Bondi Beach’s 333 bus service is celebrating 20 years on the road with the arrival of larger buses, bringing more passenger space to the busy route connecting North Bondi with Circular Quay.
First introduced on 8 October 2006, the 333 has grown into Australia’s busiest public bus service, carrying thousands of passengers daily between Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs and the city. Its 20th anniversary coincides with the introduction of new articulated, or ‘bendy’, buses designed to accommodate growing passenger numbers.
Two Decades Between The Beach And The City
The 333 began operating as Sydney’s first full-time prepay-only bus route, a system introduced to speed up boarding and improve reliability. Twenty years later, the service runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, covering approximately 12 kilometres between North Bondi and Circular Quay. Along the way, it connects Bondi Junction, Oxford Street, Martin Place and the CBD, serving office workers, students, residents and visitors travelling across Sydney.
During the day, buses can arrive as frequently as every few minutes, yet the route continues to experience heavy demand. An average of 21,000 passengers use the 333 each weekday. In the 2025–26 financial year, it recorded more than nine million passenger journeys for the first time, a 3.7 per cent increase compared with the previous year. The figures place the anniversary alongside another milestone for the service, which has continued operating around the clock as passenger numbers have grown.
Bigger Buses For A Busier 333
To accommodate the increasing demand, Transport for NSW is progressively introducing new articulated buses on the route. The vehicles form part of a $56 million fleet expansion involving 50 new buses across Sydney’s transport network. Of those, 37 have been allocated to the Eastern Suburbs, including services such as the 333.
Six new buses have already been delivered to the Eastern Suburbs and are being progressively introduced into service. The articulated vehicles can carry approximately 50 per cent more passengers than standard buses, providing additional capacity on heavily used routes. The larger buses are also intended to address overcrowding and improve reliability, with passengers having reported crowded services and delays on the 333.
Transport for NSW Coordinator General Howard Collins said the service catered to a wide mix of passengers, from daily commuters and students to international visitors travelling between Bondi Beach and Sydney Harbour. The additional capacity is intended to help the route meet demand in the years ahead. Although the larger vehicles will allow more people to travel on individual services, the existing 333 timetable will remain unchanged as the new buses are progressively rolled out.
Published 10-October-2026
