A South-East MP wants to revive failing public transport by making buses free and frequent and redesigning contorted bus routes.
MP Rachel Payne from Legalise Cannabis Victoria, said Melbourne should be one of the world’s great public transport cities, instead use has crashed by 42 per cent from its peak in 2018.
“Eight out of 10 Victorians live just a short walk to a bus stop, but one in three has never got on a local bus. I’m calling for buses to be free and frequent with more direct services, especially in the south-east and the outer lying suburbs,” she said.
“In my electorates we have areas that are public transport deserts – services are non-existent or infrequent, such as north of Craigieburn and services around Springvale-Dandenong, could also be better.”
Ms Payne and her upper-house colleague David Ettershank have officially called on Victoria’s Transport Minister to review bus networks in growth areas to identify gaps and investigate a 12-month trial of free buses to ease cost-of-living pressures and enable residents to participate in their community. A motion was put to parliament on November 12.
Free buses encourage people to use a service that costs money
Ms Payne said Victoria’s bus service costs some $200 million a year, but half of Melbourne’s 400 bus routes pick up fewer than 20 passengers an hour.
“By making buses free – at least for a year – the government is helping people in a cost-of-living crisis and ensuring this service is actually used,” she said. “If Queensland can introduce 50c public transport fares, then we can make buses free for a year. It’s do-able.
“Infrastructure Victoria has found every $1 reduction in bus fares boosts customer numbers by almost 20 per cent – one full bus can take 50 cars off the road. Buses are the key to getting people to leave their cars at home in the South-East.”
It’s time buses took us to where we want to go
Ms Payne said sorting out the convoluted bus network was a priority, as many bus routes had not been reviewed for more than a decade.
“Melbourne’s bus services snake around suburbia, no one wants to get on a bus that takes an hour to get somewhere you could drive to in 10 minutes,” Ms Payne said. “Then there are parts of the outer south-east with almost no bus services, with infrequent and unreliable services.
“We need buses to take us where we want to go – to service hubs, shopping centres and industrial heartlands, to universities and sports and entertainment precincts.
Frequent means every 15 minutes
“The research shows that Melburnians want limited-stopping buses that travel on main roads, like the Sydney services. People will walk twice as far to access reliable, efficient and frequent public transport, and by frequent we mean at least every 15 minutes.”
Ms Payne said around the world people use frequent services and will walk further to bus stops with regular buses.
“By frequent we mean at least every 15 minutes,” she said. “The 2023 Infrastructure Victoria bus report found that people don’t want to take bus services that snake around the suburbs, instead Victoria want limited-stopping buses on main roads, like the Sydney services.”
Ms Payne said Victoria’s buses would be emissions free by 2025.
“Boosting bus use is a win for government and the environment – there’s no need to build more infrastructure such as new train stations or lay tram tracks,” she said.
Ms Payne noted that Infrastructure Victoria found one in four people want to get rid of their cars but didn’t believe there was a viable alternative and found bus services confusing.
Poor public transport entrenches disadvantage
Ms Payne said bad buses compel families in outer suburbs to buy cars, which can be a financial setback.
“Other people just can’t afford to travel. Bus passengers are less likely to have a drivers’ license and include lots of student and elderly users. Bad buses entrench disadvantage,” she said.
“Better buses mean people save on petrol, cut emissions and have improved community connection. Better buses deliver mums to part-time jobs, seniors to community groups, and uni and school students to sports practice.
“Buses are an under-used resource. It’s time we got back on buses.”
KEY FACTS
- Buses receive 30 per cent of public transport funding in Victoria but provide only 20 per cent of commuter trips. Victorians take a total of 135 million bus trips a year.
- Many parts of Melbourne’s outer and growth-area suburbs have waiting times longer than 30 minutes between buses, sometimes exceeding an hour.
- Less than 2 per cent of public transport journeys crossing the city of Melbourne were made on a bus.
- Infrastructure Victoria estimates that overhauling the bus network and boosting patronage could take 100 million private vehicle trips annually off Melbourne’s roads by 2030. This includes introducing high-capacity buses travelling on bus-only lanes.
- The Victorian Government has invested $20 million for the Zero Emission Bus Trial and all new buses will be zero emissions from 2025.
- Metro Melbourne has more than 400 bus routes and more than 50 regional towns and cities have a local bus network.
- A full-fare two-hour bus ticket costs $5.30, the same as for a train or a tram. A daily, full-fare bus ticket for the same area costs $10.60.
Tuesday the 12th of November, 2024
