Students returning to school in 2022 will be greatly impacted by the reduction of public transport services between Wollongong and Sutherland.

The students who travel throughout the Illawarra and the Shire to reach many public and private schools now have very limited options for travelling to and from home on public transport.

For example, students who need to be at Bulli High School at 8.50am have one train option coming from Waterfall. Those that rely on public transport to get to the train will have a 20-minute wait between arriving at the station on the bus and catching the train. This is fairly reasonable.

However, to get home........ they will need to catch the 3.40 train and change trains at Thirroul. This train makes no stops between Thirroul and Helensburgh.

1 – Meaning children who live between Bulli and Helensburgh will need to wait for a bus until 4.07pm in Bulli a wait of nearly 50 minutes

2 - Meaning a 30-minute wait in Bulli for a train north. Then once they reach Helensburgh, they will wait another 20 minutes for a bus.

3 - This will impact parents who will once again opt to drive their children to the train or to school and increase traffic.

4 - Those who don't have this option will see their children after school activities impacted and limited.

These options are completely unacceptable and are due to the removal of numerous trains and busses.

This is just one example of how students and families will be impacted.

Below is my original petition.

The increase in student numbers has seen an increase in parents driving to pick up their children at 4pm. As a result this is creating cues of cars that extend back onto Vera Street, as well as overfilling the car park and blocking traffic.

This increase in traffic affects residents who live in the surrounding streets.

We would like to lobby for the addition of a bus service to meet the 4pm train to better service the transport needs of students and parent and alleviate traffic congestion at Helensburgh train station. 

There has also been a reduction in train services from Bulli to Helensburgh between 2pm and 3pm. On a Wednesday this leaves students waiting for an hour to catch a train to Helensburgh.