Liam McNally
Melton council and the Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) have welcomed a new report stating current bus infrastructure is contributing to a “major equity problem, especially for outer and new growth areas of Melbourne”.
The Infrastructure Victoria discussion paper, released last week, said buses were rarely a competitive alternative to other transport due to limited operating hours, and inefficient routes which made buses less appealing to use.
“Bus services in these areas can be infrequent and have limited operating hours. If the bus service is not convenient, families can be forced into car ownership… This lack of choice adds to the cost of living and contributes to locational transport disadvantage,” the report said.
PTUA spokesperson Daniel Bowen said Infrastructure Victoria is “spot on in their findings”.
“There are cases where the suburbs have been growing fast, in terms of population growth, but the bus network hasn’t kept up,” he said.
“For basic journeys, like getting to the shops or railway station, many of the bus routes are just completely inadequate. If you glance at the bus maps for a lot of these areas, the routes are very confusing. It’s like looking at spaghetti.”
Melton council has been calling on the state government for a review of Melton’s bus network.
Melton mayor Lara Carli said the west is in “desperate need” for a comprehensive review of its bus networks.
“The buses in our city aren’t meeting our growing community’s needs. Whole suburbs and many other areas in our community have no access to bus services. Frequency is low and unreliable, services are indirect, and travel times are close to twice that of travelling by car,” she said.
A state government spokesperson said the government is “deeply invested” in supporting and upgrading Victoria’s bus network.
“We are always monitoring and investigating how we can improve our public transport network, right around the state including in Melbourne’s booming western suburbs,” the spokesperson said.
