Timetable Tuesday #97: Frankston South's loopy 773

Nothing ever happens to buses in Frankston South. Well hardly ever. It's an area glossed over by almost every transport strategy anyone can remember. The local bus review from over 10 years ago was when it was last seriously reappraised. Parts got implemented. But nothing in Frankston South.    

Song only slightly downplays the extent of bus network reform in Frankston South

Frankston South is Frankston's preferred address. Especially if you like some land around your house and a secluded spot from the summer beach crowds. There's great walking trails, reserves and views in the area. It is also in the catchment of the highly regarded Frankston High School. It is in the seat of Frankston held by Labor's Paul Edbrooke MP. It is typically marginal but strengthened for Labor in the 2018 election.

Frankston South's walk score is 38 with only limited local shops. That makes walking a non-starter for most trips. Parts are somewhat hilly, restricting cycling. So if you are talking non-car transport then it probably has to be buses. Even though its sometimes large blocks and car dependence don't sound promising for buses, patronage productivity of local bus routes actually slightly beats the Melbourne average. 

The routes involved are a clump comprising 772, 773 and 774. We'll only talk about 773, the westernmost of these, today. 

Route description

773 is a short feeder route from Frankston South to Frankston Station. With a small loop at the bottom it looks slightly like a noose.  Its depiction is complicated by several route variations. The map just below is the new PTV website style. 

The next map is the old PTV style that I saved when their old website was active. As it's a more manually produced map it can be customised with different line styles and legends to reflect the route variations. And it has a couple. For instance in the Frankston CBD (two weekday interpeak trips) and in the south at Overport Rd where it extends south to do a large loop at school times. These, along with the single directional running of the nearby 772 and 774 make buses in the area confusing.

The local area map (below) shows the 773 in relation to other routes. To the west is an intensive service provided by the 781/784/785 group to Mornington/Mt Martha. To the east is the 772 and 774. These are unidirectional routes. 

Timetable

Like 772 and 774, the 773 is a limited service, daytime only route. Service is Monday to Saturday only. There is no Sunday service. 

Peak service is roughly every 30 to 50 minutes. Midday service is hourly. Saturday service is every 80 - 100 minutes. 

Click on the timetables for a clearer view. 

History

Route 773 can trace its history back to 1938. That's a long way back for a bus route so far from Melbourne. But recall that certain outer areas, such as parts of the outer east (eg Berwick and Belgrave) and south-east (eg Frankston and the Mornington Peninsula) were well established towns pre WW2 before suburban expansion crept up to swallow them. 

The maps below show that the route has gradually extended south. It has also got more complicated with the extensions being occasional trips. These complications need to be understood in conjunction with other complications on the 772 and 774. Hence any attempt to simplify these services must tackle all three routes. 

The timetables below show that the 773 has had some minor improvements in the last 30 years (mainly slightly later finishes). However it (and this part of Frankston South generally) missed out on the 2006 - 2010 minimum standards upgrades that gave many areas 7 day service at least every 60 min until 9pm. 

1993 (timetable via Krustylink)

2003 (timetable via Krustylink)

Usage

The 773 is as well used as (or slightly better than) the average bus in Melbourne. In 2018 it recorded 24 boardings per hour on both weekdays and Saturdays. This is above the 20 passengers boarding per hour that Infrastructure Victoria regards as a viable bus route. 

Nearby routes 772 and 774 are even busier on schooldays, with 33 and 37 passenger boardings per hour on respectively. This is likely due to the presence of the nearby Frankston High School. Usage of these two drops to a still respectable 23 for 772 and a very good 30 on 774. 773 is different in that it is slightly busier on school holidays. 773 is the busiest of the three routes on Saturday, partly as 774 has no Saturday service. 

Conclusion

What do you think should be done to the 773? Should it get 7 day service given its strong Saturday usage? Would it benefit from a stronger terminus, such as Mt Eliza as recommended in the local bus review? And is there scope to simplify the local network in conjunction with 772 and 774 for improved directness? Please leave any comments and ideas below. 

PS: An index to all Timetable Tuesday items is here.