28 May 2021
- Transport for New South Wales announced Keolis Downer was awarded a $900 million contract to operate and maintain bus services in the Northern Beaches and the lower North Shore for eight years, from 31 October 2021.
- Keolis Downer will work closely with Transport for NSW to deliver a range of initiatives to further enhance the journey experience of customers, across all aspects of the service.
- The contract will see the introduction of 125 electric buses over the next eight years, delivering more sustainable transport options for the local community from two newly electrified depots in Brookvale and Mona Vale.
- Keolis Downer will also introduce innovative headway technology to further increase the reliability and quality of service of the successful B-Line.
- The popular On Demand transport service known as Keoride will also become a permanent part of the network.
Keolis Downer is delighted to partner with Transport for New South Wales (TfNSW) to deliver positive public transport outcomes to the local communities in the Northern beaches and the lower North Shore.
Keolis Downer’s first priority is to ensure a smooth transition of all the employees and maintain high standards of customer experience and operations. Additionally, we are focused on introducing global innovations like headway services, new electric buses, and wayfinding improvements that will deliver more connected and sustainable journeys.
“We are very proud to partner with TfNSW to support the future growth and transformation of the Northern Beaches. Drawing on our experience locally and globally, we will launch a range of new initiatives to enhance the customer experience building from the already excellent bus services in the area” comments David Franks, Keolis Downer CEO. “We will introduce new service technology to enable staff to actively manage routes and monitor bus running times, improving the frequency of bus services.
“We are also very excited to continue to deliver the highly successful On Demand transport service, which we have been operating in the area since 2017. We look forward to further engaging with the community to deliver a safe, efficient and reliable transport system that supports the liveability and future prosperity of this vibrant, growing region”.
About Keolis Downer
Keolis Downer is a leading operator of public transport services in Australia. With 4,900 employees and a presence in five states, Keolis Downer enables 250 million passenger journeys per year. We operate and maintain the integrated network in Newcastle, the largest tram network in the world in Melbourne (Yarra Trams), the light rail network on the Gold Coast (G:link), and 1,000 buses in NSW, Western Australia, South Australia and Queensland. We also operate and maintain the Adelaide Metro train services.
Established in 2009, Keolis Downer is a joint venture between Keolis, a leading public transport operator established in 15 countries, and Downer, the leading provider of integrated services in Australia and New Zealand.
| ALL MEDIA ENQUIRIES: Segolene Deeley – Director Corporate Affairs +61 421 929 334 / segolene.deeley@keolisdowner.com |