Gladys Berejiklian and Andrew Constance scope the view from the top seat of a double-decker bus Credit:Nick Moir "I think it's ridiculous," said Chris Preston, secretary of the Rail, Tram & Bus Union's bus division. "The three-door bendies are faster to load and unload," said Mr Preston. "And I can't see double-deckers going around back streets where trees overhang." To be sure, Mr Constance will not be removing all of Sydney's bendy buses any time soon. On Tuesday he was joined by Premier Gladys Berejiklian to announce the government would spend $101 million on more than 170 new buses in next week's budget. Of these, 134 will replace ageing buses, but will add 42 to the fleet. The new buses, as well as more intensive use of existing buses, will help add more than 3300 more weekly services across Sydney, the Illawarra, the Central Coast and Hunter.

Bendy buses are on the way out. Credit:Brendan Esposito "There's no doubt some communities are reliant on extra bus services," Ms Berejiklian said. "We are also finding people aren't just using public transport for work, which is great," she said. Premier Gladys Berejiklian is a regular bus commuter. Credit:Nick Moir "People are also using public transport to move around, for entertainment, for social reasons, and that's why it's really important for us to provide as much frequency, flexibility and longer hours in the timetable when we can, to accommodate those wishes."

Six of the new buses will be double-decker buses. Over time these double-deckers will replace the bendy or "articulated" buses that currently run across the city. "It's a far better way in terms of road space to better utilise the roads for bus commuting," Mr Constance said, though he would not give a date for when all bendy buses would be replaced. A director of the Sydney Bus Museum, David Bennett, said bendy buses were introduced to replace double-deckers in Sydney in the 1980s. "One big reason they phased out the 'deckers was because the union argued they couldn't have one-man operation with two decks," Mr Bennett said. It was not until the 2000s that bendy buses spread across the city, after first being limited to the northern beaches.

"They've definitely got more than they ever had now," Mr Bennett said. "So to start regressing on them is an interesting move." Nevertheless Mr Bennett said it was a good idea to replace the bendy buses. "We long thought it was a bit bizarre they never adopted the 'deckers over the bendies because they take up less road space." When transport minister, Ms Berejiklian started to reintroduce double-deckers in 2012. The RTBU's Mr Preston, however, made multiple arguments against the double-deckers. "The bendies go anywhere where a normal rigid bus goes, where a double-decker won't."

And double-deckers take longer to load, he said. "People have to be seated up the top before the bus can move." The switch from bendy buses to double-decker buses comes as the government proposes to do the opposite on parts of the train system – removing double-decker trains from the Epping to Chatswood line and on the Bankstown line. Ms Berejiklian said single-decked services were good for high-frequency routes where people were often getting off and on. "Double-decker services are great when people aren't getting off and on all the time, so for people who might get on in the north west and go all the way to the city, that's obviously a good reason to have a double-deck service," she said. This describes, however, the area in which the government is introducing single-deck trains. The services set to change across Sydney:

Sydney Metropolitan More than 1,600 additional services on the following routes: Routes 195, 196, 197 Mona Vale to Gordon and Macquarie Park via St Ives; Route 251 Lane Cove West to City via Lane Cove; Route 270 Frenchs Forest District to City; Route 280 Chatswood to Warringah Mall via Frenchs Forest; Route 292 Marsfield and Macquarie Park to City via Lane Cove; Routes 324, 325 Watsons Bay to Edgecliff via Rose Bay; Route 352 Marrickville Metro to Bondi Junction via Newtown and Surry Hills; Route 353 Eastgardens to Bondi Junction via Coogee; Route 370 Leichhardt to Coogee via Newtown and Green Square; Routes 374, X74 Coogee to City; Routes 392, X92 Little Bay to City via Eastgardens and Kingsford; Route 418 Burwood to Bondi Junction via Sydenham and Mascot; Route 461 Burwood to City via Parramatta Road; Route 504 Chiswick to City via Drummoyne; Route 506 Macquarie Park and East Ryde to City via Drummoyne; Routes 533, 534 Sydney Olympic Park and Ryde to Chatswood via; Wentworth Point and Mowbray Road; Route 914 Greenacre to Strathfield; Route M20 Zetland to Wynyard via Central Station; Route M52 Parramatta to City via Victoria Road New, extended or enhanced all-night services on the following routes: Route 400 Burwood to Bondi Junction via Sydney Airport; Route 423 Kingsgrove to City via Earlwood and Newtown; Route N20 Riverwood to City via Rockdale, Sydney Airport and Green Square; Route N81 Parramatta to City via Sydney Olympic Park and Wentworth Point (Thursday-Saturday only); Route N91 Bondi Junction to Macquarie Park via Kings Cross, City and Chatswood Western Sydney (including Hills District and South West): More than 1,500 additional services, including 11 new or extended routes: Route 632 Pennant Hills to Rouse Hill Town Centre via Castle Hill and Norwest; Route 746 Riverstone to Rouse Hill Town Centre via Box Hill; Route 747 Marsden Park to Rouse Hill Town Centre via Riverstone; Route 751 Blacktown to Rouse Hill Town Centre via Colebee and Marsden Park; Route 774 Mt Druitt to Penrith via St Marys and Caddens; Route 840 Campbelltown to Leppington via Gregory Hills and Oran Park; Route 853, 854 Liverpool to Edmondson Park via Carnes Hill; Route 859 Oran Park to Minto via Catherine Field; Route 868 Edmondson Park to Ingleburn via Ingleburn Industrial Area; Route 896 Oran Park to Campbelltown via Harrington Park and Narellan Enhanced services on the following routes: Route 614X Crestwood to City via M2; Route 711 Parramatta to Children's Hospital at Westmead; Route 817 Cabramatta to Fairfield via Bonnyrigg and Prairiewood; Route 887 Campbelltown to Wollongong via Appin; Route M60 Hornsby to Parramatta via Castle Hill; Route M61 Castle Hill to City via M2; Route T80 Liverpool to Parramatta via Bonnyrigg and Prairiewood New all-night services on the following route: Route M54 Parramatta to Macquarie Park via Carlingford