Service upgrades promised in $160m Coalition Bus Plan

The Liberal-National Coalition is the first of Victoria’s major political groupings to propose specific upgrades for the state’s neglected bus network. The Better Bus Routes package, worth $160m over 4 years, proposes to deliver at least 45 new or expanded bus services across the state.  

Key statements from the release include: 

“Commuters understand the frustration of train and bus services not being in sync, so we will increase bus frequencies to match train timetables and allow for a more seamless journey.”

“People shouldn’t have to rely on taxis or rideshare services to get to a train station, a bus should get them there”

The Coalition's 5-page 65 point bus plan is route-level specific on the upgrades proposed. There is a strong regional focus with half the initiatives devoted to bus services outside Melbourne. 

The level of detail and its advance release (three weeks before the election) is a welcome change from 2018. Back then neither major party said much about buses. The opposition Coalition was hardly trying with a vague one-page release coming out on election eve and nothing specific that candidates could sell to voters. This time they've learned their lesson with specific route by route upgrades communicated in sufficient time for voters to consider their merits. 

So how good are the Coalition's bus policies? If the Coalition were to win and all were implemented in the next term they would represent much faster bus reform than we've seen in the last few years. This is because Labor's emphasis has overwhelmingly been on 'Big Build' infrastructure projects rather than service for most of its time in office. 

I will go through the Coalition's metropolitan proposals one by one, with a quick summary of the benefits and/or alternatives. 

METROPOLITAN

1. Sunday service on Route 414 Laverton - Footscray. Welcome service upgrade in poorly serviced parts of Kingsville and Laverton.  

2. Sunday service on Route 415 Laverton - Williamstown. Also welcome, providing 7 day service to isolated parts of Altona and adding all-week direct connection to Williamstown. 

3. Sunday service on Route 479 Airport West - Melbourne Airport - Sunbury. Not sure what is meant here as there is already 7 day service on this route. However weekend service is very token, with just 2 trips per day. However if Route 479 was boosted to run hourly on weekends then it could improve 7 day connectivity between the 59 tram and Melbourne Airport in conjunction with the hourly Route 478 if it was scheduled to provide a combined half-hourly service (as runs on weekdays). 

4. Deliver a FlexiRide service for Sunbury. This could remove some coverage gaps in a growing area. To the Coalition's credit the FlexiRide proposed will run 7 days. However the Labor government has recently announced a new Diggers Rest - Sunbury Route 475 which should provide some new coverage in the area. 

5. Review bus routes in the Melton area with a view to increasing routes and services in the Eynesbury and Thornhill Park areas. Melton certainly needs a bus network review as, unlike Wyndham and Cranbourne, it hasn't had one for many years. Consequently I'd prefer that its scope includes established as well as growth areas with the aim being to provide service levels in Melton that more comparable with those currently running in Cranbourne and Wyndham. Ideas here.   

6. Extend Route 463 down Aspire Bvd. This is a route from Watergardens that provides coverage in the rapidly-growing Fraser Rise area. An extension is much needed and would improve local bus coverage. 

7. Greater frequency on Route 461 from Caroline Springs to Watergardens. A significant route in the Caroline Springs area serving areas where bus routes are quite widely spaced. A 7 day frequency upgrade here would be most welcome, especially if it was every 20 min to mesh well with trains.   

8. Increase Route 512's span of hours and introduce Sunday service. This is a fairly quiet route in the Coburg area. Not my first choice for 7 day service in the north (I'd boost 503 and/or 506 first) but a 7 day upgrade will still be beneficial. The state government's just-started northern bus reform review will cover the 512's neighbourhood. 

9. Review all bus services in the Wyndham municipality to accommodate demand due to population growth. Thanks to new networks in 2013 and 2015 the 'bones' of this network are better than those in many other parts of Melbourne. However growth means there's scope for extra residential area coverage and direct connections to key employment areas like Laverton North. Plus the high boardings / km productivity of existing routes mean that many deserve 20 rather than 40 min off-peak and weekend frequency. There is also scope for longer operating hours with no reason why key routes cannot operate as SmartBus style services such as run in many eastern suburbs. A review of the Wyndham network against these points it thus highly desirable (provided that there are resources to implement its recommendations). More discussion on this here.     

10. Route 624 frequency upgrade on weekends and weekdays. Highly desirable - in parts. An upgrade of the Kew - Caulfield portion would fill in a major north-south missing link in the transit network. However other parts of the 624 route need reform or even deletion as it is so complex and confusing. The best value for money in the area is likely to come from a Caulfield reform package comprising upgrading the Kew - Caulfield portion of the 624, extending the 734 to Caulfield and merging the Caulfield - Chadstone part of the 624 with a reformed and upgraded Route 623.    

11. New Sunday service on Route 407. Route 407 is not the most productive bus route without Sunday service but its upgrade is still beneficial, improving access to the popular Highpoint Shopping Centre. 

    

12. Increase frequency of Route 841 to every 20 min. This is a main road route serving popular transport hubs and destinations in the south-east including Cranbourne, Narre Warren and Fountain Gate. A welcome upgrade in a poorly served area, especially if the 20 minute service applies 7 days.  

  

13. Extend routes 791, 795, 796, 798 to new residential estates in the Clyde area. Not sure about this one. The current Labor government has recently extended some routes in this area. Personal view is that 791, at least, should be left as is. Due to high growth area needs a review of buses as there are many routes that are either infrequent, overlap one another or finish at inconvenient dead-end locations. 

14. Extend Route 898 to link Casey Fields with Cranbourne.  Yes, there should probably be a bus connection here but I'm not sure if Route 898 is the best route to accomplish this. I'd leave this to a local bus review rather than being too prescriptive here. 

15. New express bus between Box Hill and Glen Waverley via Deakin University. Previously announced. There may be some overlaps with other routes but these are major destinations so it should get reasonable to high usage. Three destinations mentioned will be linked by the proposed Suburban Rail Loop so this route is arguably a form of 'SRL SmartBus' that I've written about previously.  

16. Increase service on Route 800 to 7 days per week until 9pm with increased frequency on weekends. Route 800 is the most used and most important bus route in Melbourne without 7 day service. It serves major destinations and transport hubs including Chadstone, Oakleigh, the Monash precinct and Dandenong. There are also many low income residents in areas like Noble Park North and Dandenong who would benefit from a boost to this route. These reasons (and more) make the 800 a top priority for upgrade. The Coalition has taken the lead here on boosting this route that runs right past the premier's electorate office. Labor has no excuse not to at least match this given the case for upgrading is so strong.  

17. More buses between Wonga Park and Croydon particularly around school times. 

18. Expanded bus routes through Wonga Park with specific destinations mentioned including Doncaster, Warrandyte and Ringwood. Not sure what is in mind here. The bus network certainly needs a wider review with some basics like 7 day service needed. However existing patronage, demographics and population growth makes the area a lower priority to put large amounts of bus resources in than service-starved districts such as Greater Dandenong, Knox and some growth areas.   

19. Inclusion of Ringwood Station and Doncaster Park & Ride in any expanded routes. Again not sure of proposals here. However there is certainly a need for improved bus coverage near Ringwood along corridors such as Eastfield Rd. Maroondah Hospital also needs simpler routes and better connections, as previously described here.

20. Upgrade service on Route 542 and extend service to Pascoe Vale on Sundays. A welcome upgrade. 542 is an oddity in that only half the route runs 7 days. It's one of the many things that makes buses in Melbourne so complex to explain and catch. Like many bus initiatives fixing it is more about working the existing bus fleet harder rather than having to buy new buses. Thus it's low cost but there has been scant interest by recent governments to fix even issues like this. 

21. Upgrade frequency and bus priority on bus routes 525 and 541. These well-chosen upgrades would deliver major connectivity benefits in northern suburbs including Meadow Heights, Roxburgh Park, Craigieburn, Mickleham and Donnybrook. The extra service should get good use as Craigieburn is a growth area with dense housing and high bus usage.       

22. Upgrade span of hours on weekends for routes 536 and 538 in line with other routes. So good that the Coalition are now seeing the social and transport needs around areas like Hadfield and residential Campbellfield in a way that Labor has neglected to do so over many years. Route 536 is up there with the 800 (also proposed for upgrade) as being one of the busiest bus routes without 7 day service. Thus it is an extremely worthy inclusion for upgrade. Route 538 is somewhat quieter but its upgrade would bring much overdue 7 day service to isolated and low-income residential Campbellfield. These areas have historically been safe Labor seats but the relationship has all been one-way, especially with regards to bus services. If Labor wishes to consider itself a contributor rather than a safe-seat exploiter then it will need to match if not exceed the Coalition promises in seats like Broadmeadows and Dandenong with respect to essential local services such as buses. 

    

23. Extend Route 561 to major hub / interchange Watsonia/Greensborough to boost patronage. A good idea as the 561 currently has a weak terminus at Macleod. An extension would improve access to La Trobe University and provide an east-west route between key destinations. It runs every 20 minutes on weekdays but ideally its weekend service should be boosted from 40 to 20 minutes to make it more useful 7 days. 

24. Upgrade frequency on routes 517, 555, 556, 566 and 567 to match the train timetable. Another good (and overdue) initiative that hits Labor in an area where its past performance has been poor. Right now these routes run every 22 - 25 minutes off-peak with timetables that are neither easy to remember nor harmonise with trains every 20 min. Boosting to every 20 minutes would make these services more serviceable and better connected. To be fair the Labor government has started a bus network reform review for the northern suburbs which should also address these issues. Thus there now appears to be welcome bipartisan support to fix problems that should have been resolved years ago.  

25. Night services on Routes 356, 381, 388 and 564 to connect with trains at Epping, South Morang and Mernda. Not clear whether this is additional services or a retimetabling of existing services. There are cases where it is difficult to schedule buses to connect well with trains at multiple stations in both directions. In some cases bus timetables can be optimised but improved train frequency is the best bet of improvement with other side benefits as well. Mernda trains run every 30 minutes at night versus every 10 minutes (weeknights) for Dandenong trains and 20 min for Frankston and Werribee trains. 

26. High frequency service connecting Epping North and Wollert with Mernda train line at Lalor Station with bus priority on Edgars Rd. Expectations about a train line to Wollert have been raised but never delivered. A fast and frequent bus could be the next best thing. Wollert is a growth area that needs better transport services so the Coalition's promise to do something here is welcome. I discussed Wollert bus rapid transit in my item on bus wormholes.  

27. Introduce a bus in Wollert East along Salt Lake Bvd. A bus here could be a welcome coverage gain for a growth area. 
  

28. Introduce bus services in new estates in Wollert.  Also good. 

  

29. Upgrade bus routes 781 and 785 to better service several retirement villages in Mornington East area. Not sure about this specific proposal but the Frankston South/Mt Eliza/Mornington area has significant bus coverage issues and a network review is desirable. Such a review should be considered in the context of a cross-peninsula bus (30). 

30. Introduce a new express bus route between Hastings and Mornington. There has long been advocacy for a cross-peninsula bus. The Hastings/Mornington area also has issues with bus network coverage generally. It may be easier to address these coverage problems at lower cost if any cross-peninsula route was not express. Serving more stops would also make the cross-peninsula route useful for those making local trips to Hastings and Mornington, and thus assist the route's viability (as past limited service cross-peninsula routes had failed due to low usage). 

31. Introduce additional evening and weekend service from Lilydale to Healesville on Route 685. A good idea as weekend service (especially) is so limited. The government is currently working on Healesville area plans to deliver Route 685 improvements along these lines. 

32. Introduce new peak services in the Kilsyth area to serve the industrial area and provide direct linkages to railway stations. Better connections to jobs definitely desirable. However I'd be looking at this in the context of a wider bus network review rather than as a stand-alone initiative. This may allow more useful all-day rather than peak-only service to be provided.

33. Undertake a whole of network review for the Lilydale area with longer hours and 30 minute minimum weekday frequency. A good idea for an area in which bus services have been largely stagnant for many years. This is best done in conjunction with rail timetable reforms that deliver maximum 20 min waits for Belgrave and Lilydale trains. That could allow key bus routes to run every 20 minutes over a more extensive network than now. The service backlog in the outer-east justifies a wide review area, including the triangle between Ringwood, Lilydale and Belgrave, extending south to the Knox area.    

34. Introduce a new direct peak service between Healesville, Yarra Glen and Warburton with Lilydale Station. Presumably two routes. Personally I'd look at boosting frequency as a higher priority than express services. The government is currently doing a review on Healesville area buses. 

REGIONAL

I won't go through these individually, except to say there are a lot of good initiatives that add coverage and/or boost frequency. These should make buses in many parts of regional Victoria more useful for more people. The bus network reviews in places like Wodonga, Shepparton and Wangaratta are especially welcome. 

Geelong and the Bellarine Peninsula also have a strong program of service upgrades, including on weekends. These would make a big difference to the ease of getting around. The only negative point in the plan is the policy to relocate Geelong's Moorabool St bus interchange. Other locations have been tried but the current spot is likely the most convenient for bus access and interchange. 

Conclusion

The Coalition has made a welcome contribution to the election campaign with a serious plan to upgrade bus services across Melbourne and regional Victoria. They have helpfully been quite specific with many proposals. And they have released the policy in good time for voters to discuss and consider. 

The content is pretty good. It sets a standard others should follow. However, especially given they propose to scrap the Suburban Rail Loop, I'd have liked more 'big bus' upgrades featuring more fast and frequent SmartBus-style routes in middle and outer Melbourne. These would be particularly useful in areas like the outer west, outer north and outer south-east along with denser inner and middle job-rich areas. My Future Frequent Network is one such concept. Still, the Coalition's plan includes many worthwhile upgrades to popular but long-neglected routes that have long deserved attention.  

It's now over to the other parties to declare their vision for buses and transport services generally. To date neither Labor nor Greens have been very specific. I think they should be. I suggest they borrow the best from the Coalition and add some of their own. This will enable electors in 2022 (unlike 2018) to have several strong transport service related policies from key parties to compare.