A New On-Demand Bus Service Is Launching in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs Next Week

Sydneysiders will soon have another option for getting around the eastern suburbs, with an on-demand bus service set to launch on Monday, August 20.

After launching in Sydney's west in June, Bridj will launch a small trial fleet of buses to initially service Rose Bay, Dover Heights, North Bondi and Bondi Beach, between 6am–9am and 3pm-9pm, Monday to Friday, and 8am–8.30pm on Saturday and Sunday. The areas and routes included are designed to cover gaps between existing transport hubs in the eastern suburbs, predominately functioning to transport passengers to and from the Rose Bay ferry during peak hours.

This is the second round of good news eastern suburb commuters have received this week, with Transport for NSW also announcing plans to run buses every three-minutes during peak hour, from North Bondi to the CBD, from September 23.

Bridj works a little bit like Uber, combining both fixed route and on-demand transit. To book a trip, jump on the smartphone app — which you can download for free for IOS and android — input your destination and when you want to go, and a booking confirmation will be sent through with a nearby pick-up spot and estimated drop-off time.

The Bridj micro-buses travel different routes depending on where passengers are headed, and like an Uber, can be tracked in real-time via the app. The technology even looks at things like congestion to work out the shortest possible routes and best pick-up spots.

From August 20 through August 31 the service will be free, after that adult fares will cost $3.10 with concession card holders paying $1.50. You can pay either via credit card through the app, with cash on board or with your Opal card. And don't forget to thank the bus driver.

There are plans to incorporate another 27 of the buses across Sydney in the coming years, as Bridj continues to analyse customer needs and evolve its offering to suit. There's no word yet on how long the trial will run for, but we'll update as soon as we have more info.

The Bridj service will launch in Sydney's eastern suburbs this Monday, August 20. To learn more about it, head to the Bridj or Transport NSW websites.