Busways’ Christmas buses have officially made their return to the roads for the silly season, creating festive fun for drivers and commuters alike.
According to Georgette Golding, Depot Manager at Busways Penrith, the team can’t wait to have them around each year.
“We’re always happy to have them in the rotation,” she said.
“We do it every year, so we’re excited now that we’ve won Region 1 again, we’ll be doing it for the next seven years, or for as long as we’ve got the contracts!”
This year, everyone from the Busways Penrith team had a hand in decorating.
“Our team get together and do it so it’s something we look forward to every year, just decorating the buses so we can service the community of western Sydney,” she said.
“There’s no one person that’s in charge of decorating, it’s a team effort. We all get in and try to decorate it together, and it’s something we all enjoy getting involved in.”
Golding said it’s most exciting for the passengers, who enjoy travelling from A to B surrounded by beautiful tinsel and wrapped gifts, getting fully involved in the Christmas spirit.
“Our passengers are always excited, especially the elderly and the young – they love hopping on to the Christmas buses and they’re always excited when we do it at Christmas time,” she said.
All Busways’ Christmas buses are also raising funds for Westmead Hospital’s Neo Natal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), a cause that Golding said is close to her heart.
“Passengers can either scan the QR code and donate through to them, or they can hop onto our website which has a Paypal website for Westmead,” she said.
@westernweekender Busways’ Christmas buses have officially made their return to the roads for the silly season, creating festive fun for drivers and passengers alike 🎄 Keep an eye out for the full story, coming soon to the Western Weekender 🗞 #Christmas #busways #christmasdecor #christmasdecorations #christmasbus #Penrith #westernweekender #fyp ♬ Jingle Bell Rock – Bobby Helms
“We raised $6,700 last year, and we’re hoping to exceed it this year. We’re matching dollar for dollar for whatever we raise.”
Golding said she’s eager to see the Penrith community donating what they can, and enjoying the buses’ merry looks until the end of December.
“When they do their trip planners they can see the little tree, so they know which ones are Christmas buses,” she said.
“We’ve got 10 buses in this area – four from Penrith, four from Blacktown, and two from Mulgrave – with 32 through the whole region from Yamba to here.”
To donate, visit bit.ly/48e1NrP.
Cassidy Pearce
Cassidy Pearce is a news and entertainment journalist with The Western Weekender. A graduate of the University of Technology Sydney, she has previously worked with Good Morning Macarthur and joined the Weekender in 2022.