Busways are getting into the festive spirit this December as they deck out a series of buses in holiday cheer.
In Penrith there are five Christmas buses with an additional six across western Sydney, all decorated with twinkling ornaments, shiny baubles and tinsel.
Penrith Busways Depot Manager Georgette Golding said the Christmas bus tradition is something Busways look forward to doing each year.
“Decorating the Christmas buses with Busways is a meaningful tradition that we hope brings joy and cheer to the local community by participating in the holiday season,” Golding said.
“The vibrant buses don’t just spread the goodwill and the holiday spirit, but it demonstrates to our community our commitment to create a positive impact beyond transport services.”
In addition to the decorations, Busways displays QR codes on their buses to raise funds for the Intensive Care Unit at the Children’s Hospital in Westmead.
“Supporting the vital institution allows us to contribute to the health and wellbeing of the children and the families,” Golding said.
“By raising that money, we help provide critical care, medical advances, support and can hopefully transform the lives of children and their families.
“To us it’s an important tradition that we follow and I look forward to keep doing it every year. We raised $3,000 last year and I’m hoping to meet that target and increase it as much as possible.”
On Wednesday, Penrith hosted a special event to crown the best decorated Christmas bus in Sydney.
Sydney Children’s Hospital patient Mateo awarded the honour to a Transdev John Holland bus from Randwick, with a local Busways bus coming in second.
“It’s been so exciting to see decorated buses driving around Sydney. Thank you to everybody for making their buses look dressed up and Merry Christmas,” he said.
State Penrith MP Karen McKeown said it was great that Penrith hosted the big announcement.
“As the end of the year gets closer, it’s excellent to see these baubled buses spreading Christmas cheer across the network,” he said.
Emily Chate
Emily Chate joined The Western Weekender in 2024, and covers local news - primarily courts and politics. A graduate of the University of Wollongong, Emily has contributed to The Daily Telegraph and worked as a freelance journalist.