Dear Gladys … an ode to Sydney’s public transport

An open letter to NSW Transport Minister, Gladys Berejiklian, from journalist Anne Fulwood:

Dear Gladys B,

I have been moved to write a letter to you and Sydney’s public transport is the reason. Ms Berejiklian, Minister for Transport, I want you to know that I am a fan of Sydney’s buses and trains. I hear all the traumas and troubles and listen to regular reports of disaffected travellers finding reason and a venue to vent. Surely they cannot be serious?

As a first-time user, virtually, this has been a most enjoyable experience that I never thought I would share publicly. No system is perfect, but in the scheme of things ours is very good.

When I was a newsreader, I drove everywhere for years to a secured parking space set aside, as they were, for ”talent” at networks Seven and Ten. Those were the days! Heaven help me, I never boarded a bus or got on the train – apart from occasional flirtations for the Sydney Olympics, Rugby Union Internationals or a jaunt to the Royal Easter Show.

I now travel across the Harbour Bridge daily and I love every minute of it.

Letter first published in Sydney Morning Herald