Bus boost welcomed

By Tania Martin
MONBULK MP James Merlino has welcomed a $646 million promise to extend bus services, but the Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) said more was needed for commuters to be able to make the leap from car to bus.
The State Government’s transport livability study, Meeting Our Transport Challenges, released last week, promises to inject $10.5 billion over the next 10 years into the state’s public transport network.
Mr Merlino said residents in Melbourne’s east and outer east would see a quantum leap in their level of bus services as a result of the funding.
He said $646 million would be allocated to improve and extend local bus services, which would include extending the hours of operation from 6am to 9pm on weekdays, 8am to 9pm on Saturdays, and from 9am to 9pm on Sundays.
“I have advocated very strongly with the Minister for improvements in bus services,” Mr Merlino said.
“This is an outstanding result for the residents in the outer east, it will make a real difference in peoples lives.
Shire of Yarra Ranges mayor Monika Keane has welcomed the news that local bus services could be extended with the funding allocation.
Cr Keane said although there are no exact or specific details at this stage for the shire, the council was hopeful the announcement would mean better and more extended services for all its bus routes.
“We are particularly keen to see more frequent services and longer hours of operation on weekdays and extended hours on the weekends including Sundays,” she said.
However, PTUA spokesman Alex Makin said the statement failed to radically boost the frequency of bus services and to immediately implement much needed rail extensions.
“The Government’s own research has demonstrated that a minimum of a seven-day-a-week, 15-minute service frequency is required to shift outer suburban residents from cars and into buses, and yet this statement fails to provide this,” he said.
Mr Makin said although the State Government had made a good step forward with the proposed extended hours, it still wasn’t enough.
He said extending the weekday bus services to 9pm was sending a message to residents catching the bus home that they couldn’t be any later than 9pm or they would be stranded.
“The Government needs to provide a public transport network that is a competitive alternative to using the car, especially considering the current state of financial hardship caused by the rising petrol prices,” Mr Makin said.
But Mr Merlino said the bottom line was that the Government was putting $10.5 billion into public transport for Melbourne, which was a massive contribution.