Labor responds to commuter anger by promising to restore bus route 303

THE bus timetabling changes that have infuriated commuters have become an election issue, with Labor pledging to restore route 303.

n47dt500 e1 At left the older style buses and at right the new style bus at the changing of buses from old to new at Ventura Buslines in Doncaster

LABOR has pledged to restore a peak-hour bus service for Maroondah commuters after the State Government suggested the bus hours were “confusing” for customers and axed the service.

And the Transport Minister has signalled that the Coalitiion Government could revisit some changes after a series of heated consultations with commuters.

As part of an overhaul of Melbourne’s bus network, Public Transport Victoria (PTV) last month scrapped Route 303 from Ringwood North to the city and said the hours, 6.30am to 7.45am and 5pm to 7.21pm on weekdays, were “confusing”.

DO YOU WANT BUS ROUTE 303 BACK? TELL US BELOW

But after fierce public opposition to the axing, Eastern Metropolitan Region upper house Labor MP Shaun Leane confirmed to Leader that his party would restore the 303 route if elected in November.

Mr Leane, during a parliamentary sitting this month, also called on Transport Minister Terry Mulder to reinstate the service.

“A number of passengers are feeling very miffed about this and are unsure why this route has been cancelled,” Mr Leane said.

“The Government has backflipped on [building a Doncaster train line], and it seems ludicrous that bus services down the Eastern Freeway have been taken away as well.”

Route 303 users took to social media in their fight to keep the bus service alive, with users tweeting photos of packed buses and starting an online petition.

A hastily organised community information session was held in Maroondah last week, with users given five days’ notice to attend a meeting at Ringwood.

A spokeswoman for Mr Mulder said the meetings would determine whether any changes would be made to the network overhaul.

“PTV is compiling the feedback from the sessions and when presented to the Coalition Government in the near future, the Government will consider whether there should be any refinements to the many changes that were made to get the best possible outcome for passengers,” she said.

The Manningham Leader reported that during a similar information session at Doncaster, a Transdev representative admitted users weren’t properly consulted prior to the changes.

Former 303 commuters must now catch connecting services, despite a recent report from Auditor-General John Doyle which slammed poor co-ordination between Melbourne buses and trains.