Western Sydney University at Rydalmere

[Glen]

Does STA run any / many short-workings between Parramatta Interchange and Western Sydney University at Rydalmere and vice versa?

If so, what route do they show?

Do they just use the normal Victoria Rd stops both ways?

Thanks.

[OKO]

Yes we do.
521 with the desto set to UNI or Parra as applicable. Stops are the main two either side of Victoria rd.

[Glen]

Thankyou.

So, only a couple of trips in both peaks as shown here:

https://transportnsw.info/routes/detail ... /521/26521

Or are there more trips not listed in the public timetable?

[tonyp]

There's also a train station serving UWS Rydalmere - such as it is!

[Glen]

There's also a train station serving UWS Rydalmere - such as it is!

Yes I realise but I have in mind that Parramatta is a more effective interchange for WSU students from the west, especially arriving off other buses.

[Transtopic]

Thankyou.

So, only a couple of trips in both peaks as shown here:

https://transportnsw.info/routes/detail ... /521/26521

Or are there more trips not listed in the public timetable?

There's also the full day 521 service from Parramatta to Eastwood as well as 523, 524 and M52.

[Glen]

Thanks for that.

I was just wondering if there were any other University short-workings, but it appears not.

[gilberations]

The university runs its own shuttle buses too

[Geo101]

The university runs its own shuttle buses too

Parramatta campus (North, South and City)
Estimated time between services weekdays: 15 minutes Saturday: 30 minutes

Shuttle bus stops:
Parramatta City campus - 169 Macquarie Street (corner of Smith Street)
Parramatta North campus (parking)
Parramatta South campus (in front of EA)
Parramatta South campus (sheltered stop behind Library, opposite railway line)

Bus running times:
Red and Blue bus: 6:50am to 10:55pm weekdays
Saturday Service: 7:30am to 5:30pm

Bus routes:
Red route: Parramatta City, Parramatta South, Parramatta North
Blue route: Parramatta City, Parramatta North, Parramatta South

The number of buses servicing each coloured route will vary to meet the peak flows of passenger requirements. Please look for the 'Red' or 'Blue' route in the front windscreen of the shuttle bus to choose your preferred shuttle circuit. Dedicated buses between the North and South Campuses will operate when required at peak times.

https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/campus ... _timetable

http://westernsydney.transloc.com/

[Glen]

Thankyou, I appreciate those details.

[tonyp]

Some universities are becoming significant bus operators themselves. I wonder if this one is contracted to a local bus operator like the UOW services?

Their web page notes a timetable but it's pretty rudimentary. Their notes advise: "A University issued staff or student card will need to be showed to the driver to get on the bus". Ah, the benefits of a university education. I guess that was written by one of those Batchelor of Arts types.

[Frosty]

Does Western Sydney Uni charge students & staff to use the buses. I remember when UNSW had the Green Square to UNSW shuttle it was additional charge to the students. A reason that shuttle never worked.

[tonyp]

It looks to be the same as UOW - they're free but you need to showed your student card to the driver when boarding.

[boronia]

Does Western Sydney Uni charge students & staff to use the buses. I remember when UNSW had the Green Square to UNSW shuttle it was additional charge to the students. A reason that shuttle never worked.

Is this running again this year? Previously it has been during the first 3 or 4 weeks of March

[Geo101]

It looks to be the same as UOW - they're free but you need to showed your student card to the driver when boarding.

It wouldn't be much different if the students were using a TfNSW bus to Parramatta, then taking another bus/train from Parramatta onwards. The trip from Rydalmere to Parramatta would be next to free ($ 0.17) assuming the transfer discount comes into play.

Even the bus trip without the transfer discount is only $1.07, assuming they have an Opal concession card...

[tonyp]

Only slightly off-topic and I don't know whether it happens at UWS and other universities, but at the beginning of every year at UOW, all the new first-time students form the opinion that they can drive to university and park, resulting in gridlock and involvement of the police and RMS, who have to clear streets for the buses etc. It settles down after a few weeks as the penny drops and they start catching the buses!

http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/stor ... ongestion/

[Glen]

Most schools are like that, traffic is always worst at the start of the year before kids get int the bus routine.

Conversely I've heard that at some universities, bus numbers drop over time as students get to know others who can offer them a ride.

[grog]

Don’t discount kids also realising what classes they can get away with skipping!

[mandonov]

I wonder if these Parra-WSU shuttles will end once the Parramatta Light Rail is operational. You would hope so at least.

[Geo101]

I wonder if these Parra-WSU shuttles will end once the Parramatta Light Rail is operational. You would hope so at least.

I'm not going to enter into the PERL debate, but transport planners aren't always wrong.

Been at Rydalmere station plenty of times, and I don't ever recall a uni student on the platform. At most I've seen 1/2 a dozen catch the 521/523/524/525/M52/520 into Parramatta...

Love to see public transport grow, but the reality is that developers will fund most of the new growth.

Maybe when some of the students graduate, they will pay excessive amounts for their new dog box on the Carlingford route?

Just jokes, I'm sure/some will !!

[mubd]

I've been going to WSU for the past five years.

Rydalmere station sucks hard and it's no wonder that no one uses it. An hourly, non air conditioned train service that drops you off at a station which receives infrequent services is not very attractive. The first time I tried to use the train, I waited 45 minutes for the train. We stopped at the platform and saw the lovely sight of a waiting Western Line train on the other side of the platform. The doors opened on the Carlo train and the doors closed on the Western line train simultaneously. Great - another 20 minute wait. It's also inconvenient because there's the long walk from the main buildings, past the Victoria Road bus stops, climbing up over the Carlingford Line overpass, down the stairs and to the station. If there was a station platform on the university side, I think it would be a bit more popular, but that was never going to happen anyway.

So with regards to the shuttles, originally (~2013ish), there was a very infrequent shuttle bus service (comprised of minibuses) between Parramatta CBD (George Street) and Rydalmere. You needed to have a student ID which said that you were enrolled in units at the Parramatta CBD campus to get on the bus, and they rigorously checked IDs. They got rid of that requirement when the new Parramatta CBD campus on Macquarie Street opened, and bought new, larger buses (Higers and all that) to service the demand. I believe the old ID checking requirement was because the old Parramatta CBD campus only serviced a very small number of international students, while the new campus on Macquarie Street is meant to be a mainstream campus with a significant number of students enrolled there.

Since last year there are two routes which run in a loop, one which runs Parramatta CBD > Rydalmere North Campus > Rydalmere South Campus, and the other which runs Parramatta CBD > Rydalmere South > Rydalmere North. They're branded red and blue routes but I don't remember which one's which. With this route change, the frequency of buses has been significantly increased since before, and they're doing a great job managing the passenger flows. Previously it was common for people to be left behind after a bus filled up, but that's now very rare.

There has also always (since I started there at least)) been a shuttle bus between the Rydalmere North and Rydalmere South campuses, mainly to service students who park their cars on the north campus to travel to the south. You've always officially had to show your ID to the driver on this shuttle, but that never actually happens (I've only had to do it once or twice, and it was always a surprise to the students when they were asked). Dedicated shuttles to the north campus have continued even with the new loop routes that were implemented last year (though they only operate at peak times).

The routes are operated by the university themselves (the staff are employed by the uni), not by a bus company. I believe some of the minibuses are owned by Thrifty (there are branded stickers saying 'no biodiesel' and stuff like that) and the university must pay them some leasing fee.

Before the Parramatta - Rydalmere shuttle service was opened up to all students, the most common route students would use from Parramatta Station would be the M52 or any Victoria Road bus that came along, but now the buses run by the uni are far more popular. I think it's partly to do with the fact that the shuttle stop is located just outside the university's buildings, while the public bus stop is about a 500 metre walk away on Victoria Road. Even if the buses end up being filled to the brim, people would rather wait than have to walk 500 metres.

With regards to parking at Rydalmere, there are three types of permit that you can buy - red, blue or yellow. Red is stupid expensive - $770 a year, although you get a guaranteed parking space on the south campus. Blue is $300 a year and allows you to park in most spaces on the south campus as well as on the north campus. Yellow is $100 a year and allows you to park on the north campus only. Yellow parking is only available on the north campus, and it basically consists of people parking their cars willy nilly on some gravel. It's literally just gravel that's been poured on some flat ground, no lines marked. If you get parked in, stiff XXX (though I've never been parked in myself).

That being said, there usually is an abundance of parking on the north campus and it's only a short walk to the shuttle stop. I'd say that in most cases, there's less walking involved getting to a car parked on the north campus than there is getting to a car parked on the south campus from most of the buildings. So for the past three or four years I've been parking on the north campus.

[Aurora]

Rydalmere station sucks hard and it's no wonder that no one uses it. An hourly, non air conditioned train service that drops you off at a station which receives infrequent services is not very attractive. The first time I tried to use the train, I waited 45 minutes for the train. We stopped at the platform and saw the lovely sight of a waiting Western Line train on the other side of the platform. The doors opened on the Carlo train and the doors closed on the Western line train simultaneously. Great - another 20 minute wait. It's also inconvenient because there's the long walk from the main buildings, past the Victoria Road bus stops, climbing up over the Carlingford Line overpass, down the stairs and to the station. If there was a station platform on the university side, I think it would be a bit more popular, but that was never going to happen anyway.

The station was on the other side originally, but rebuilt on the Eastern side in the early 1990s I think.

[tonyp]

The tram service should change the situation substantially, especially as it connects to Parramatta. I note though that they don't seem to be considering moving the Rydalmere stop south from where it is now, but presumably it will have a far superior pedestrian link direct to the campus from the southern end of the stop. Perhaps faculty building development on the campus will eventually creep further north to take advantage of it?

[Frosty]

One question what is percentages of people at Western Sydney Uni who drive, walk, cycle or catch public transport to get the university. It would probably be safe to say Western Sydney doesn't have a high percentage of people who walk or cycle to its Rydalemere campus.

[Geo101]

It's also inconvenient because there's the long walk from the main buildings, past the Victoria Road bus stops, climbing up over the Carlingford Line overpass, down the stairs and to the station. If there was a station platform on the university side, I think it would be a bit more popular, but that was never going to happen anyway.

There is a small creek between WSU and the railway line, so a bridge of some sort would need to be built, and then a pedestrian crossing, which probably isn't allowed to be at grade in this day and age. (Although they certainly already exist at some of the other stations - Telopea, Dundas, Camellia)

Possibly a funding thing versus the already available other options?