Zoe Moffatt
Hume council has called for a reinvigoration of the Sunbury bus network, amid the current and future growth of the town.
In the meeting on Monday, May 22, council agreed to write to the Public Transport Minister Ben Carroll, and Sunbury MP Josh Bull noting the issue and seeking a review of the bus network.
Jacksons Creek Ward councillor Jarrod Bell raised the issue and said it has been brought up by community members on a number of occasions.
“There have been a number of community advocates in Sunbury, who have reached out to me … on an incredibly persistent basis,” Cr Bell said.
“The Sunbury bus network has not had a major revision in now nearly over a decade … [and] we are in the midst of one of the largest booms in the history of the Sunbury, Diggers Rest area.
“There are thousands of people who no longer live within a reasonable distance to public transport access.”
Cr Bell said Sunbury needs a bus network that provides safe service for residents to get around, especially during the night.
“The advocacy that I’ve heard is multiple fold but that the service doesn’t run late enough,” he said.
“It means that it’s not accessible, which means that people need to be thinking about that their day in fact ends at seven, eight o’clock at night.
“That doesn’t seem right nor fair to me.”
Jacksons Creek Ward councillorJack Medcraft agreed with Cr Bell and said the problem needs to be fixed sooner rather than later.
“This is an ongoing problem and has to be rectified,” Cr Medcraft said. “The sooner they do it before the growth areas take off [the better].”
In councils letter to Mr Carroll and Mr Bull it said it will address the; route coverage, service frequency, utilization, service delivery models, and options to extend services beyond the current service end time, including consideration of an on-demand style service.
