Students in West Dapto are set for a more restful start to the school day after significant revisions to local bus timetables slashed morning travel times by as much as 52 minutes. The changes, confirmed this week, come after a year of extended journeys forced by the closure of West Dapto Road.
Community Campaign Leads to Morning Relief
The timetable overhaul is a direct response to persistent community feedback, spearheaded by residents like Stream Hill's Shannon Hyam. For months, her twin sons faced a drastically earlier start, catching a bus at 7.06am instead of their previous 7.24am pick-up, and not arriving at Dapto Public School until 8.20am.
"I just thought I'd push for everything that I could," Ms Hyam stated, reflecting on her campaign for better services. The new schedule now sees her boys boarding at 7.51am, granting them valuable extra sleep. "They're still getting to school at 8.45, so that's still a long duration on the bus, but at least it's better than 7.06am," she noted.
Afternoon Services Remain a Point of Discussion
While the morning improvement is celebrated, the afternoon commute remains unchanged, with Ms Hyam's children not arriving home until 4pm. Ms Hyam indicated she was uncertain about continuing her push for afternoon revisions, expressing gratitude for the progress made. "Ideally it would be great that they would look at both, being that both of them were the issue, but at least something was done with the morning," she said.
Shellharbour MP Anna Watson officially announced the amended services, confirming they would benefit students from both Dapto Public School and St John's Primary School. The changes, developed after a review of public feedback, are designed to ensure a smooth transition for Term 1 of 2026.
Planning for the New School Year
"These school bus changes are a great result for students and families of the West Dapto area, particularly those living in Stream Hill Estate, who raised concerns about extended journey times," Ms Watson said. She encouraged the community to use the NSW Government's Trip Planner at transportnsw.info/trip to familiarise themselves with the new schedules.
The MP emphasised that the confirmed reductions in travel time range from 17 to 52 minutes on morning services, a significant win for local families who have endured longer commutes since the road closure began.
