Marine Drive site were a concern, particularly with increasing female participation in the industry.
“If you’re a female late at night, would you feel comfortable being down there?” Bradley said.
“Down here, you’re in a built-up area, well-lit, with cameras and lockable doors. It’s got to be more attractive to anyone, not just females.
“Hopefully with this new terminus, with facilities that are the best in the Illawarra, we’ll be able to continue to bring more people into the industry.”
The move is also expected to open up around 70 new carparking spaces near the beach, harbour, entertainment centre and stadium.
But the new terminal has replaced a carpark near Wollongong train station.
“We had to find the right solution that didn’t have flow-on effects,” Wollongong Lord Mayor Tania Brown said.
“At Monday night’s council meeting (15 September), we’re putting up our transport plan, and we’ll be looking at other opportunities for parking around the city.”
The new facility officially opens on Monday, 15 September, and passengers are being urged to double-check their bus timetables through Trip Planner as there could be a potential for slight changes to service times.
