Newcastle bus routes connect suburbs in and around Newcastle and Lake Macquarie, about 100 kilometres north of Sydney.
Newcastle is the second-largest city in the state of New South Wales, serving as a regional centre for residents of the Central Coast, Hunter Valley and Great Lakes regions. Government bus services within Newcastle are operated by Newcastle Buses & Ferries, a subsidiary of the State Transit Authority of New South Wales. Newcastle Buses & Ferries also operates a ferry service across Port Hunter between Newcastle's CBD and Stockton. Hunter Valley Buses also operate a large number of routes in the area. These two main operators have an east-west split, with the blue and white Newcastle buses mostly covering the inner city and coastal region east of the lake as far south as Swansea, while the yellow Hunter Valley buses cover the region west of the lake, Newcastle Airport, and outlying suburbs and towns, extending into the valley. Port Stephens Coaches cover the Airport and coast north of Newcastle.
The network is controlled by the New South Wales Government's transport authority, Transport for NSW, and is part of the authority's Opal ticketing system. Newcastle consists of five outer metropolitan bus regions for the purposes of contracting arrangements (regions 1 to 5).
Rover Coaches, Port Stephens Coaches, Busways North Coast, Forster Coaches, and Sid Fogg's Coaches also run intercity routes connecting Newcastle to the rest of New South Wales.
To reduce journey times, bus-only lanes are in operation on:
Hunter Street at Newcastle West
Lambton Road at Broadmeadow and Lambton
Maitland Road at Tighes Hill near Newcastle TAFE
University Drive at Callaghan
Charlestown, near the intersection of the Pacific Highway and Charlestown Road
Pacific Highway at Jewells, Marks Point and Bennetts Green
Newcastle Buses and Ferries
100 Newcastle – Mayfield – University – Jesmond – Charlestown
104 Newcastle East – Carrington – Mayfield – University – Jesmond
106 Newcastle – Mayfield – Warabrook – Shortland – Jesmond (peak hour and evening)
107 Newcastle – Mayfield – Warabrook – Shortland – Jesmond (off peak only, does not run Sundays)
110 Replaces train services between Hamilton and Newcastle stations.
111 Newcastle – Mayfield – Waratah – Kotara – Charlestown – Mount Hutton (does not run nights or Sundays)
118 Newcastle - Stockton (Friday and Saturday Nightowl services only - 1 trip per night only - one way service, does not operate a return service)
201 Marketown – Newcastle – The Junction – Merewether – Hamilton (does not run nights)
222 Newcastle East – Broadmeadow – New Lambton – Elermore Vale – Wallsend (does not run nights or Sundays)
224 Newcastle – Adamstown – Kotara – Elermore Vale – Wallsend
225 Newcastle – Merewether – Kotara – New Lambton – University – Jesmond (does not run Sundays)
226 Newcastle – Broadmeadow – University – Wallsend – Elermore Vale – Glendale
230 Newcastle – New Lambton – Jesmond – Birmingham Gardens – Wallsend
231 Newcastle – Broadmeadow – Jesmond – Silver Ridge Estate – Wallsend (does not run nights)
235 Newcastle – Hamilton North – Jesmond – Wallsend – Maryland
310 Newcastle – The Junction – Charlestown – Eleebana – Belmont
313 Charlestown – Warners Bay – Eleebana – Valentine – Belmont (does not run nights or Sundays)
317 Newcastle – New Lambton – Kotara – Charlestown – Windale – Belmont
318 Belmont – Belmont Hospital – Green Point – Belmont (Anti-clockwise loop, does not run nights or weekends)
320 Newcastle – The Junction – Kotara – Charlestown – Warners Bay
322 Newcastle – Kotara – Charlestown – Redhead – Belmont
334 Newcastle – Broadmeadow – Kotara – Cardiff – Glendale (does not run nights)
339 Charlestown – Hillsborough – Cardiff – Glendale (does not run weekend nights)
349 Newcastle – Charlestown – Belmont – Pelican – Swansea North (does not run nights)
350 Newcastle – Charlestown – Jewells – Belmont – Swansea – Swansea Heads
352 Belmont – Swansea – Lake Munmorah – Wyee – Morriset (2 return trips per weekday)
363 Newcastle – New Lambton – Cardiff – Glendale – Speers Point – Warners Bay
The 100, 118, 224, 230, 310, 313, 322, 350 and 363 also run Night Owl Service (Early Saturday and Sunday mornings)
136 Stockton – Fern Bay – Airport – Medowie – Raymond Terrace
137 Lemon Tree Passage – Salt Ash – Medowie – Raymond Terrace
138 Newcastle – Salt Ash – Airport – Fern Bay – Lemon Tree Passage (weekdays only)
140 Newcastle – Mayfield – Hexham – Tomago – Raymond Terrace
141 Raymond Terrace loop (Monday to Saturday)
145 Airport – Raymond Terrace – Beresfield – Green Hills
179 Green Hills – Maitland – North Rothbury (Monday to Saturday)
180 Green Hills – Maitland – Singleton Heights (Monday to Saturday)
181 Woodberry – Green Hills – Maitland – Rutherford – Aberglasslyn
182 Thornton – Ashtonfield – Green Hills – Maitland – Rutherford
183 Tenambit – Green Hills – Maitland – Rutherford
184 Morpeth – Tenambit – Green Hills
185 Maitland – Lorn – Bolwarra – Largs (Limited service extends to Gresford)
186 Rutherford to McKeachie’s Run
187 Maitland – Green Hills – Metford (Monday to Saturday)
189 Thornton to Stockland Green Hills
192 Maitland Loop (Monday to Saturday)
260 University – Wallsend – Maryland – Fletcher – Minmi
261 University – Wallsend – Maryland – Fletcher
262 Charlestown – Cardiff – Glendale – Edgeworth – Cameron Park
263 Charlestown – Cardiff – Glendale – Edgeworth – Cameron Park
267 University – Wallsend – Cardiff – Glendale – Edgeworth – West Wallsend
268 Glendale – Edgeworth – Barnsley – Killingworth
269 Charlestown – Warners Bay – Speers Point – Woodrising – Toronto
270 University – Wallsend – Glendale – Woodrising – Toronto
271 Glendale – Teralba – Bolton Point – Fassifern – Toronto
273-Train Toronto – Blackalls Park – Fassifern
274 Toronto – Carey Bay – Kilaben Bay – Coal Point
275 Toronto – Rathmines – Arcadia Vale – Wangi Wangi — Morisset
276 Toronto – Awaba – Rathmines – Arcadia Vale – Wangi Wangi
278 Morisset – Bonnells Bay – Yarrawonga Park – Silverwater (Monday to Saturday)
279 Morisset – Bonnells Bay – Yarrawonga Park – Sunshine (Monday to Saturday)
280 Morisset – Avondale – Cooranbong (Weekdays only)
401 Singleton loop (Monday to Saturday)
402 Singleton – Darlington – Hunterview (weekdays)
403 Singleton – Singleton Heights (Monday to Saturday)
W1 (281) Wangi Wangi – Lake Haven (Fridays only)
130 Newcastle – Airport – Salamander Bay – Nelson Bay – Fingal Bay
131 Newcastle – Airport – Salamander Bay – Nelson Bay – Shoal Bay (weekdays, express)
132 Soldiers Point – Salamander Bay – Vantage Estate – Nelson Bay – Little Beach
133 Soldiers Point – Salamander Bay – Nelson Bay – Little Beach
134 Soldiers Point – Anna Bay
135 Raymond Terrace – Salamander Bay – Nelson Bay (weekdays only)
160 Newcastle - University - Hunter Expressway - Kurri Kurri - Cessnock (Monday to Saturday)
162 Cessnock - Aberdare - Kearsley - Abernethy (Monday to Saturday)
163 Morisset - Pacific Motorway - Kurri Kurri - Cessnock (peak hour service)
164 Maitland - Gilleston Heights - Heddon Greta - Kurri Kurri - Cessnock
165 East-West City Hoppa: Cessnock East West Loop Service (weekdays)
166 Maitland - Saddlers Ridge - Gilleston Heights - Heddon Greta - Stanford Merthyr - Kurri Kurri (weekdays)
167 North-South City Hoppa: Cessnock - Nulkaba - South Cessnock Loop Service (weekdays)
168 Cessnock - Bellbird - Pelton -> Ellalong -> Paxton -> Millfield -> Greta Main -> Pelton - Bellbird - Cessnock
171 Kurri Kurri - Kurri Hospital - Weston (weekdays)
172 Kurri Kurri - Deakin Street, Kurri (one service on weekdays)
Ticketing and fares
The bus network uses the smartcard-based Opal ticketing system. Opal is also valid on train services in the area but separate fares apply. Opal's bus fares are the same as those for Sydney's light rail. The Stockton Ferry (unlike Sydney Ferries) also uses the same 0-3 km fares as bus services. Bus drivers and ferry staff also sell non-smartcard Opal single trip tickets. The single trip tickets are more expensive than the standard Opal fare. They are only valid for travel on the service on which they are purchased. The following table lists Opal fares for reusable smartcards and single trip tickets:
Card fares as of 4 January 2015. Single trip fares as of 5 September 2016.