A little different today. Instead of a whole lot of words it will be a video featuring the Route 970 Night Bus. Its last trip ran on Sunday departing from a terminus near home so it was too historical an occasion not to miss and document.
Route 970, which ran from Carrum to Rosebud, with some trips finishing at Mornington, will be replaced by extended hours on regular routes as part of Night Network bus reforms. These changes bring Melbourne more into line with other cities that have regular bus routes running 24 hours on weekends, providing a simpler service overall.
The route can trace its origins to the Frankston NightRider. This was one of the original NightRider buses of the late 1990s. It roughly followed the Nepean Hwy from the CBD with a deviation via Frankston North, Fraunkston Station then east to Karingal. Later the latter was dropped with it extending beyond Frankston to Mornington and then Rosebud. Instead of just being known as the 'Frankston NightRider', it, and other routes, got formalised numbers in the 900-series (which are rarely used for daytime buses).
A rebranding around 2008 saw NightRider services increased from every 60 to every 30 minutes. And the higher cash fares were discontinued in favour of them being brought into the integrated Metcard (later myki) system. At this time trains and trams didn't run so buses typically all departed from the CBD (or connected with those that did). 2016 saw the launch of Night Network, incorporating hourly services on all electrified Metro train lines and half-hourly service on six tram routes. The bus network was also reformed with more routes connecting with trains rather than starting in the CBD. However usage was often low, possibly due to public confusion with different routes operating late at night versus during the day. The network that starts this weekend is an effort to overcome this with some of the 900-series Night Bus routes (including the 970) being replaced by added services on regular routes (in this case the 833 between Carrum and Frankston and a shorter version of the 788 from Frankston).
Anyway enjoy the video. Please let me know if you'd like other 'Timetable Tuesdays' to be done in this format as it could become an occasional feature.
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