TT 247: Progress on public holiday bus timetables

A week today is Melbourne Cup Day. A public holiday, at least in Metropolitan Melbourne and those towns that have not opted out in favour of another day, typically for their local show. It's often been a confusing day for bus users as not all routes run. While most run a Saturday timetable on public holidays like Cup Day this is not always the case; there exist some buses that run Saturdays, and, in two cases, Sundays, that do not operate on public holidays. 

However the complexities are become less common with changed contractual arrangements and enough smarts inside DTP to use these or subsequent timetable changes to reduce the number of routes with non-standard operating patterns. 

Back in 2019 I wrote about the public holiday gamble on Melbourne's buses. However what I would call the definitive guide appears on the Bus and Coach Society of Victoria website, or when that's occasionally unavailable the archived version here. 

The most recent changes happened on Sunday 25 October 2026. Transport Victoria's list of timetable changes is here. Six day routes in that list that gain public holiday service include 404, 407, 414, 415, and 538, 

The 4 October 2026 timetable change saw public holiday service added to Route 558 and 551 (latter in conjunction with 7 day service). And before that 536 gained public holiday service (in conjunction with its 7 day upgrade) in July 2026 with 503 and 506 getting public holiday service back in April.

Remaining bus routes that don't run on most public holidays

This represents faster progress in simplifying public holiday arrangements than we've seen for a while. This gets the remaining oddities down to: 

* 7 day routes that do not run public holidays

These are 681 and 682 in Rowville. No change, like almost anything to do with public transport in the Knox area, has happened for the last 15 to 20 years.  

* 6 day routes that do not run public holidays

490, 548, 549, 550, 559, 671, 672, 677, Croydon FlexiRide, Lilydale FlexiRide & Mooroolbark FlexiRide

Essentially the above are either flexible route services, Ventura Ivanhoe depot services or Croydon area routes. Oddly, despite both being run by Kinetic, 558 has a timetable with holiday service but 559 does not. This number has been approximately halved due to the abovementioned recent improvements. 

Routes that justify not only public holiday but also Sunday service include 549, 548, 559, 550, 671, 672, 490 and the FlexiRides in about that order. 

* 6 day routes with little or no public holiday afternoon service due to legacy Saturday morning-based timetables

509, 512, 558, 697, 699, 814, 844 & 857. 

These all finish by early afternoon on public holidays as per their old Saturday timetables. 559 in the Reservoir/Thomastown area also doesn’t run past 1pm on Saturdays but doesn't run public holidays. No change as Saturday timetables have not been significantly updated for many years. 

Of the above list the routes with highest usage and unique catchment to justify Saturday afternoon service include 814, 558, 844, 857, 512 and 697, in about that order.

To this should be added the significant number of bus routes that have Saturday afternoon service but at half frequency compared to Saturday mornings. This affects most public holidays due to the Saturday timetable being in effect. The most notable example is the 552 in Reservoir (every 15 min Saturday mornings, 30 min Saturday afternoons) but many other exist (eg the current 804 timetable hourly on Saturday mornings, 2 hourly on Saturday afternoons). 

The above two issues are not due to a lack of timetable standardisation on public holidays but because some Saturday timetables, substantially untouched for decades, are based around pre 1980s shop trading hours. Under these arrangements Saturday mornings had a service similar to weekday midday frequencies but no or diminished service ran on Saturday afternoons. 

* 5 day routes with no public holiday service

The oddity here is not the lack of public holiday service but the lack of weekend service on routes that could be expected to have significant Saturday or Sunday usage. Where five day routes operated on public holidays this was typically due to them serving university campuses that did not always observe public holidays. However the practice of universities not observing public holidays appears to be declining. 

Some five day routes have been upgraded to run seven days according to the standard pattern (which includes public holiday service). Route 551 between Heidelberg and La Trobe University was a recent addition, with 546 (also in Heidelberg) being upgrades some time prior. Route 802 in Dandenong has been funded to go from 5 to 7 days.  

Routes that justify upgrades to include weekend service include the likes 237, 774, 675, 783, 680, 609, 389, 758, 531, 823, 757 and 745. These are listed in descending order of weekday productivity here. 

* Good Friday and Christmas Day services

As these operate to a Sunday timetable the large number of bus routes in Melbourne that do not operate on Sundays do not run on these days.  

Since Sunday public transport usage is only slightly below that of Saturdays on routes with similar service levels, the rationale for a network entirely of routes that run either 7 days (for general routes) or 5 days (for specialised routes) is much stronger than current arrangements where a significant (though gradually diminishing) minority of Melbourne bus routes still operate 5.5 or 6 days per week. Unique sections of the bus network with such limited service is mapped below: 

Suburbs with concentrations of buses that don't run 7 days (despite having high usage potential and/or high social needs) include Laverton, Maribyrnong, Moonee Ponds, Brunswick, Campbellfield, Dandenong and Springvale. Frankston, Knox and much of the outer East also have very high concentrations of limited service bus routes with essentially no timetable upgrades this century. 

Summary

Catching buses on public holidays remains somewhat of a gamble in Melbourne as around 10 fixed bus routes that run 6 or 7 days per week do not adhere to the standard public holiday arrangements. However your odds of encountering one are diminishing thanks to gradual standardisation. The cost of finishing the job off is now trivial with better user legibility, simpler administration and fewer Transport Victoria data errors major benefits.  

After then further work to add Saturday afternoon and Sunday service would deliver a genuine 7 day public transport network across Melbourne for relatively little cost and finally end the widespread confusion bus passengers face each public holiday. 

Timetable Tuesday index

TT 246: The new October 25th bus timetables

Just three weeks after the October 4 bus upgrades, with benefits for Caroline Springs, more bus improvements are coming this Sunday, October 25.

These will give some welcome coverage and connectivity gains. I'll also describe some of the strange timetabling choices that boosted frequency at quiet times while retaining infrequent service when it's busier.   

140 Rockbank - Tarneit

The biggest change is undoubtedly the extension of the 140A, which since June has run from Rockbank to Mt Atkinson. The 140A was only intended as a temporary route to provide the first regular public transport to the hitherto unserved Mount Atkinson 'island'.  

While the 140A connected Mt Atkinson to Rockbank, there's nothing there except a train station. So travel to even a supermarket required a long trip involving changing to another service and sometimes significant backtracking. With there being much more at Tarneit than Rockbank the extended route will be warmly welcomed by the Mt Atkinson community and others. Transport Victoria's item on this extension is here. 

Now to the timetabling. Being Melbourne this inevitably involves a lot of history. Because even if timetables change remnants of past practice stubbornly peep through in certain places. Whereas no-one blinks if a Big Build project runs a few billion dollars over, bus timetables are more aggressively budgeted (a $100 000 pa difference may be significant). So DTP bus timetable planning is like trying to paint a wall with a litre less paint than you really need for a consistent finish. (That is unless they have enough for double coat on less visible parts of wall and single coat on more visible areas - but more on that later).

Having said that there have been wins. New growth area bus routes have recently been implemented with a wider span of hours than was the case a few years ago. For example a finish nearer to 11pm than 9pm and earlier starts on weekends. And, especially in Wyndham, they are also more likely to be every 20 minutes off-peak (at least on weekdays) than the previously typical 40 minute frequency. 

140A was an example with a weekday 20 minute frequency across most of the day. The longer 140 continues this but adds a 20 minute frequency for most of Saturday. That's an improvement from 5 to 6 days. But the budget didn't quite extend to Sundays. That will remain every 40 minutes even though Sunday bus usage is typically not much less than Saturday's these days. 

I raise this as a timetable oddity as this is not the only one to exist in this timetable change. While a new route, the 140's pattern of a 20 minute 6 day frequency with a 40 minute service on Sundays replicates 50+ year old routes in Melbourne's western and northern middle suburbs with similar service levels. Examples include 406, 408, 465, 472 and 527. These possibly reflect Saturday (or at least Saturday morning) being a working day and Sunday being the Sabbath and, from the 1960s to the early 1990s, regarded as being so quiet that it was a prime target for service cuts. 

The 2006 Meeting our Transport Challenge upgrades reversed this spiral. It introduced a minimum service standard and Sunday service on numerous bus routes 15 to 20 years ago. These typically involved Sunday service every 40 to 60 minutes, even on main road routes that ran every 15 to 20 min on weekdays and 20 minutes on Saturdays. 

The 2026 state budget included funding to remove this Sunday service fall-off on busy routes like the 508. Some new or upgraded routes in the west (eg 153, 154, 182 and 186) already have a Sunday service the same as weekdays and Saturdays (ie every 20 minutes).

In Craigieburn (another growth area that has seen some recent bus upgrades) the pattern is generally every 20 minutes weekdays, every 40 minutes weekends. Cranbourne and Clyde in the south-east is a mix between the two.

However in all cases Sunday frequency is the same as Saturday, unlike the 25 October Route 140 timetable which replicates old scheduling practices on a new route. The latter indicates the strictness of budgeting for service upgrades. Long gaps in a bus timetable can be tolerated for years (if not decades) as there is no budget for (say) $100 - $200k pa fixes whereas large blow-outs on major capital projects is accepted as part of life.     

A small part of Route 140 around Tarneit is shown on the Love the Bus map for the outer west but the exact start date is not indicated. Neither are there yet drop down links to the timetable for it nor the even higher service routes 463 and 464 that started earlier in the month.

It seems that no matter how many creative consultants they splurge money on, Transport Victoria can be its own worst enemy with an entrenched 'set and forget' attitude to content that undersells the network. As opposed to a best-practice culture that continually reviews material and messaging when improvements happen. It's not an isolated case either; buses have accepted credit card payment for months but Transport Victoria's Airport Travel page misleads tourists and others by still claiming that passengers need a Myki card to travel. 

542 7 day upgrade

One timetable oddity that will get fixed on October 25 concerns Route 542. This route runs from Roxburgh Park to Pascoe Vale via Broadmeadows. The northern half runs 7 days but the southern half  was 6 days per week with shorter operating hours.

2026 State Budget funding will extend 7 day service to the full route and improve Sunday frequency from 60 to 40 minutes, matching that on other days of the week. 

This improvement will benefit parts of Broadmeadows, Jacana, Glenroy, Oak Park and Pascoe Vale. But, true to form, Transport Victoria has left off mentioning the best parts of this upgrade (ie the 542's new and improved frequency Sunday service) on its website news item. 

Craigieburn's amazing new Saturday evening bus timetables

The 23 August rail timetable saw the Upfield and Craigieburn lines lose their 30 minute evening and 40 minute Sunday morning gaps in favour of a a 20 minute maximum wait. Most Craigieburn bus routes will have changed times to preserve connectivity to these more frequent train services.

For example 30 minute evening bus services, which harmonised with the earlier train timetable, will go to either 20 or every 40 minutes to preserve this harmonisation. A summary for a typical Craigieburn route (I've used the 533) is below.

The new timetables are better overall. But they enlarge some existing oddities and have aspects that are not intuitive. 

For example there is a general expectation (especially in Melbourne!) that public transport at night is less frequent than during the day, even at busy stations. Box Hill is an extreme case where the weekend evening train frequency collapses from 10 to 30 minutes in a short time around 7pm. 

Up to now the typical Craigieburn bus route ran a little more frequently (30 min) on Saturday nights than it did during the day (every 40 min). That is it connected with every second train during the day and every train at night. That oddity did not apply on weekdays due to the 20 minute interpeak bus frequency. The 40 min day/30 min night pattern is odd but you can accept that as the alternative (to harmonise with trains) would have been hourly evening bus services. 

The October 25 timetable change deals with weeknights and Saturdays differently. On weeknights the 30 minute average frequency was dealt with by increasing mid-evening service from 30 to 20 minutes but decreasing late evening service from 30 to 40 minutes. It could be described as a 'greatest good for the greatest number' type upgrade with good legibility across the day (apart from the non-clockfaceness of the 40 minute gaps late at night). 

In contrast the Saturday timetable was done differently. There was no 20 minute service to build down from. And a cut from 30 to 40 minutes (with no offsetting period of 20 minute service as was done on weekdays) was presumably thought too severe, even if it would harmonise with the new 20 minute evening train frequency.

So they opened the cheque book and funded an upgrade of Saturday evening service from every 30 to every 20 minutes until last buses (up to almost midnight). Every 20 minutes at this time is very frequent for a Melbourne bus, especially a local route. It even beats key train lines (such as Ringwood) and the SmartBus orbitals which remain with 30 minute Saturday evening frequencies. And the 20 minute Saturday evening service was not just implemented on busier bus routes like the 533 that run every 20 minutes interpeak on weekdays, but also lesser served routes like the 525 which runs a 40 minute weekday midday service. 

Another variation is the 532 between Broadmeadows, Dallas, Upfield and Craigieburn. This is potentially an important route as it has potential to be a rail precursor bus connection between Upfield and Craigieburn. The new timetable retains the midday 30 minute frequency (which does not meet trains every 20 min) but adds mid-evening trips to provide a 20 minute frequency (which does). Meanwhile Saturday service remains a non-harmonised every 30 min and Sundays only every 60 minutes.  

There is a certain appeal to having a homebound evening timetable that meets every train arrival with a bus. However having a 20 minute evening frequency while daytime service remains at 30, 40 and even 60 minute intervals sounds odd.  

And there may be some opportunity costs of this generosity if service is austere at other times. An example is weekends during the day where, unlike Wyndham with widespread 7 day 20 minute frequencies, not a single bus route in Craigieburn runs better than every 40 minutes. Redistributing service from Saturday evenings to weekends during the day on the busier routes (eg 529 and 533) might be somewhat controversial but may have a higher benefit overall. Possibly something to consider for the next timetable change after loading statistics become available.  

Other areas

Buses in other parts of Melbourne operated by CDC will have some minor timetable changes. These include routes in the west, north and south-east. 

It looks like some 6 day routes are getting a service on those public holidays that have a Saturday timetable. This can be seen on the pdf timetable where times are listed individually for each public holidays with holiday footnotes. Examples of 6 day routes that gain public holiday service include 407, 414 and 415.

Route 538 has public holidays listed in the timetable but the old template still (which omits footnotes). The Transport Victoria news item confirms 538 operation on public holidays. But there is a risk that not attending to this causes timetables at stops to correctly show the new times but not accurately show public holiday arrangements. 

Summary 

Some good bus service extensions, especially in Melbourne's north and west, will start this Sunday. These will be welcomed with new travel opportunities enabled. But some unusual choices have been made as to the times and routes that get 20 minute service and those that don't. Also, with less than a week to go, Transport Victoria has not communicated the upgrades as well as it could, marketing campaigns and consultants notwithstanding.  

See Timetable Tuesday items here

UN 252: Latest list of Melbourne bus routes by operator

Back in July 2025 I made a list of bus routes and operators following the commencement of new contracts on many routes. But two things have changed since then. Firstly some new routes have been added (and some deleted) and Kinetic has taken over Dysons routes. 

Route and operator list 

Below is a list of routes and operators for all non-school bus routes in metropolitan Melbourne:  

Route Route name Operator (as of October 25, 2026)

140 Rockbank Station - Tarneit Station Transit Systems

150 Williams Landing Station - Tarneit Station CDC

151 Williams Landing Station - Tarneit Station CDC

152 Tarneit Station - Williams Landing Station CDC

153 Williams Landing Station - Werribee Station CDC

154 Tarneit Station - Laverton Station CDC

160 Tarneit Station - Hoppers Crossing Station CDC

161 Hoppers Crossing Station - Werribee Station CDC

166 Hoppers Crossing Station - Wyndham Vale Station CDC

167 Tarneit Station - Hoppers Crossing Station CDC

170 Tarneit Station - Werribee Station CDC

180 Tarneit Station - Werribee Station CDC

181 Hoppers Crossing Station - Werribee Station CDC

182 Tarneit Station - Werribee Station CDC

186 Tarneit Station - West Tarneit Station CDC

190 Werribee Station - Wyndham Vale Station CDC

191 Werribee Station - Manor Lakes CDC

192 Werribee Station - Wyndham Vale Station CDC

194 Werribee Station - Wyndham Vale Station CDC

200 City (Queen St) - Bulleen Kinetic

201 Deakin University - Box Hill Station Ventura *

207 City (Queen St) - Doncaster SC Kinetic

215 Highpoint SC - Caroline Springs Kinetic

216 City (Queen St) - Sunshine Station Kinetic

220 Sunshine Station - Sunshine Station Kinetic

223 Highpoint SC - Yarraville Kinetic

232 City (Queen Victoria Market) - Altona North Kinetic

234 City (Queen Victoria Market) - Garden City Kinetic

235 City (Southern Cross Station) - Fishermans Bend Kinetic

236 City (Queen Victoria Market) - Garden City Kinetic

237 City (Southern Cross Station) - Fishermans Bend Kinetic *

241 North Melbourne - Yarra Bend Park Transit Systems

246 Clifton Hill - Elsternwick Kinetic

250 City (Queen St) - La Trobe University Kinetic

251 City (Queen St) - Northland SC Kinetic

270 Box Hill - Mitcham Kinetic

271 Box Hill - Ringwood Kinetic

273 Nunawading Station - The Pines SC Kinetic *

279 Box Hill - Doncaster SC/Templestowe Kinetic

280 Manningham loop Kinetic

281 Templestowe - Box Hill Kinetic *

282 Manningham loop Kinetic

284 Box Hill - Doncaster Park & Ride Kinetic

285 Doncaster Park & Ride - Camberwell SC Kinetic

293 Box Hill - Greensborough Kinetic

295 Doncaster SC - The Pines SC Kinetic 

301 La Trobe University - Reservoir Kinetic *

302 City (Lonsdale St) - Box Hill Station Kinetic

303 City (Queen St) - Ringwood North Kinetic *

304 City (Lonsdale St) - Doncaster SC Kinetic

305 City (King/Lonsdale Sts) - The Pines Kinetic

309 City (Queen St) - Donvale Kinetic *

318 City (King/Lonsdale Sts) - Deep Creek Kinetic *

343 Greensborough - Hurstbridge Kinetic *

350 City (Queen St) - La Trobe University Kinetic *

356 Epping Station - Wollert East Kinetic

357 Thomastown Station - Wollert West Kinetic

358 Epping Station - Wollert Kinetic

364 Ringwood Station - Warrandyte Kinetic

370 Mitcham - Ringwood Kinetic

381 Mernda Station - Diamond Creek Station Kinetic

382 Northland SC - Whittlesea Kinetic

383 University Hill - Palisades Kinetic

384 Whittlesea - Kinglake Kinetic

385 Greensborough - Mernda Station/Whittlesea Kinetic

386 Bundoora RMIT - Mernda Station Kinetic

387 Bundoora RMIT - Mernda Station Kinetic

388 Mernda Station Kinetic

389 Mernda Station Kinetic *

390 Craigieburn Station - Mernda Station Kinetic

400 Sunshine Station - Laverton Station Transit Systems / CDC

402 East Melbourne - Footscray Transit Systems

404 Moonee Ponds - Footscray Station Transit Systems *

405 Deer Park - Brimbank Plaza

406 Footscray - Keilor East CDC

407 Highpoint SC - Avondale Heights CDC *

408 St Albans Station - Highpoint SC CDC

409 Yarraville - Highpoint SC CDC

410 Footscray - Sunshine Station CDC

411 Footscray - Laverton Station CDC

412 Footscray - Laverton Station CDC

414 Footscray - Laverton Station CDC *

415 Williamstown - Laverton Station CDC *

417 Laverton Station - Laverton North CDC *

418 St Albans Station - Caroline Springs CDC

419 St Albans Station - Watergardens Station CDC

420 Sunshine Station - Watergardens Station Transit Systems

421 St Albans Station - Watergardens Station CDC

422 Sunshine Station - Brimbank Central SC Transit Systems

423 St Albans Station - Brimbank Central SC CDC

424 St Albans Station - Brimbank Central SC CDC

425 St Albans Station - Watergardens Station CDC

426 Sunshine Station - Caroline Springs Kinetic

427 Sunshine Station - Sunshine West Transit Systems

428 Sunshine Station - Sunshine West Transit Systems

429 Sunshine Station Kinetic

431 Yarraville - Kingsville Transit Systems *

432 Newport - Yarraville Transit Systems

439 Werribee Station - Werribee South CDC

441 Werribee Station - Westleigh Gardens CDC

443 Werribee Station (clockwise) - Werribee Station (anti-clockwise) CDC

444 Rockbank - Aintree Transit Systems

452 Melton Station - Eynesbury Bacchus Marsh Coaches

453 Melton Station - Melton Transit Systems

454 Melton Station - Cobblebank Station Transit Systems

455 Melton Station - Micasa Rise Transit Systems

456 Melton - Sunshine Station Transit Systems

457 Melton Station - Melton Transit Systems

458 Melton Station - Kurunjang Transit Systems

459 Melton Station - Arnolds Creek Transit Systems

460 Watergardens Railway Station - Caroline Springs Station CDC 

462 Watergardens - Caroline Springs CDC 

463 Watergardens - Caroline Springs CDC 

464 Watergardens Station - Rockbank Transit Systems

465 Essendon Station - Keilor Park CDC 

467 Moonee Ponds Station - Aberfeldie CDC 

468 Essendon - Highpoint SC CDC *

469 Moonee Ponds - Keilor East CDC 

471 Sunshine Station - Williamstown Transit Systems

472 Williamstown - Moonee Ponds Transit Systems

475 Diggers Rest - Sunbury Sunbury Bus Service

476 Moonee Ponds - Watergardens CDC 

477 Moonee Ponds - Broadmeadows Station CDC

478 Airport West SC - Melbourne Airport CDC

479 Airport West SC - Sunbury Station CDC

481 Sunbury - Mount Lion Sunbury Bus Service

482 Airport West SC - Melbourne Airport CDC *

483 Sunbury - Moonee Ponds Sunbury Bus Service *

484 Broadmeadows - Roxburgh Park CDC

485 Sunbury - Wilsons Lane Sunbury Bus Service

486 Sunbury - Rolling Meadows Sunbury Bus Service

487 Sunbury - Killara Heights Sunbury Bus Service

488 Sunbury - Jacksons Hill Sunbury Bus Service

489 Sunbury - Canterbury Hills Sunbury Bus Service

490 Airport West - Gowanbrae CDC *

494 Williams Landing Station - Point Cook South CDC

495 Williams Landing Station - Point Cook South CDC

496 Laverton Station - Sanctuary Lakes CDC

497 Williams Landing Station - Saltwater Coast Estate CDC

498 Laverton Station - Hoppers Crossing Station CDC

501 Craigieburn Station - Donnybrook Station CDC 

503 East Brunswick - Essendon Kinetic *

504 Moonee Ponds - Clifton Hill Kinetic

505 Moonee Ponds - Melbourne University Kinetic 

506 Westgarth - Moonee Ponds Kinetic *

508 Moonee Ponds - Alphington Kinetic 

509 Barkly Square SC - Brunswick West Kinetic *

510 Essendon Station - Ivanhoe Station Kinetic

511 Craigieburn Station - Mandalay CDC

512 Strathmore Station - East Coburg Kinetic *

513 Glenroy - Eltham Kinetic

514 Glenroy - Eltham Kinetic

517 Northland SC - St Helena Kinetic

518 Greensborough - St Helena West Kinetic

524 Donnybrook Station via Olivine & Peppercorn Hill CDC

525 Craigieburn Station - Donnybrook Station CDC

526 Coburg - West Preston Ventura *

527 Northland SC - Gowrie Ventura

528 Craigieburn Station - Craigieburn Central SC CDC 

529 Craigieburn Station - Craigieburn North CDC 

530 Campbellfield - Coburg CDC 

531 Upfield Station - North Coburg CDC *

532 Craigieburn - Broadmeadows CDC 

533 Craigieburn - Craigieburn North CDC 

534 Glenroy - Coburg CDC 

536 Glenroy - Gowrie CDC 

537 Craigieburn Station - Craigieburn West CDC 

538 Somerset Estate - Broadmeadows CDC *

540 Broadmeadows - Upfield  CDC

541 Broadmeadows Station - Craigieburn North (Mt Ridley Rd) CDC 

542 Pascoe Vale - Roxburgh Park CDC

543 Roxburgh Park - Craigieburn Central SC CDC

544 Craigieburn - Roxburgh Park CDC 

546 Heidelberg - Melbourne University Kinetic 

548 La Trobe University - Kew Ventura *

549 Northland SC - Ivanhoe Ventura *

550 La Trobe University - Northland SC Ventura *

551 La Trobe University - Heidelberg Ventura

552 Northcote Plaza - North East Reservoir Kinetic 

553 Preston - West Preston Kinetic 

554 Lalor - Thomastown Loop Kinetic

555 Epping Plaza SC - Northland SC Kinetic

556 Northland SC - Epping Plaza SC Kinetic

557 Lalor - Thomastown loop Kinetic

558 Reservoir - Reservoir Kinetic *

559 Thomastown Station Kinetic *

561 Pascoe Vale - Macleod Kinetic

564 Bundoora RMIT - South Morang Station Kinetic

566 Northland SC - Lalor Kinetic

567 Regent - Northcote Kinetic 

569 South Morang Station - Epping Plaza SC Kinetic

570 Bundoora RMIT - Thomastown Kinetic

577 South Morang Station - Epping Plaza SC Kinetic

578 Warrandyte - Eltham Station Kinetic

579 Warrandyte - Eltham Kinetic

580 Diamond Creek - Eltham Station Kinetic

582 Eltham Station loop Kinetic

600 St Kilda Station - Southland SC Kinetic

601 Monash University (Clayton) - Huntingdale Station CDC *

603 Burnley Station - Brighton Beach Station Kinetic

604 Anzac Station - Elsternwick Kinetic

605 City - Gardenvale CDC

606 Elsternwick Station - Fishermans Bend CDC

609 Fairfield - Kew/Hawthorn Kinetic *

612 Chadstone SC - Box Hill CDC

623 St. Kilda - Glen Waverley CDC

624 Kew - Oakleigh CDC

625 Elsternwick - Chadstone SC CDC

626 Middle Brighton - Chadstone SC CDC

627 Moorabbin - Chadstone SC Ventura

630 Elwood - Monash University CDC

631 Southland SC - Waverley Gardens SC Ventura

663 Lilydale - Belgrave Ventura

664 Knox City SC - Chirnside Park SC Ventura

668 Ringwood Station - Croydon Ventura

669 Ringwood Station - Croydon Ventura

670 Lilydale - Ringwood Ventura

671 Chirnside Park SC - Croydon Ventura *

672 Chirnside Park SC - Croydon Ventura *

675 Mooroolbark - Chirnside Park SC Ventura *

677 Lilydale - Chirnside Park SC Ventura *

679 Ringwood - Chirnside Park SC Ventura

680 Lilydale - Mooroolbark Ventura *

681 Knox City SC - Lysterfield Ventura

682 Knox City SC - Lysterfield Ventura

683 Chirnside Park SC - Warburton Martyrs

684 Eildon - Ringwood McKenzies

685 Healesville - Lilydale McKenzies

688 Croydon - Upper Ferntree Gully Ventura

689 Croydon Station - Montrose Ventura *

690 Boronia - Croydon Ventura

691 Waverley Gardens SC - Boronia Ventura

693 Oakleigh - Belgrave Ventura

694 Belgrave - Mt Dandenong Ventura *

695 Belgrave - Gembrook Ventura

696 Monbulk - Olinda Ventura *

697 Belgrave - Belgrave South Ventura *

699 Belgrave - Upwey Ventura *

701 Oakleigh - Bentleigh Ventura

703 Middle Brighton - Blackburn Ventura

704 Oakleigh - Clayton Ventura

705 Mordialloc - Springvale Ventura *

706 Mordialloc - Chelsea Ventura *

708 Hampton - Carrum Ventura

709 Mordialloc - Waterways Ventura

732 Box Hill - Upper Ferntree Gully Ventura

733 Oakleigh - Box Hill Ventura

734 Glen Iris - Glen Waverley Ventura

735 Box Hill - Nunawading Ventura

736 Mitcham - Blackburn Ventura

737 Croydon - Monash University Ventura

738 Knox City - Mitcham Ventura

740 Vermont East - Mitcham Ventura *

742 Ringwood Station - Chadstone SC Ventura

745 Bayswater - Wantirna /  Boronia Ventura *

753 Glen Waverley - Bayswater Ventura

754 Rowville - Glen Waverley Ventura

755 Bayswater - Knox City SC Ventura

757 Knox City SC - Scoresby Ventura *

758 Knox City SC - Knoxfield Ventura *

760 Seaford - Cranbourne Ventura

765 Mitcham - Box Hill Ventura

766 Burwood - Box Hill Ventura

767 Southland SC - Box Hill Ventura

770 Frankston - Karingal Ventura

771 Frankston - Langwarrin Ventura

772 Frankston - Eliza Heights Ventura *

773 Frankston - Frankston South Ventura *

774 Frankston - Delacombe Park Ventura *

775 Frankston - Lakewood Ventura

776 Frankston - Pearcedale Ventura *

777 Karingal  SC - McClelland Drive Ventura *

778 Kananook Station - Carrum Downs Ventura *

779 Frankston - Belvedere Ventura

780 Frankston - Carrum Ventura

781 Mt Martha - Frankston Station Ventura

782 Frankston - Flinders Ventura

783 Frankston - Hastings Ventura

784 Frankston - Osborne Ventura

785 Frankston - Mornington East Ventura

787 Safety Beach - Safety Beach Ventura *

788 Portsea - Frankston Ventura

789 Frankston Station - Langwarrin Cranbourne Transit

790 Langwarrin - Frankston Station Cranbourne Transit

791 Frankston Station - Cranbourne Station Cranbourne Transit

792 Cranbourne Station - Botanic Ridge and Pearcedale Cranbourne Transit

795 Cranbourne - Warneet Cranbourne Transit *

796 Cranbourne Station - Clyde Cranbourne Transit

798 Cranbourne Park SC - Clyde North Cranbourne Transit

799 Merinda Park Station - The Avenue Village SC Cranbourne Transit

800 Dandenong - Chadstone SC Ventura

802 Dandenong - Chadstone SC Ventura *

804 Dandenong - Chadstone SC Ventura *

811 Dandenong - Brighton Ventura

812 Dandenong - Brighton Ventura

813 Dandenong - Waverley Gardens SC Ventura

814 Dandenong - Springvale South Ventura *

816 Keysborough South - Noble Park Station Ventura

822 Chadstone SC - Sandringham Ventura

823 North Brighton - Southland SC Ventura *

824 Moorabbin - Keysborough Ventura

825 Moorabbin - Southland SC Ventura

828 Hampton - Berwick Ventura

831 Berwick Station - Kingsmere Estate Ventura

832 Frankston - Carrum Downs Ventura

833 Frankston - Carrum Downs Ventura

834 Berwick Station - Narre Warren Ventura

835 Berwick Station - Narre Warren Ventura

836 Berwick Station - Eden Rise SC Ventura

837 Berwick Station - Beaconsfield East Ventura

838 Fountain Gate SC - Emerald Ventura *

839 Berwick Station - North Berwick Ventura

840 Pakenham - Gembrook Ventura *

841 Narre Warren North - Cranbourne Ventura

842 Fountain Gate SC - Endeavour Hills SC Ventura

843 Dandenong Station - Endeavour Hills Ventura

844 Dandenong - Doveton Ventura *

845 Endeavour Hills - Dandenong Ventura

846 Berwick Station - Eden Rise SC Ventura

847 Casey Central SC - Berwick Ventura

848 Dandenong - Brandon Park SC Ventura

850 Dandenong - Glen Waverley Ventura

857 Dandenong - Chelsea Ventura *

858 Edithvale - Aspendale Gardens Ventura

861 Dandenong - Endeavour Hills Ventura

862 Dandenong - Chadstone SC Ventura

863 Endeavour Hills SC - Cranbourne West Ventura

881 Clyde North - Merinda Park Station Cranbourne Transit

885 Glen Waverley - Springvale Ventura

886 Mornington - Hastings Ventura

887 Frankston Station - Mornington Peninsula Ventura

888 Berwick Station - Clyde Ventura

889 Berwick Station - Clyde North Ventura

890 Lynbrook Station - Dandenong Station Cranbourne Transit

891 Fountain Gate SC - Lynbrook Station Cranbourne Transit

892 Dandenong Station - Casey Central SC Cranbourne Transit

893 Dandenong Station - Cranbourne Park SC Cranbourne Transit

894 Hallam  Station - Amberly Park Cranbourne Transit 

895 Fountain Gate SC - Narre Warren South Cranbourne Transit

897 Clyde North - Lynbrook Station Cranbourne Transit

898 Cranbourne Station - Clyde North Cranbourne Transit

899 Berwick Station - The Avenue Village SC Ventura

900 Stud Park SC (Rowville) - Caulfield Ventura/CDC

901 Melbourne Airport - Frankston Kinetic

902 Airport West - Chelsea Kinetic

903 Altona - Mordialloc Kinetic

905 City (King/Lonsdale Sts) - The Pines SC Kinetic

906 City (King/Lonsdale Sts) - Warrandyte Kinetic

907 City (King/Lonsdale Sts) - Mitcham Kinetic

908 City (King/Lonsdale Sts) - The Pines SC Kinetic

922 St Kilda Station - Southland SC Kinetic

923 St Kilda Station - Southland SC Kinetic

925 Pakenham Station - Officer South Ventura

926 Fountain Gate SC - Pakenham Station Ventura

927 Pakenham Station - Pakenham North Ventura

928 Pakenham Station - Cardinia Road Station Ventura

929 Pakenham Station - Pakenham North (Army Rd) Ventura


941 Night Network Sunshine - Watergardens Transit Systems * 

943 Night Network Watergardens - Melton Transit Systems * 

947 Night Network Footscray - Newport Transit Systems * 

949 Night Network Williams Landing - Altona Meadows loop Transit Systems * 

951 Night Network Brunswick - Glenroy Ventura *

953 Night Network Broadmeadows - Craigieburn Ventura *

959 Night Network City - Broadmeadows Ventura *

965 Night Network Lilydale - Healesville loop McKenzies * 

967 Night Network Glen Waverley - Croydon Ventura * 

978 Night Network Clayton - Dandenong Ventura * 

979 Night Network Clayton - Dandenong Ventura * 

981 Night Network Dandenong - Cranbourne Ventura * 

982 Night Network Dandenong - Cranbourne Ventura * 


FlexiRide Croydon Ventura * 

FlexiRide Lilydale Ventura * 

FlexiRide Melton Transit Systems

FlexiRide Mooroolbark Ventura * 

FlexiRide Rosebud Ventura * 

FlexiRide Rowville Ventura * 

FlexiRide Tarneit North CDC * 

Routes in bold run every 20 min or better during the day 7 days - See frequency map
(*) Does not run 7 days. Dedicated Night Network routes run early hours of Saturday and Sunday. 

Metropolitan Zero Emission Bus Franchise 2 coming up

What's the next change going to be? 

There are hardly any small operators left to swallow up.

But contractual changes are coming to about 40% of Melbourne's bus routes. Metropolitan Zero Emission Bus Franchise 2 (MZF2) has just opened for pre-qualification from interested operators. These will start in 2028. You can download details if you have a Tenders Victoria log in.

An index to all Useful Network items is here