Jerky acceleration and braking is the hallmark of the Sydney government bus driving style, not really road surfaces. It's probably the worst I've experienced anywhere. Their driver training manual would be an interesting read. Their habit of selecting a higher gear on takeoff and sending boarding passengers flying down the back of the bus was particularly endearing over the years. Will a new private operator be able to teach old dogs new tricks, that's the question?
Drivers are once again mostly sitting up front and only contending with other road users and not even a conductor's bell, thanks to prepaid fare systems and in any case the futility of attempting to enforce because of the threat of violence. Their role is (or should be) basically no different from that of the tram driver.

Tony P
(who will not lament the eventual passing of State Transit)
---InTramsDownUnder@..., <transitconsult@...> wrote :

Tony, perhaps some of the problem with STA drivers is the road surface on which they have to drive buses that rattle at every pot
hole or bump. Can't be pleasant. Unless they have markedly deteriorated since I was last home, London buses don't rattle and the
road surfaces are near perfect. Should be fairly good for drives, although they now have to contend with passengers who have no
idea what to do. At least "in the olden days" drivers sat up in front and only had to contend with other road users and that
confounded bell!

Regards

Dudley Horscroft