The only direct bus transport from Armidale to Coffs Harbour has been cancelled until April due to the impact of the Waterfall Way closure.
Owner of Dorrigo Transit, Rowan Byers, said safety concerns with the Summervilles Road detour and skyrocketing maintenance costs have forced the business to halt the popular public transport service.
Dorrigo Transit operates a bus from the Armidale Visitor Information Centre to Coffs Harbour Airport three times a week.
“Most of our services between Dorrigo and Coffs Harbour have been cancelled until April 2026. Limited services are still operating between Dorrigo and Armidale,” Mr Byers said.
“The bulk of our normal service is Armidale to Coffs Harbour return three days a week and the Friday service goes through to Tamworth.”
“We are the only bus service that does Waterfall Way for point-to-point transport from Armidale to Coffs Harbour, and we have had to cut about 80 per cent of that out.”
“We are just not happy with the detour. Safety is the biggest issue. We’ve got safety management systems in place and Summervilles Road as it is has become just too risky.”
Mr Byers said the detour has also made transport services unviable for a private operator.
“We’ve been going through it four times a day on a service day, and that adds at least an hour and half a day. Plus, there is a lot of vehicle damage – wheel suspensions, tyres, and windscreen replacements and extra overall maintenance and cleaning. Those extra costs have made it unviable to go via the detour.”
“Discretionary travel and tourism have also dropped through the floor.”
Mr Byers said resuming the service in April is taking a punt on the NSW Minister for Transport’s short-term plan to open Waterfall Way in six weeks with contra flow traffic at Gordonville Cutting.
“Getting Summervilles Road upgraded must then be a priority for a safe and viable alternate route while they fix Waterfall Way.”
“Armidale is our biggest market, but it’s also an important service for locals in Dorrigo who need to get down to Coffs Harbour for education, medical appointments, to see family, and to get to the airport.”
Mr Byers said there is no alternate public transport option that is practical or affordable between Armidale and Coffs Harbour.
He said Dorrigo Transit applied for a NSW Government grant in 2023 so they could offer concession fares on their Armidale to Coffs Harbour route. The application was rejected because Transport for NSW deemed the route as “unsustainable”.
“We were told at the time that people from Armidale could catch the train to Coffs Harbour, but that is a 12-hour trip via Maitland. Not one customer we have spoken to is willing to take that option.”
Mr Byers said Dorrigo Transit also provides a vital transport link for Armidale residents to get public transport from Coffs Harbour to Brisbane.
“There is no bus transport going north from Armidale anymore, so they have been using us to go north to Brisbane.”
There are limited direct flights between Armidale and Brisbane offered by Link Airways, which is not a daily service and is too expensive for most. There is no direct bus service from the New England to Grafton or Kempsey, while a proposed Armidale to Port Macquarie service, if approved, would not start until later this year.
“Armidale is poorly serviced and neglected, and that’s why we are trying to do as much as we can. The small remote town of Lightning Ridge seems to have more public transport.”
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