BUS travellers in the Bellarine and Geelong regions deserve to know if the government intends to respond to negative timetable feedback, Western Victoria MP Simon Ramsay says.<\/p>\n
Mr Ramsay, the opposition parliamentary secretary for rural and regional transport, has asked Minister for Transport Jacinta Allan to implement an immediate review of the bus timetables to Victoria (PTV) regional network planning forums.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe people of Geelong and the Bellarine Peninsula need to know if there is any intention to listen and respond to their feedback on a new bus network,\u201d Mr Ramsay said.<\/p>\n
\u201cLast year, Public Transport Victoria promised more extensive, frequent, reliable and direct bus services, and for six months this has not been experienced by commuters.<\/p>\n
recently and said that her friends, a group of active seniors, were extremely disappointed with the new bus timetable and the fact that their feedback to PTV has not been acknowledged.<\/p>\n
\u201cSince the new loop route was introduced, it has taken her almost an hour, on two separate buses, just to get from her home in Highton to the closest major shopping complex in Belmont, only a few kilometres away; and this is not an isolated example.<\/p>\n
\u201cPublic Transport Victoria knows about this. PTV knows that long trips are hard on the elderly, but PTV is not listening.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Ramsay said a petition signed by more than 2,300 Bellarine Peninsula residents has added weight to the timetable\u2019s criticism.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have spoken out on the Bellarine bus schedule countless times since it was revealed that commuters would be stranded on the peninsula with 80-minute services from Portarlington, St Leonards and Indented Head,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe entire rollout process for this timetable was mismanaged from the start \u2013 done through the Christmas holidays \u2013 from the initial advertising and communication to public feedback and responses to changes, and, as we feared, no review or consultation for feedback has resulted in better outcomes for our communities.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe urgent action I seek is that Ms Allan undertakes an immediate review of the timetables and instructs PTV to provide more user-friendly timetables for bus users both in Geelong and on the Bellarine Peninsula.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
BUS travellers in the Bellarine and Geelong regions deserve to know if the government intends to respond to negative timetable feedback, Western Victoria MP Simon Ramsay says. Mr Ramsay, the opposition parliamentary secretary for rural and regional transport, has asked Minister for Transport Jacinta Allan to implement an immediate review of the bus timetables to […]<\/p>\n