History of Our Bus Services

11th February 1935
Route 237 Sutherland Station - Woronora River started by G H. Ramsay

1948
Route 237 sold to Mayman Bros

1961
Mayman Bros operated 3 buses on the run (all m/o plates):
- 845 Reo Syd Wood (1937) 26 seater
- 850 AEC Regal Syd Wood (1947) 38 seater
- 905 AEC John J Hill (1960) 41 seater (2nd hand 1946 model chassis)

The numberplate 905 has been kept through changes of ownership, swapping onto newer buses. It's still in the fleet now as Connex fleet number 20 on a Leyland that was built new for Woronora Bus Service.

July 1966
Route 237 sold to Woronora Bus Company - this was a partnership of father and son - Doug and Barry Smith.

5th September 1966
Woronora purchased two (2) 1954 model Daimler buses from Melbourne Brighton Bus Lines. One was placed in service as 5073, later 789, the other was used for parts. It took 23 hours to drive the first Daimler back to Sydney!

March 1971
A new coach was purchased and a coach charter operation called "River Tours" was started.

1972
Woronora Bus Service were operating 4 vehicles:
- 789 Daimler Cheetham & Borwick (1954) 37 seater (ex Melbourne)
- 905 AEC John J Hill (1960) 41 seater
- 992 Bedford VAM Superior (3/71) 45 seater coach
- 4252 Bedford SB3 CCMC (9/2/60) 41 seater (ex Liverpool Transport)

The "depot" at that stage was 217 Prince Edward Park Rd, Woronora, a vacant area (no shed/pit) with a couple of withdrawn buses on site. One bus was parked at the terminus / turning area at the end of Prince Edward Park Rd. The buses were painted white with a green band, the coach was also white and green, but with lots of "shallow-form" aluminium paneling which was popular at that time.

The service still ran from Sutherland to Prince Edward Park, with only a few trips extending over to Woronora River bridge to Prices Avenue and a school days only service to Menai.

Woronora Bus Service purchased their first Leyland buses in 1972, being a pair of second hand Leyland chassis with new bodies on them. One was the coach for the River Tours operation the other was a bus. The fleet then developed with a mix of second hand Leyland and AEC buses, but by early 1975 had still only grown to 6 vehicles - 2 coaches and 4 buses. 2 new Bedfords were purchased in 1978, but were sold a year later. A Denning coach (2 axle) was purchased from Bosnjaks (now Westbus) for the River Tours operation.

Barry Smith was always looking for vehicles with power to go up and down the hill and around the hairpin bends to the Woronora River, hence his preference for Leylands and other higher power vehicles.

The area and services began to develop more rapidly in the early 1980's and the depot was moved to the current site at Old Illawarra Rd, Menai by December 1982. A rumor is known that at least one of the old buses at the old depot site was disposed of by burying it their, this rumor is yet to be proven.

November 1980
The bus route was extended from Yates and Menai Rd, Woronora to Padstow Railway Station. This was following the opening of the Alfords Point Bridge (opened on 07/09/73).

In 1980 there was 1 new bus, 1981 there were 3 (one was an old Leyland chassis with a GM motor and a new body, another was an IBC with a centre mounted GM), 1982 there were 2 more. It was also the time that the first ex Sydney Government Leyland Leopards were purchased. In early 1983 the fleet had grown to 13 vehicles (one of which was a second hand Leyland purchased from Deanes).

The operation continued to expand from then on with more new vehicles (many of them on rebuilt Leyland chassis) as well as more ex Government Leylands.

At a later stage, Barry Smith took sole control of the business. The service was also later renamed Menai Bus Service.

Unfortunately Barry Smith passed away in July 1987 - the metropolitan bus industry lost one of its great characters.

16th November 1987
Various routes that were operating (all as route 237) were renumbered as follows:
- 960 Sutherland Station - Padstow Station
- 961 Sutherland Station to Padstow Station via Illawong /Alfords Point
- 962 Sutherland Station to Lucas Heights and Menai
- 963 Sutherland Station to Lucas Heights, Menai, Illawong, Alfords Point.

Barry's widow then operated the service until it was sold on 17/08/88 to Ron Deane with 20 buses (all Leylands).

December 1988/January 1989
During the school holidays some of the oldest Leylands were sold and replaced by some AEC buses from the operations Deanes were selling on the north shore.

The buses were repainted from the white and green livery into the livery that Deanes had used on the north shore - white with yellow, blue and orange stripes.

1st March 1989
Deanes purchased route 88 Hurstville - Bankstown from Lugarno - Peakhurst Bus Co (HT Saint). Seven buses were purchased. They were non standard, so all were sold pretty quickly.

14th August 1989
The Hurstville Station - Lugarno Ferry part of route 88 sold to Punchbowl Bus Co.

3rd July 1989
Purchased Hadfields of Engadine with about 17 vehicles. This had started as 2 separate businesses - route 44 Engadine - Boys Towns recommenced by Bill Hadfiled in September 1952 with 1 bus after the previous operator withdrew from the run. Route 48 Waterfall - Sanitorium, which Bill Hadfield purchased in 01/68 from D. McCubbin with 2 buses, including m/o 1. Hadfields Bus Lines was operated from beside Bill's house in Chippilly Ave, Engadine. He then moved to a new depot in Wollybutt Rd in the late 1970's. Bill son, Warren took over the business (Bill passed away in early 1987).

An archived timetable dated 29/4/87 shows the following services being operated -
Engadine - Heathcote East
Engadine - Sutherland
Sutherland - Loftus - Myrtle Street
Engadine - Garrawarra
Engadine - Cooriengah Heights Rd
Engadine - Kingswood Rd
Engadine - Ridge Rd
Engadine - Yarrawarrah
With the purchase of Hadfield, the depot at Wollybutt Rd, Engadine was used for those services.

With the purchase of Hadfields, the name Southtrans was introduced to cover all the services.

11th October 1989
Fleet numbers were introduced.

14th May 1990
New timetables and new 900 series route numbers for the Engadine area services. Introduced through services from Engadine to Miranda Fair.

8th October 1990
Started to operate the services previously provided by Southwestern Coachlines, Sutherland. Temporary vehicles hired from various operators to provide vehicles to use. The services were -
Route 9 Sutherland to Grays Point via Kirrawee and Gymea Stations
Route 114 Hurstville to Miranda via Blakehurst, including Hurstville - Baldface
Hurstville to Miranda and Caringbah via Blakehurst, Sylvania and Kangaroo Point
Route 238 Jannali to West Como, Green Point, Caravan Head, Oyster Bay and Kareela

28th January 1992
Part of the Southwestern services awarded to Southtrans, being route 9 and 238 and the Hurstville - Miranda via Sylvania Waters parts of route 114.

30th June 1992
Wollybutt Rd, Engadine depot vacated and new depot in Gow St. Padstow occupied.

12th October 1992
Revised timetables and route numbers with the former Southwestern services - these introduced the 900 series route numbers in Menai / Miranda area (no changes to Engadine). These new timetables also incorporated the services acquired from Sutherland Bus Service (Moores).

January 1993
New depot at Bay St, Taren Point opened and Gow Street Padstow depot closed.

29th December 1993
Acquired Carss Park Chartered Tours and Buslines with Hurstville - Carss Park (route 109) and Hurstville to Baldface.

1st April 1994
Acquired route 121 Kogarah - Carss Park from Blythe, Bexley.

26th September 1994
New timetables in conjunction with the opening of Menai Marketplace on 27th September 1994. Also saw route 958, Hurstville - Carss Park (which was route 109) linked with route 121 Kogarah - Carss Park to become Kogarah - Hurstville.

September 1999
Deanes sold to Connex and renamed Connex Southtrans in 2000.

15th January 2001
Acquired Pioneer Coaches, Bexley (routes 452, 453, 455).

26th November 2001
Acquired Crossley Bus Lines. (routes 907, 908, 922, 923, 924, 925, 926, 927)

26th January 2005
Acquired part of Baxters Bus Lines. (routes 902, 903, 904, 905, 910)

28th May 2006
New network (partial) released for Menai and Taren Point depots only.

18th September 2006
New Network released for Region 13 plus remainder of Region 10 (Revesby depot)

1st February 2007
Acquired Transit First. (routes 900, 901, 902, 902x, 903, 904, 905, 909, 911, 913, 914, 915 plus Shopper Hopper services)

2nd April 2007
Release of Wheelchair accessible timetables for Villawood and Revesby depots

16th April 2007
Head Office and administration relocated to Bankstown depot

Veolia Transport would like to extend its special thanks to Mr. Peter Hodgson,
Transport Historian for documenting this special history.