page_title: Newcastle Buses & Ferries
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Newcastle Buses & Ferries / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Newcastle ferry 2
context_page_description: Newcastle Buses & Ferries was a commuter bus and ferry service operating in Newcastle and Lake Macquarie from 1935 until 2017. Part of the State Transit Authority, it operated 26 bus routes and the Stockton ferry across the Hunter River.
context_section_description: The first government operated bus route commenced on 22 September 1935 to Mayfield. On 10 June 1950, the final tram routes were withdrawn. On 2 February 1983, the Stockton ferry service was taken over from a private operator.
  In November 2015, the Government announced its intention to incorporate Newcastle Buses & Ferries into a new Transport for Newcastle along with the Newcastle Light Rail with the operation of services to be contracted to a private operator. Keolis Downer and a Transit Systems/UGL Rail consortium announced their intentions to bid. In December 2016 the contract was awarded to Keolis Downer who trading as Newcastle Transport took over the services from 1 July 2017.
caption: MV Shortland in July 2013
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