New 'bendy' buses will hit a city's streets for the first time in 12 years but locals are sceptical more than $450 million in funding is enough to fix a broken bus network.
While a bigger fleet will ease some pressure on Sydney commuters, new measures to address longstanding driver shortages are yet to be flagged ahead of next week's NSW budget.
"It's wonderful there's a demonstrated commitment in this budget for the bus network," independent Pittwater MP Jacqui Scruby told AAP.
"(But) there's no point having lots of buses in the fleet if there's no one to drive."
Commuters also face issues accessing real-time information on bus services, with public transport apps often leaving passengers in the dark about when they can expect a service.
"I have more information about when a shark is arriving in Palm Beach than I do when the 190x is coming," Ms Scruby said.
Her comments followed Labor announcing $452 million to boost services, accelerate the rollout of new buses and meet rising costs for local bus operators.
The bus union welcomed the funding but remains frustrated about driver retention and privatisation.
"There's a long way to go to bring our bus system up to the standard commuters deserve," bus union state secretary David Babineau said in a statement.
"We've still got a huge bus driver shortage, commuters are still being robbed of essential bus services, and people are still waiting too long for crowded buses."
A 2024 review into the so-called "forgotten" bus network found it carried more than 40 per cent of public transport passengers but received just 2.6 per cent of transport funding.
About $56 million of the funding announced Wednesday will go to buying 50 new articulated - or 'bendy' - buses, which can hold 25 per cent more passengers than regular buses.
"We have heard the message loud and clear that more buses and more bus services are needed in Sydney and regional NSW," Transport Minister John Graham said.
