Buses in Newcastle, New South Wales

Buses terminating at Newcastle railway station.

Newcastle bus routes connect suburbs in and around Newcastle and Lake Macquarie, about 100 kilometres north of Sydney.

Newcastle is the second-largest city in the state of New South Wales, serving as a regional centre for residents of the Central Coast, Hunter Valley and Great Lakes regions. Government bus services within Newcastle are operated by Newcastle Buses & Ferries, a subsidiary of the State Transit Authority of New South Wales. Newcastle Buses & Ferries also operates a ferry service across Port Hunter between Newcastle's CBD and Stockton. Hunter Valley Buses also operate a large number of routes in the area. These two main operators have an east-west split, with the blue and white Newcastle buses mostly covering the inner city and coastal region east of the lake as far south as Swansea, while the yellow Hunter Valley buses cover the region west of the lake, Newcastle Airport, and outlying suburbs and towns, extending into the valley. Port Stephens Coaches cover the Airport and coast north of Newcastle.

The network is controlled by the New South Wales Government's transport authority, Transport for NSW, and is part of the authority's Opal ticketing system. Newcastle consists of five outer metropolitan bus regions for the purposes of contracting arrangements (regions 1 to 5).

Rover Coaches, Port Stephens Coaches, Busways North Coast, Forster Coaches, and Sid Fogg's Coaches also run intercity routes connecting Newcastle to the rest of New South Wales.

Infrastructure

To reduce journey times, bus-only lanes are in operation on:

• Hunter Street at Newcastle West
• Lambton Road at Broadmeadow and Lambton
• Maitland Road at Tighes Hill near Newcastle TAFE
• University Drive at Callaghan
• Charlestown, near the intersection of the Pacific Highway and Charlestown Road
• Pacific Highway at Jewells, Marks Point and Bennetts Green

Newcastle Buses and Ferries

• 100 Newcastle – Mayfield – University – Jesmond – Charlestown
• 104Newcastle East – Carrington – Mayfield – china
• 106 Newcastle – Mayfield – Warabrook – Shortland – Jesmond (peak hour and evening)
• 107 Newcastle – Mayfield – Warabrook – Shortland – Jesmond (off peak only, does not run Sundays)
• 110 Replaces train services between Hamilton and Newcastle stations.
• 111 Newcastle – Mayfield – Waratah – Kotara – Charlestown – Mount Hutton (does not run nights or Sundays)
• 118 Newcastle - Stockton (Friday and Saturday Nightowl services only - 1 trip per night only - one way service, does not operate a return service)
• 201 Marketown – Newcastle – The Junction – Merewether – Hamilton (does not run nights)
• 222 Newcastle East – Broadmeadow – New Lambton – Elermore Vale – Wallsend (does not run nights or Sundays)
• 224 Newcastle – Adamstown – Kotara – Elermore Vale – Wallsend
• 225 Newcastle – Merewether – Kotara – New Lambton – University – Jesmond (does not run Sundays)
• 226 Newcastle – Broadmeadow – University – Wallsend – Elermore Vale – Glendale
• 230 Newcastle – New Lambton – Jesmond – Birmingham Gardens – Wallsend
• 231 Newcastle – Broadmeadow – Jesmond – Silver Ridge Estate – Wallsend (does not run nights)
• 235 Newcastle – Hamilton North – Jesmond – Wallsend – Maryland
• 310 Newcastle – The Junction – Charlestown – Eleebana – Belmont
• 313 Charlestown – Warners Bay – Eleebana – Valentine – Belmont (does not run nights or Sundays)
• 317 Newcastle – New Lambton – Kotara – Charlestown – Windale – Belmont
• 318 Belmont – Belmont Hospital – Green Point – Belmont (Anti-clockwise loop, does not run nights or weekends)
• 320 Newcastle – The Junction – Kotara – Charlestown – Warners Bay
• 322 Newcastle – Kotara – Charlestown – Redhead – Belmont
• 334 Newcastle – Broadmeadow – Kotara – Cardiff – Glendale (does not run nights)
• 339 Charlestown – Hillsborough – Cardiff – Glendale (does not run weekend nights)
• 349 Newcastle – Charlestown – Belmont – Pelican – Swansea North (does not run nights)
• 350 Newcastle – Charlestown – Jewells – Belmont – Swansea – Swansea Heads
• 352 Belmont – Swansea – Lake Munmorah – Wyee – Morriset (2 return trips per weekday)
• 363 Newcastle – New Lambton – Cardiff – Glendale – Speers Point – Warners Bay

The 100, 118, 224, 230, 310, 313, 322, 350 and 363 also run Night Owl Service (Early Saturday and Sunday mornings)

Hunter Valley Buses

• 136 Stockton – Fern Bay – Airport – Medowie – Raymond Terrace
• 137 Lemon Tree Passage – Salt Ash – Medowie – Raymond Terrace
• 138 Newcastle – Salt Ash – Airport – Fern Bay – Lemon Tree Passage (weekdays only)
• 140 Newcastle – Mayfield – Hexham – Tomago – Raymond Terrace
• 141 Raymond Terrace loop (Monday to Saturday)
• 145 Airport – Raymond Terrace – Beresfield – Green Hills
• 179 Green Hills – Maitland – North Rothbury (Monday to Saturday)
• 180 Green Hills – Maitland – Singleton Heights (Monday to Saturday)
• 181 Woodberry – Green Hills – Maitland – Rutherford – Aberglasslyn
• 182 Thornton – Ashtonfield – Green Hills – Maitland – Rutherford
• 183 Tenambit – Green Hills – Maitland – Rutherford
• 184 Morpeth – Tenambit – Green Hills
• 185 Maitland – Lorn – Bolwarra – Largs (Limited service extends to Gresford)
• 186 Rutherford to McKeachie’s Run
• 187 Maitland – Green Hills – Metford (Monday to Saturday)
• 189 Thornton to Stockland Green Hills
• 192 Maitland Loop (Monday to Saturday)
• 260 University – Wallsend – Maryland – Fletcher – Minmi
• 261 University – Wallsend – Maryland – Fletcher
• 262 Charlestown – Cardiff – Glendale – Edgeworth – Cameron Park
• 263 Charlestown – Cardiff – Glendale – Edgeworth – Cameron Park
• 267 University – Wallsend – Cardiff – Glendale – Edgeworth – West Wallsend
• 268 Glendale – Edgeworth – Barnsley – Killingworth
• 269 Charlestown – Warners Bay – Speers Point – Woodrising – Toronto
• 270 University – Wallsend – Glendale – Woodrising – Toronto
• 271 Glendale – Teralba – Bolton Point – Fassifern – Toronto
• 273-Train Toronto – Blackalls Park – Fassifern
• 274 Toronto – Carey Bay – Kilaben Bay – Coal Point
• 275 Toronto – Rathmines – Arcadia Vale – Wangi Wangi — Morisset
• 276 Toronto – Awaba – Rathmines – Arcadia Vale – Wangi Wangi
• 278 Morisset – Bonnells Bay – Yarrawonga Park – Silverwater (Monday to Saturday)
• 279 Morisset – Bonnells Bay – Yarrawonga Park – Sunshine (Monday to Saturday)
• 280 Morisset – Avondale – Cooranbong (Weekdays only)
• 401 Singleton loop (Monday to Saturday)
• 402 Singleton – Darlington – Hunterview (weekdays)
• 403 Singleton – Singleton Heights (Monday to Saturday)
• W1 (281) Wangi Wangi – Lake Haven (Fridays only)

Port Stephens Coaches

• 130 Newcastle – Airport – Salamander Bay – Nelson Bay – Fingal Bay
• 131 Newcastle – Airport – Salamander Bay – Nelson Bay – Shoal Bay (weekdays, express)
• 132 Soldiers Point – Salamander Bay – Vantage Estate – Nelson Bay – Little Beach
• 133 Soldiers Point – Salamander Bay – Nelson Bay – Little Beach
• 134 Soldiers Point – Anna Bay
• 135 Raymond Terrace – Salamander Bay – Nelson Bay (weekdays only)

Rover Coaches

• 160 Newcastle - University - Hunter Expressway - Kurri Kurri - Cessnock (Monday to Saturday)
• 162 Cessnock - Aberdare - Kearsley - Abernethy (Monday to Saturday)
• 163 Morisset - Pacific Motorway - Kurri Kurri - Cessnock (peak hour service)
• 164 Maitland - Gilleston Heights - Heddon Greta - Kurri Kurri - Cessnock
• 165 East-West City Hoppa: Cessnock East West Loop Service (weekdays)
• 166 Maitland - Saddlers Ridge - Gilleston Heights - Heddon Greta - Stanford Merthyr - Kurri Kurri (weekdays)
• 167 North-South City Hoppa: Cessnock - Nulkaba - South Cessnock Loop Service (weekdays)
• 168 Cessnock - Bellbird - Pelton -> Ellalong -> Paxton -> Millfield -> Greta Main -> Pelton - Bellbird - Cessnock
• 171 Kurri Kurri - Kurri Hospital - Weston (weekdays)
• 172 Kurri Kurri - Deakin Street, Kurri (one service on weekdays)

Ticketing and fares

The bus network uses the smartcard-based Opal ticketing system. Opal is also valid on train services in the area but separate fares apply. Opal's bus fares are the same as those for Sydney's light rail. The Stockton Ferry (unlike Sydney Ferries) also uses the same 0-3 km fares as bus services. Bus drivers and ferry staff also sell non-smartcard Opal single trip tickets. The single trip tickets are more expensive than the standard Opal fare. They are only valid for travel on the service on which they are purchased. The following table lists Opal fares for reusable smartcards and single trip tickets:

Bus or light rail

As of 1 Jul 24	0–3 km	3–8 km	>8 km
Adult cards & contactless (peak)	$3.20	$4.36	$5.60
Adult cards & contactless (off-peak)	$2.24	$3.05	$3.92
Other cards (peak)	$1.60	$2.18	$2.80^
Other cards (off-peak)	$1.12	$1.52	$1.96
Adult single trip	$4.00	$5.20	$6.70
Child/Youth single trip	$2.00	$2.60	$3.40

Card fares as of 4 January 2015. Single trip fares as of 5 September 2016.

External links

• Transport InfoLine – timetable and fare information
• Newcastle Buses – NB&F timetables and maps
• CDCBus – Hunter Valley Buses timetables
• Port Stephens Coaches – PSCoaches timetables