ELDERLY residents say changes to a Sunshine bus route have robbed them of their independence, with many too frail or frightened to make a 400-metre trek to the next bus stop.
Public Transport Victoria last week altered the line for SITA’s route 454 service. Instead of continuing down Hilma Street to Fitzgerald Road, the bus now turns directly into the Callaway Boulevard, missing two bus stops.
Sunshine’s Maria Guerra, 83, said older residents were wary of walking any distance after a spate of attacks on elderly people in recent weeks.
‘‘Last week, an elderly woman was attacked walking down Glengala Road and had her walking stick and handbag ripped from her hands,’’ Ms Guerra said. ‘‘The week before, an elderly man had gone into the post office and as he was coming out he was putting his money into his shopping jeep and a woman attacked him . . . it’s just so frightening.’’
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Ms Guerra, who is president of the Italian club at the Glengala Community Centre, said the changes had isolated elderly residents living in Hilma and Ralph streets and Glengala Road who attend the centre each week for social interaction. She said the streets were home to numerous elderly residents whose only means of transport was the 454 bus.
She said she had been forced to order cabs to take residents to and from the centre.
‘‘These are elderly people who can barely walk to the bus stops as it is,’’ she said. ‘‘They can’t be expected to walk another 400 metres to the next bus stop. It’s not just to and from the community centre we are worried about, these residents need the bus to get to the shops and the bank . . . to live their lives.’’
Ms Guerra said many residents weren’t even notified of the changes. ‘‘They were just standing there waiting and no bus ever came.’’
Sunshine resident Louise, 73, who did not want her last name published, feared many residents would be isolated. ‘‘This bus is our connection to the community,’’ she said. ‘‘Some of my neighbours who are in their late 80s already struggle carrying their shopping bags down the street. Add hundreds of metres to that and they just couldn’t cope.’’ Louise called for PTV to alter the timetable so at least one bus per hour travelled down Hilma Street.
Latin American Women’s Association of Victoria president Cecilia Gomez-Benitez said members had been devastated by the move. ‘‘These people are isolated not only because they are elderly, but they come from migrant backgrounds too,’’ she said.
A PTV spokeswoman said the changes were made to provide public transport to Callaway Park housing estate residents. ‘‘This change was carefully planned to boost overall public transport coverage in Sunshine West so that more residents live within 400 metres of public transport,’’ she said. ‘‘Where bus stops have moved from Hilma Street, new stops are available nearby.’’
