Public transport for Alphington residents

Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (12:50:40) — My constituency question is for the Minister for Public Transport. My constituent is a resident of Alphington and is very concerned about public transport in her area. She has mobility issues and lives some distance from the Hurstbridge train line, so she is reliant on the 546 bus, which services Heidelberg Road. The 546 bus currently does not run on the weekends, nor does it run after 7.26 p.m. on weekdays. So she asks: with housing density increasing in the area, not to mention the paper mill development that will double the number of residents in the suburb, will the minister review this route and add evening and weekend bus services?

ANSWER:

The Andrews Labor Government recognises the important role that buses play in meeting the travel needs of people living in Melbourne’s outer suburbs, and regularly reviews the entire metropolitan bus network.

I have requested Transport for Victoria to continue to monitor bus Route 546 (Heidelberg-Melbourne University/Queen Victoria Market), and to consider this request as part of future bus planning in the area.