Bus plan hailed

By Dion Teasdale
SHIRE of Yarra Ranges will receive another boost to public transport early next year after Transport Minister Peter Batchelor announced additional bus routes last week.
The improvements include additional daytime and evening services on the 683 Warburton to Chirnside Park Shopping Centre bus route and improvements to five other bus services across the shire.
The announcement is further success for the Mail’s Fare Go campaign, which highlighted public transport gaps across the shire.
Mr Batchelor, who made the funding announcement during a visit to Lilydale, said the improvements would give more people easy access to public transport, and would provide better links between suburbs, shopping areas and train stations.
“With petrol prices at record highs, there is an everincreasing demand for more public transport – especially in our outer suburban growth areas,” he said.
“Many new suburbs have sprung up in parts of Melbourne that are not serviced by public transport, so our first goal is to extend the coverage of the bus network.
“We also need to address overcrowding on some peak hour services and to provide better evening and weekend services.”
Mr Batchelor said the latest improvements were in addition to the extra services on nine routes in the Yarra Ranges that commenced in July this year.
He said the State Government had allocated $44 million for improvements to suburban bus services across 12 areas over the next four years in this year’s budget.
Last week’s announcement brings the allocation for the Shire of Yarra Ranges, which was identified as one of the 12 key areas, to $3.2 million.
“These improvements bring city standard services to an area that cherishes a country lifestyle. They mean 75 per cent of people in the area are within 400 metres of a bus service,” Mr Batchelor said.
Shire of Yarra Ranges deputy mayor Monika Keane welcomed the announcements but indicated she would like to see more services added.
“I applaud the State Government and especially the hard work of our local members.
“I would also like to thank the local community, the bus companies and the Mail newspapers who have all campaigned with the shire for this fantastic result,” Cr Keane said.
“However, I’m still hoping for more improvements. There needs to be further recognition that we have communities of people who are socially isolated across the Shire and I would like to see other service shortfalls addressed.”
Cr Keane said she would like to see the provision of northsouth bus services, linking the Upper Yarra to towns such as Healesville, and the eradication of the country fare along the Warburton Highway addressed in the State Government’s budget next year.
Gembrook MP Tammy Lobato said she was a keen advocate for the extension of the metropolitan fare zone boundary to Warburton East.
She said she has been lobbying for a review of fare zones to take place for some time and was expecting a review to take place in the near future.
“These additional services don’t fulfil the entire need of the area but they are a great improvement and I will continue to keep working for further improvements,” she said.
“I would also like to see a northsouth service connecting Powelltown to Yarra Junction to help reduce social isolation and help people access services.”
Martyrs Bus Service operations manager Peter Jennings said the improvements represent the biggest injection of funding for services along the Warburton Highway since the 1980s.
“We welcome the additional services that have been made available to passengers using the 683 bus route. Martyrs Bus Service has been pushing for new services for decades and it is only now the request is being met which is very pleasing,” he said.