Region 7 Tender Open

The second of State Transit’s remaining three regions is now out for competitive tender with private operators invited to look at running Region 7, State Transit’s Western Region, which includes Ryde and Willoughby depots.

While State Transit is not involved in finding the new operator, we are working closely with Transport for NSW to ensure our people are supported throughout the process.

“The Region 7 contract is expected to be awarded in August 2021 with the new operator commencing services by early 2022,” said Daniela Fontana, State Transit CEO.

“With the two-year employment guarantee for operational staff, our people at Ryde and Willoughby depots are guaranteed a job under the same conditions they have today until early 2024.”

In making a transition to private operators, the NSW Government will continue to:

• own State Transit buses and all other assets such as depots;
• regulate timetables, safety, and service priorities; and
• set fares as they are today, under the Opal system.

The opening of the Region 7 tender follows Region 8 (Brookvale, Mona Vale and North Sydney depots) which commenced on Wednesday 24 June 2020. Region 8 is expected to be transitioned by October 2021.

A first round of briefings for non-operational employees was held by the People and Culture team last month and we will continue to work with them to clarify their position as we get closer to transition. Career support will be available to all non-operational colleagues who are not offered a job with an incoming operator.

There are many avenues if you feel you need support:

• A variety of health, wellbeing and financial wellness resources available on the Benehub portal – www.benestar.com/user/login
• Your depot’s Mental Health First Aider for onsite support
• Access to our EAP (1300 360 364) if you need to talk to someone outside of the workplace, which includes managers that may need assistance with a work problem
• Speaking with your one-up manager if you have any concerns about members of the team; and
• Your People and Culture Business Partner or the Organisational Development Team if you need any assistance.

A number of questions have been asked about the transition since it was announced. You can find answers to these—and more—on the Stay Informed website. If you have a question you can’t find an answer to, please speak with your manager or contact the People and Culture team via stayinformed@sta.nsw.gov.au.