The state government has pulled the pin on a proposed shake-up of Brimbank’s bus network.
Public Transport Minister Jacinta Allan has confirmed the government will not go ahead with the proposed changes. She said Transdev and Public Transport Victoria had been sent back to the drawing board to consult more widely with communities.
The proposed bus network changes would have cut services across Melbourne’s north and west by up to 20 per cen
t to provide more frequent services to the city for commuters from the south and eastern suburbs during peak times.
In Brimbank, Transdev planned to change bus services 216, 219, 220 and 903 and service cuts were due to take effect this month.
The planned changes included merging of routes 216 and 219 to form a new 216 route between Caroline Springs shopping centre and the city. Route 220, which now runs between Sunshine train station, the city and Gardenvale, would instead have stopped in the CBD.
Meanwhile, routes 901, 902 and 903 would have been split into shorter routes. Transdev operates about 30 per cent of Melbourne’s bus network.
The proposed changes were tied to punctuality targets that Transdev must meet to affect network changes. The bus company has to meet an on-time target of 90 per cent to avoid penalties.
Ms Allan said the changes proposed by Transdev were not in line with the state government’s focus on better bus services.
These, she said, needed to be based on community consultation.
“Demand for buses is growing faster than any other mode of transport and we need to make sure they continue to meet the needs of our community,” Ms Allan said.
“Rather than cutting buses in one area to increase buses in another, the government will develop a more balanced bus network plan in consultation with the community.”
