Public Transport Challenges in Mount Druitt and Surrounding Areas
Public transport in Mount Druitt and its surrounding suburbs is a persistent issue for many residents. Godwin Eddie Bognet, a local resident, describes the situation as a “continuous point of soreness.” Like many Sydneysiders, he would prefer to use public transport to save money amid rising fuel prices, but the infrequent and unreliable services make this difficult.
“The timetable says public transport buses come every half an hour. The experience actually has not necessarily been so,” Mr Bognet said. His family tries to use public transport whenever possible, but some community commitments require a car, such as the lift service he provides to his church’s youth group.
On Mondays, Mr Bognet, along with three other volunteers, uses his own vehicle to pick up and drop off the boys who attend. Last week, he was the only one able to provide lifts, largely due to the high cost of fuel. “No-one is going to want to say, ‘Oh, I don’t want to do that,’ because they’re going to feel bad. But in conversation, you are hearing people say, ‘Budget is tight here.'”
Mr Bognet has also felt the impact of increased fuel prices — unleaded 91 has gone up by 40 cents per litre at his local petrol station in the last month. “I’m just putting in as much as I can [afford] at the moment,” he said.
Blacktown City Mayor Brad Brunting noted that residents in the area are sacrificing leisure activities to afford fuel. “It’s tough. People living in Mount Druitt, [a] low socio-economic environment there, they rely heavily on good public transport and, when it’s not there, it’s get in the car, it’s spend the money on this [fuel].”
High Cancellation Rates and Inadequate Services
Bus cancellations in Mount Druitt and surrounding areas are five times higher than the Sydney average, according to research from the University of Sydney, 2770 Collective, and Sydney Alliance. The Transport Equity 2770 report, released in November 2025, found public transport in the 2770 postcode area failed to meet community needs and further compounded existing disadvantages.
Compared to the Sydney average, residents in the area tend to have lower personal incomes and are less likely to be formally employed, and there is also a higher proportion of dwellings without a car. “The really frustrating thing is that the government is actually spending money on facilities in Mount Druitt, which is really great,” said University of Sydney urban geography professor and report co-author Kurt Iveson. “But they’re not backing it up with the transport that they need to get people there and make this stuff accessible.”
Transport for NSW rejected the report’s findings and stated operational data showed that bus cancellation rates in the region that included Mt Druitt were “significantly better than the Sydney average.”
Struggles with Unreliable Services
Whalan pensioner Rosalie Bozaniz said she felt stressed when she had to use public transport. A few months ago, she waited for two hours to catch the 758 service to a weekend podiatry appointment, but it never showed up. “I was getting pretty shitty, angry, agitated,” Ms Bozaniz said. She has limited mobility and standing on her feet for long periods can cause cramps.
Eventually, she gave up and called her son for a lift. Ms Bozaniz values her independence and says she does not like relying on other people. “But standing around for an hour or two [is a] nightmare,” she said.
The Transport Equity 2770 research found 21 per cent of services had a wait time of one hour or longer. And no services in the area met the standard 15-minute frequency for a good service network, Dr Iveson said. The 758 service Ms Bozaniz catches also has complicated variations in its route, making it hard for residents to comprehend.
“This complexity and illegibility significantly reduces their usefulness and accessibility to residents,” the Transport Equity 2770 report found.
A spokesperson for Transport for NSW said public transport was frequent in the area, “with most running at 30‑minute intervals on weekdays.”
On-Demand Bus Services and Community Solutions
One of the solutions proposed to improve public transport in the area is on-demand bus services, such as those available in the Inner West, North West, and Northern Beaches. This would be ideal for John Harris, who has emphysema and is unable to walk to the bus stop.
Instead, the pensioner pays a taxi up to $80 for a round-trip to a shopping centre 10 minutes away. During weeks when his budget is tight, he will pay a neighbour $20 for a trip to the shops and then take a taxi home. “I want to pay something towards his petrol,” Mr Harris said. He feels “annoyed” about having to pay $60-$80 a trip when the gold opal card available for seniors is capped at $2.50 per day.
“I could jump on a train and go to Katoomba and come back, jump on another and go to Newcastle and come back, all in one day for $2.50,” Mr Harris said. Sometimes he cannot afford to pay for his cab fares, meaning he goes without things he needs. “It’s just hard paying that much for cabs,” Mr Harris said. “I’ve had to limit the food I’ve bought.”
Calls for shuttle, metro extension
The Transport Equity 2770 report found residents were required to take long walks to access bus services, but a community shuttle bus, such as one available in Wollongong, could get them to the train station. “A community shuttle bus would allow residents to connect with one another, and to connect with vital services and infrastructure located in Mount Druitt town centre,” Professor Iverson said.
Ms Bozaniz believes this would be “wonderful” for her community. Cr Bunting said he had been advocating for years for the Sydney Metro to extend to St Marys. “Why you would stop [a] major network like that [and] not at another railway station … at least through to Schofields, is absolutely crazy,” he said. “But if you push it through St Marys [and] it had stops in Mount Druitt, the uplift in those areas, plus the good public transport — you can go east, west, north, south — it’d be so much better for our community.”
A Transport for NSW spokesperson said there was continued investment in improved and reliable services in the area. “Communities will be serviced by a new bus route commencing in July linking Mt Druitt Station to Western Sydney International Airport (the 772). Importantly it will provide connectivity to precincts … including suburbs like St Clair,” they said.
Dr Iveson said public transport improvements were important for the area’s residents. “It does really feel like folks in some of these areas are already right at the edge,” he said. “Interest rates are going up … petrol prices are going up. In an ideal world, you would be able to hop on public transport instead of driving to defray those costs — but I don’t think people have got a choice.”
