Mornington Peninsula uses selfie strategy in Better Buses campaign
Getting to his CBD job via public transport would take Rosebud’s John Adam a staggering six hours a day. But plans are afoot to bring “frequent, direct and reliable” services to the 82 per cent of the peninsula now missing out.
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If Rosebud man John Adam used public transport to get to work it would take three hours.
Instead he is forced to split his commute between the car — an hour’s drive to East Malvern — and the train to the CBD.
Mr Adam said the lack of buses on the Mornington Peninsula means a bus from Rosebud to Frankston railway station and a train from there would be a three-hour commute each way, every day.
A lack of adequate parking means the closest station he can reliably find a car space is on the Glen Waverley line at East Malvern Station.
The wheelchair user has added his voice to a Mornington Peninsula Shire campaign for an extra $10m a year to run a faster bus network.
The council has launched Better Buses, a campaign lobbying the State Government for better services in the “forgotten land of public transport”.
Mornington Peninsula mayor David Gill said 82 per cent of the region was without public transport and existing services were infrequent, indirect, unreliable and overcrowded.
He said the network had reached “breaking point” and a $10 million a year investment would fix many of the issues.
“It is unacceptable that if you have a disability, or are too young or too old to drive, then you can’t get where you need to go on the Peninsula,” Cr Gill said.
“This ($10 million) amount is small in comparison to what is spent on public transport in other areas.”
Cr Gill said the council’s long-term vision included a “frequent, direct and reliable” smart technology bus network.
Short-term aims include extra buses on the existing 788 Portsea to Frankston route, which carries about 500,000 passengers a year despite running every 45 to 100 minutes.
The route would also gain an express service and extension to include Frankston Hospital and Monash University.
Introducing a cross-Peninsula bus route was also a priority, Cr Gill said.
“We need more express services that cut down the travel time to Frankston,” Mr Adam said.
Peninsula Grange’s Ken Gordon said the closest bus 781 route stop was too far for many of his neighbours to walk.
“It’s a minimum of 1.3km from their home to the closest bus stop,” Mr Gordon said.
Dromana Secondary College student Taylor, 15, said she relied on the bus to get to and from her part time job in Rosebud.
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“It takes about four times as long as it would to drive to get from my house to work,” Taylor said.
The council is encouraging people to join the fight for funds by posting pictures of themselves with campaign posters on social media or dropping a Better Buses postcard in one of 30 collection boxes across the region.
Nepean state Labor MP Chris Brayne said improving bus services in the region was a priority.
“As someone who has caught buses on the Mornington Peninsula for ten years of my life, in particular the 782 every day to school and then university, better buses will be a priority of mine,” Mr Brayne said.
Government spokesman Jordy Jeffrey-Bailey said any ideas to boost public transport options on the Mornington Peninsula were “welcome”.
He said the government would continue working with residents and the council.
Details: mornpen.vic.gov.au/betterbuses