State Transit Transition

Movements between Contracted Regions after Transition; the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV); Employee Leave; and Travel Pass entitlements were some of the key topics raised during the Region 9 Transition Advisory Desks held during November-December 2020.

You can download the full Q&A summary here, or it is also available on all depot notice boards and the Blink Transition Hub

The Award, Transfers between Regions and Depots, and Leave Entitlements were just some of the key topics raised during the Region 7 Transition Advisory Desks held during October and November 2020.

You can download the summary here, or it is also available on all depot notice boards and the Blink Transition Hub.

Leave Applications and Employee Entitlements were just some of the key topics raised during the Region 8 Transition Advisory Desks held during August and September 2020.

You can download the summary here, or it is also available on all depot notice boards and the Blink Transition Hub.

The first of the Region 9 Transition Advisory Desk sessions commences at 8am, Monday 30 November 2020, for our people at Waverley depot.

There will be three sessions each at Randwick, Port Botany and Waverley depots.

You can find the depot schedules here:

• Randwick
• Port Botany
• Waverley

Director Transition Christian Severino or Executive Director People and Culture Mark Cox will be on hand to take your questions, alongside members of the People and Culture team. Drop by for a chat — either on your own, or with a colleague — to learn more about what the transition means for you.

If you can’t make one of these sessions, please email your questions to stayinformed@sta.nsw.gov.au or speak to your manager.

A summary of the questions asked will be prepared at the conclusion of the sessions.

State Transit’s final contract is out for competitive tender with private operators invited to bid for Region 9, the Eastern Region, which includes operating services from Port Botany, Randwick and Waverley 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.

“We expect the contract in Region 9 will be awarded in November 2021 with the new operator to take over running of these services in April 2022,” said Daniela Fontana, State Transit CEO.

“With the two-year employment guarantee for operational staff, our people at Port Botany, Randwick and Waverley depots are guaranteed a job on the same award terms and conditions they have today until early 2024.”

The opening of the Region 9 tender follows Region 8 and Region 7 contracts going to tender in June and August, respectively. The Region 8 tender closed in September and Region 7 tender will close in December. The tender period for Region 9 will close in April 2021. No decision has been made on who the new operator is for any of our three contracted regions.

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.

Career assistance continues to be provided for all non-operational people who are not guaranteed employment with an incoming operator. Briefings, training and career advice will be offered until transition.

We appreciate that, for some staff, the change may be cause some uncertainty, however, we have resources available if you need support, such as:

• a variety of health, wellbeing and financial wellness resources available on the Benehub portal

• 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 Organisational Development Team.

A number of questions have been asked about the transition since it was announced, with Transition Advisory Desks at depots proving popular. You can find a summary of the topics covered in these sessions on this site together with frequently asked questions. Transition Advisory Desks will be held across all Region 9 depots soon.

If you have a question you can’t find an answer to, please speak with your manager, contact the People and Culture team via stayinformed@sta.nsw.gov.au, or submit your query into one of the transition feedback boxes located at all depots.

The request for tender in relation to franchising bus services in Region 8 — Brookvale, Mona Vale and North Sydney depots — closed on Wednesday 30 September 2020.

No decision has been made on who the new operator is.

Transport for NSW will undertake an evaluation process before awarding the contract, which is expected to occur around May 2021. The transition phase to the new operator would then take place from May 2021 to October 2020.

Please note these dates are subject to change

Transition Advisory Desk sessions will be held for our people in Region 7 (West) throughout October and early November.

Director Transition Christian Severino or Executive Director People and Culture Mark Cox will be on hand to take your questions, alongside members of the People and Culture team. Also joining in for some of the sessions will be Narelle Monaghan, Executive Director Bus Procurement, TfNSW.

Here's the full schedule for Ryde and Willoughby depots. Reminders will be provided on Blink ahead of all sessions.

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.

The announcement to open the competitive tender process for State Transit’s Northern Region (Brookvale, Mona Vale and North Sydney depots) was made by the NSW Government on Wednesday 24 June 2020.

Transport for NSW is managing the process for the NSW Government following the decision to franchise Sydney’s remaining bus networks in October last year.

“It is anticipated that the contract for Region 8 will be awarded in May 2021 with the full transition of Region 8 expected by October 2021,” said Daniela Fontana, State Transit CEO.

“While not actively involved in the procurement process, State Transit will continue to assist TfNSW during the tender period to ensure a smooth transition for our people.”

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.

With the recent announcement of a staggered transition process for State Transit’s three regions, and the commencement of the tender process, comes more certainty about the timing for our transition.

Our operational employees will receive a two-year employment guarantee from the time the new operator takes over in each region. Those in Regions 8 and 7 (Ryde and Willoughby depots) are guaranteed a job under the same conditions until late 2023. Those in Region 9 (Port Botany, Waverley and Randwick depots) will benefit from the same agreement until around mid-2024.

It is not yet clear what impact, if any, the transition of Region 8 will have on our non-operational staff. We will continue to work with our non-operational staff to clarify this as we get closer to transition. Career support will be available to all non-operational colleagues who are not guaranteed a job with an incoming operator at the end of the transition process.

“While it’s business-as-usual for us all, our collective mindset and focus needs to be firmly on the change ahead and how to prepare for it,” said Mark Cox, Executive Director of People and Culture.

“The People and Culture team is working hard on a range of initiatives to support our people to adapt and thrive into the future. For everyone, but particularly those whose jobs are not guaranteed, we are here for you. Your wellbeing is our priority.”

There are many avenues if you feel you need support, such as:

• a variety of health, wellbeing and financial wellness resources are available on the Benehub portal – www.benestar.com/user/login(External link)
• 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
• your People and Culture Business Partner or the Organisational Development Team if you need any assistance.

A large variety 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 email(External link).

The process for the transition of the remaining contracted Regions of State Transit is about to get underway and the approach has been outlined to staff on Thursday 14 May 2020.

It is proposed that the first region to go to tender will be Region 8 in the middle of June, followed by Region 7 in August and Region 9 in November. The process of transitioning all three Regions of STA is expected to be complete by early 2022.

It is important to understand what this means for you. If you are an operational employee, like a bus operator or maintenance worker, you are guaranteed a job with the new operator with a two-year employment guarantee under the same conditions from the time you transfer across. If you are an non-operational employee and are not guaranteed a role with a new operator, we will work closely with you to help you achieve your career goals.

The priority now is to keep our focus on the day to day running of STA, prepare ourselves for the transition and to look after our people.

The transition will be a challenging time for all our people, so please remember to look after yourself and others during this time.

There are many avenues if you feel you need support, things like:

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

Many questions have been asked about the transition since it was announced. There is a Frequently Asked Questions document that has been created and will be available on Blink at the Transition news hub. If you have a question you can’t find an answer to speak with your manager first but if you don’t feel comfortable doing so email stayinformed@transport.nsw.gov.au. We will add to the FAQ as more questions come in.

We will keep our people updated and regularly communicate information through our various communications channels online, at our depots and corporate offices.

Frequently Asked Questions with respect to this announcement can be found here