A Ballan man is demanding answers from Public Transport Victoria after he claims a school bus timetable was changed without community consultation.
Scott Klauber usually drives his 13-year-old daughter to a Darley Park bus stop to catch the 8.10am bus. But overcrowding on the route meant the bus was rescheduled to leave its stop at 8.05am … then it was pushed back again to 7.52am.
The departure time is now too early for Mr Klauber to meet, he drops his other two children at a bus stop in Ballan at 7.45am, and has meant his daughter is forced to catch an 8.07am bus from a nearby stop on a different route.
The buses are myki-enabled but contracted to Bacchus Marsh Coaches to run the school- hour services.
“There’s no way I can drop my daughter off at the bus stop at 7.52am,” Mr Klauber said.
“If my daughter took the 7.52am bus from Darley, she’d get to school in 20 minutes. School doesn’t start until 8.45am – what are kids going to do for 40 minutes?”
Mr Klauber says he’s called PTV on numerous occasions to work out the processes around rescheduling public transport, and is still waiting on Public Transport Minister Jacinta Allan’s office to return his calls.
“How can they do that without any community consultation or any input from parents?” Mr Klauber said.
“Most of the kids who were on that 8.10am bus just moved to the closest bus stop, which leaves at 8.05am on Gisborne Road.
“And then they caused themselves the same problem [of overcrowding].”
Bacchus Marsh Coaches’ general manager, Dave Nickels said children needed to get on the closest bus to their home.
“Mums and dads need to stop driving their children to the latest bus so they can sleep in. Some buses will travel from Bacchus Marsh to Melton with only 30 students.
“Take your closest bus, please.”
A PTV spokesman said the new timetable would ensure fluctuations in patronage numbers could be managed safely.
“There was also a risk that if buses leave later they might miss other school connections, a factor that PTV took into account when approving these changes.”
