Tara Murray
Melbourne Airport and public transport advocates are calling for more direct and frequent buses, with extended operating hours, between Sunshine and the airport to better meet the needs of shift workers.
Currently, there is no direct bus service between Sunshine and the airport.
Victorian Transport Action Group’s ‘Service Step Ups for Sunshine’ report, calls for a bus shuttle run between Sunshine and the airport, every 15 to 20 minutes, seven days a week, with long hours and limited stops.
Public Transport Users Association spokesperson Daniel Bowen said public transport between the airport and Sunshine had been an issue for a long time.
“There have been improvements from the east coming from Broadmeadows and Epping and it has helped a lot in those areas. “[But] a lot of other nearby suburbs, operating hours and frequency are quite poor,” he said.
“There’s a large number of people who work at the airport and at present only have the option to drive and it adds to the traffic congestion. Households have another car in the driveway.”
Mr Bowen said it mADE sense for the state government to fund extra bus services and longer hours to give people more options.
He said long term, the Melbourne Airport rail link would help people in Sunshine, but many people in suburbs closer to the airport wouldn’t benefit.
Melbourne Airport’s chief of ground transport, Jai McDermott, said the airport is interested in understanding opportunities to expand the service levels and network coverage of PTV buses to better match the airport’s operating environment.
“The frequency and hours of operation of most existing bus services (excluding the 901 SmartBus) could be improved by increasing the frequency and expanding the service time-spans to better accommodate the needs of shift workers,” he said.
“Improving connectivity to nearby residential areas and activity centres, with reasonable levels of service on the routes, would help improve travel options for passengers and employees travelling from areas such as Brimbank or Hume.”
A Department of Transport spokesperson said the department continually worked with the community to ensure the public transport network is more accessible and better connected.
Public Transport Minister Ben Carroll was contacted for comment.
