A call for a review of public transport in Sunbury has been sent to MP Ben Carroll, Minister for Public Transport, and Sunbury MP Josh Bull, by Hume City Council.
At its meeting on 22 May, Sunbury Cllr Jarrod Bell said the Sunbury bus network has not undergone significant review or changed for more than 10 years, and that the planned upgrades of the Sunbury bus terminus provides an opportunity for a network-wide renewal of the bus offering.
“I’m calling for a wholesale review of the Sunbury bus network,” said Cllr Bell in his notice of motion.
“In light of the fact there are many thousands of people who now live in Sunbury and who do not have an easy accessible bus network, and that number will only grow as Rosenthall continues to grow, as Kingsfield comes online, as Redstone comes online, as Everley comes online and Maplestone…All these new estates.
“For many, public transport is the only way to get around in all weathers, in a safe environment, to get to doctor’s appointments, family occasions, work, education opportunities, or just to live a normal life. We need a bus service that meets the needs of every resident.
“What I am told is that services do not run late enough…The argument we get is that [buses are] not utilised as much as they could be, may be there are empty busses driving around…However, we have seen innovative approaches in places such as Gisborne with on-demand or call-and-receive service options where there is an on-call service in the evenings.”
Council agreed to write to the Minister for Public Transport and Josh Bull MP asking for a review of Sunbury’s bus network, that should examine:
- Route coverage
- Service frequency
- Utilisation
- Service delivery models
- Options to extend services beyond the current service end time, including consideration of the introduction of a limited on-demand style service
