There are some important changes to the free Hop Skip Jump Council run bus service in the Manly area which will take effect on 1 July 2025.  

Following a service review of the five routes the service provides, only Route 1 - the most popular from Manly via the Manly Andrew Boy Charlton Aquatic Centre and Little Manly - will continue with the others (Route 2, 3, 4, 5) being suspended.

The tough decision has been made in light of deceasing passenger numbers, with usage almost halving from 318,037 in 2018/19 to 174,316 in 2023/24, increasing costs of operations and given Council is not allowed to charge a fare under TfNSW’s rules, the inability to make this service financially sustainable for Council and our community.

The service review also considered other public transport options available to our community, which negate the need for the Council operated bus service with 99% of residents in the Manly Ward being within a 400m radial distance of a Transport for NSW bus service.

The changes to the Hop, Skip and Jump bus service will come into effect on 1 July 2025 and a further review on the performance of the service in its new format will be reported to Council in 12 months after implementation.

Council will work with Transport for NSW and Keolis Downer to explore if their existing services like Keoride can be expanded to this area.
 

Caption: Hop Skip Jump passenger number and trends as part of Council's service review