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Melbourne, capital city of the State of Victoria, Australia, features an extensive bus network. While the city is better known for its (predominantly) inner-city tram network and radial train network, for many mcommuters in the middle and outer suburbs of Melbourne the primary mode of public transport is by bus. Unlike Melbourne's train and tram networks, up until the 1970s, buses in Melbourne were operated in a largely deregulated free market by private companies. As a result of this, the network is operated by a number of privately owned bus companies. A list of these companies is available here. Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... This article is about the Australian city; the name may also refer to City of Melbourne or Melbourne city centre (also known as The CBD). ... Capital City is a 60-minute television show produced by Euston Films that ran for 13 episodes in 1989 on ITV. This drama focused on the lives of investment bankers in London living and working on the corporate trading floor for the fictional international bank Shane-Longman. ... The states and territories of Australia make up the Commonwealth of Australia under a federal system of government. ... VIC redirects here. ... Autobus redirects here. ... Illustration of the backyards of a surburban neighbourhood Suburbs are inhabited districts located either on the outer rim of a city or outside the official limits of a city (the term varies from country to country), or the outer elements of a conurbation. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, also called The Seventies. ... Deregulation is the process by which governments remove selected regulations on business in order to (in theory) encourage the efficient operation of markets. ... A free market is an idealized market, where all economic decisions and actions by individuals regarding transfer of money, goods, and services are voluntary, and are therefore devoid of coercion and theft (some definitions of coercion are inclusive of theft). Colloquially and loosely, a free market economy is an economy... A private company is a company that is independently owned. ... This is a list of the numerous bus routes in Melbourne, Australia. ... . ...

Dysons Volgren bodied Mercedes-Benz O405NH route bus at Upfield railway station

Dysons Bus Services is a privately owned bus and coach operator in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ... A SBS Transit Volvo Super Olympian (Volgren-bodied) in Singapore. ... This page is about the Mercedes-Benz brand of automobiles and trucks from the DaimlerChrysler automobile manufacturer. ... Upfield is the terminus for the Upfield railway line. ...

History

Early history

Many of Melbourne's private bus operators began by running jitney style 7 seat-buses. The use of these small buses may be interpreted as an attempt to circumvent State government regualtion. While some of these early operators ran fixed routes or regular timetables, there was no State Government agency to regulate, or officially recognise these routes. Many attempted to compete with trams, running along tram routes but charging lower fares. Jitney may mean: A form of share taxi found in the United States and Canada. ...

Ventura was founded in 1924 by a war veteran named Harry Cornwall. Cornwall had been an employee of Track & Kintrack, an operator based in St Kilda, but decided to form his own bus company when his employer refused to let him run a bus service along dirt roads through what was then Melbourne's outer east. Cornwall began operating a bus route between Box Hill and the city, and later running buses along dirt tracks between Box Hill and Mentone, which roughly equates to the modern 700 bus route. Its first depot was the petrol station on the corner of Station Street and Canterbury Road, in Box Hill South. For the rap album, see 1924 (album). ... “The Great War ” redirects here. ... St Kilda is a inner city suburb of the Victorian capital of Melbourne, Australia. ... Box Hill South is a suburb of Australia, in the state of Victoria. ...

1925 saw the introduction of the first tramways buses, by the Melbourne and Metropolitan Tramways Board (MMTB). Their first bus routes ran down Swanston Street from La Trobe Street, and along Glen Huntly Road to Elsternwick Station. Year 1925 (MCMXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board or MMTB (officially M&MTB) was an authority that was responsible for the tram network in Melbourne, Australia beteeen 1919 and 1983. ...

After World War II other Australian cities began to replace their trams with buses, and by the 1960s Melbourne was the only Australian city with a major tram network (there is one tramline in Adelaide, and there are also trams in Bendigo). But Melbourne resisted the trend, partly because Melbourne's wide streets and geometric street pattern akes trams more practicable than in many other cities, partly because of resistance from the unions, and partly because the Chairman of the MMTB, Sir Robert Risson, successfully argued that the cost of ripping up the concrete-embedded tram tracks would be prohibitive. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... The 1960s decade refers to the years from the beginning of 1960 to the end of 1969. ... For other uses, see Adelaide (disambiguation). ... For the electoral division in the Australian House of Representatives, see Division of Bendigo. ... The Lawrence textile strike (1912), with soldiers surrounding peaceful demonstrators A trade union or labor union is an organization of workers who have banded together to achieve common goals in key areas such as wages, hours, and working conditions, forming a cartel of labour. ...

1950s - 1960s

Melbourne's bus operators, from the 1950s and 1960s onwards, began replacing jitneys with full-size buses.

Between 1952 and 1969, Ventura purchased Clarinda Transport, High Street Road Bus Service and Knibbs Bus Service. It also added a service between Blackburn and Clayton (roughly equivalent to the current 703 service), added Waverley and East Burwood services, and (in 1957) opened its Oakleigh South depot at the corner of Centre and Warrigal Roads. Also during this time-frame, Ventura closed its Box Hill South depot and replaced it with a new depot at Mahoney's Road, East Burwood. Year 1952 (MCMLII) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1969 (number) 1969 (movie) 1969 (Stargate SG-1) episode. ... Waverley is the name of several different things. ... Burwood East is a suburb of Melbourne, Australia, in the state of Victoria. ... Year 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar). ... Oakleigh South is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ... Burwood East is a suburb of Melbourne, Australia, in the state of Victoria. ...

During the 1960s, the MMTB took over services in the north-eastern suburbs, after the bankruptcy of the private operator. The services would eventually be onsold to the National Bus Company. The Tramways Board took the unprecedented step of running its buses to the same level of service as its trams - every 10 to 20 minutes until midnight seven days a week. The 1960s decade refers to the years from the beginning of 1960 to the end of 1969. ...

In 1969 Ventura purchased several bus routes around Mitcham from C Young. Also: 1969 (number) 1969 (movie) 1969 (Stargate SG-1) episode. ... Mitcham is a suburb of Melbourne, Australia, in the state of Victoria. ...

1970s

In 1970 Boronia Bus Lines was acquired by Ventura; the two purchases added 12 route services to the company.

Kefford Corporation entered the Victorian bus market in January, 1976, when it acquired Point Cook - Werribee Passenger Service Pty. Ltd. Kefford Corporation Pty. ... Year 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Regulation

The collapse of many bus companies led to State Government intervention in Melbourne's bus network in the 1970s. Buses would eventually fall under the responsibility of the Public Transport Corporation. The Public Transport Corporation would take over running ticketing for Melbourne's bus network, and would contract out the operation of routes to various private operators. The Public Transport Corporation was a State Government of Victoria owned corporate body that operated passenger and freight trains, trams and bus services in Victoria, Australia. ...

1980s

1980s built MAN SL200 ex-Met Bus National bus at Westfield Doncaster

Lindsay Thompson (born 15 October 1923), took over as Liberal Premier of Victoria from 1981 to 1982, after taking over from Rupert Hamer. In December 1981 Kefford Corporation expanded its bus business beyond Melbourne, when it acquired H. A. Davis Motor Service Pty. Ltd. in Ballarat. MAN AG (German: Maschinenfabrik Augsburg-Nürnberg AG, ISIN: DE0005937007) is a German transportation company. ... The National Bus Company, or NBC, was the Australian brand for National Express Groups mass transit bus services in Melbourne and Brisbane. ... Westfield Doncaster (sometimes referred to as Shoppo or simply Doncaster) is a shopping centre 50% owned by the Westfield Group and 50% owned by LaSalle Investment Management (as of August 2007) located in Doncaster, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ... Lindsay Hamilton Simpson Thompson AO CMG (born 15 October 1923), Australian Liberal politician, was the 40th Premier of Victoria from 1981 to 1982. ... is the 288th day of the year (289th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Image:Ac. ... AUGUST 25 1981 US Marine Sean Vance is Born on the 25th of August {ear nav|1981}} Year 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Gregorian calendar). ...

In March 1982, John Cain defeated the Liberals and formed the first Labor government in Victoria for 27 years. In July 1983, a new government body, the Metropolitan Transit Authority, was formed to integrate Melbourne's tram, train, and bus services. The Metropolitan Transit Authority, commonly known as "The Met", would manage Melbourne's bus network through its Bus and Tram Division, as well as operating the Tramways bus services. Year 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar). ... John Cain (born 26 April 1931), Australian politician, was Labor Premier of the state of Victoria from 1982 to 1990. ... This article is about the modern Australian political party. ... For the Jimi Hendrix song, see 1983. ...

Included in the reforms was the integration of bus, train, and tram tickets. From 1983 onwards, the State Government began collecting all revenue from the multi-modal tickets, with private bus operators receiving money for costs one month in advance. Unfortunately, the State Government had trouble increasing the fixed-ticket subsidies in line with inflation. The State Government would introduce a moratorium on new bus purchases, as well as make attempts at forcing the consolidation of the numbers of private bus operators, in attempt to overcome the subsidy problem. For the Jimi Hendrix song, see 1983. ...

Go or Grow

In an attempt to cut costs, the Cain Government wanted to reduce the number of private operators, while increasing the number of cross-city bus routes. At this stage, Melbourne's bus network (aside from the MET buses) was run by a large number of small, family operators which ran no more than a handful of routes each. The Cain Government reasoned that it would be more efficient, and cost effective, to have bus services provided by no more than about half a dozen large companies than dozens of small ones: larger operators would bring in economies of scale on bus purchases, repair costs, staffing, and would require fewer depots. The State Government also believed that it would be easier to negotiate contracts with a smaller number of large bus companies than with a large number of small bus companies. Thus the government put pressure on many of the small operators, in 1986, to either "Go or Grow." Year 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar). ...

In response to the State Government's "Go or Grow" policy, particularly between 1986 and 1988, there was a large amount of consolidation in the bus industry. 1986 saw Driver Bus Lines amalgamate with Shave Bus Service to form Waverley Transit. The consolidation of small family operators continued into 1987, when Ventura acquired Bentleigh Bus Lines, Rennies Bus Services, Willis Bus Services and Hawthorn Bus Services. As a result of these purchases, Ventura sold its East Burwood depot and replaced it with its larger Knoxfield depot. In August 1987, Kefford Corporation acquired the Bono Bus Services which served Footscray, Highpoint City, and East Keilor. Also in 1987, Cunningham Bus Lines (who operated route 503, Essendon to East Brunswick) was taken over by Moonee Valley Bus Lines. Year 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar). ... Driver is a privately owned bus and coach operator in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ... This article is about the year 1987. ... Burwood East is a suburb of Melbourne, Australia, in the state of Victoria. ... Knoxfield is a suburb of Melbourne, Australia, in the state of Victoria. ... Footscray is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, named after the English village of Foots Cray. ... Keilor East is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ... This article is about the year 1987. ...

The consolidations continued when, in January 1988, Kefford Corporation acquired Sitch Bus Services (which served Sunshine, North Sunshine, St Albans, Footscray, Yarraville, Altona, Laverton, and Williamstown), as well as Sinclair Bus Services (which served Monash University, Elwood, and Gardenvale). August 1988 saw Southland Bus Service (which operated the 645 Southland - Mentone - Sandringham, 652 Southland - Beaumaris, 654 Moorabbin - Dingley, 655 Chadstone - Murrumbeena - Southland, 656 Moorabbin - Clayton, and shared the 636 Chadstone - Hughesdale - Southland with Ventura) was taken over by the Grenda Group. Southland bus lines, along with other Grenda Group acquisitions including Blue & Silver Bus Lines, Hampton Red, Hampton Green, and Camden Bus Lines were amalgamated into Moorabbin Transit. St Albans is a suburb 18 km north-west of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia. ... Footscray is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ... Yarraville is an inner-western suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ... Altona is a south-western suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ... Laverton is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ... Royal Yacht Club of Victoria, Williamstown Nelson Place, a popular street to visit in Williamstown consisting of many cafés. ... Robert Menzies Building at the Clayton Campus Monash University is a public university with campuses located in Australia, Malaysia and South Africa. ... Elwood is a bayside suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ... Year 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar). ... Moorabbin Transit is a bus and coach operator in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ...

New Bus Moratorium

The bus operators now funded their operations via a State Government subsidy, partially funded by the sale of multi-modal Met Tickets (rather than each bus company issuing their own tickets). In another attempt to reduce costs beyond the 'go or grow' policy, the State Government refused to subsidise new capital investment into the private bus companies (for instance, spending on new depots) and put a moratorium on the subsidies on bus replacement. Any new additions to the fleets of bus companies would have to be covered out-of-pocket by the bus companies themselves. This policy led to the dilapidation of the bus fleet through the late 1980s and into the 1990s, though would later be lifted. Out-of-pocket expenses are direct outlays of cash which are not reimbursed. ...

Quince's

In 1988, the then Metropolitan Transit Authority called for tenders on all of Melbourne's bus routes. Prior to the completion of tenders, Met employees reportedly told Waverley Transit 'not to bother' entering tenders for some of their existing routes. At the completion of the tender process, 7 bus routes previously operated by Ventura, and 3 previously operated by Waverley Transit were tendered out to a company called Quince's, which had 60 buses used mostly for charter and school services. Year 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar). ...

In the case Waverley Transit V Metropolitan Transit Authority, Waverley Transit launched a Supreme Court challenge to the results of the tendering process. The verdict deemed that the State Government had acted inappropriately during the tendering process, and as the contract between the State Government and Quince's was illegal, thus restored the bus routes to Ventura and Waverley Transit. In the wake of this verdict, the Met launched an appeal, with Waverley Transit launching a counter-appeal; the cases lasted into the early 1990s. The final verdict of these cases pointed out that the licenses to operate bus routes, as well as the bus routes themselves, were legally the property of the respective bus companies and not the State Government.

In spite of this, Quince received the rights to operate a number of new cross-suburban bus routes cutting across a number of bus operator territories, including a route from Brighton to Lilydale.

1990s

By the 1990s Melbourne's public transport network was making huge losses and costing the Victorian state government many millions of dollars. In 1990 the Labor government of Premier John Cain tried to introduce economies in the running of the system, which provoked a long and crippling strike by the powerful transport unions in January 1990. When Cain resigned suddenly in August 1990, Joan Kirner was elected Labor leader and thus became Victoria's first (and, so far, only) female Premier. In October 1992 the Liberals came to power under Premier Jeff Kennett in a landslide, as a result of the public's complete disillusionment with the Labor government, which was held responsible for the state's economic and budgetary crisis. The Kennett Government pledged corporatisation of Melbourne's public transport network, however policy shifted to supporting the privatisation of the tram system in the wake of a series of public transport union strikes. For the band, see 1990s (band). ... This article is about the year. ... List of Premiers of Victoria Before the 1890s there was no formal party system in Victoria. ... John Cain John Cain (born 26 April 1931), Australian politician, was Labor Premier of the state of Victoria from 1982 to 1990. ... Joan Kirner Joan Elizabeth Kirner (born 20 June 1938), Australian politician, was the first female Premier of Victoria. ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... This article is about the modern Australian political party. ... Jeffrey Gibb Kennett AC (born 25 July 1948), Australian politician, was the 43rd Premier of Victoria (6th October, 1992 to 20th October, 1999). ... Privatization (sometimes privatisation, denationalization, or — especially in India — disinvestment) is the process of transferring property, from public ownership to private ownership. ...

Deregulation and Privatisation

Under the government of Jeff Kennett, the state government-run bus routes were privatised. Using the NationalBus brand, British operator National Express purchased the Public Transport Corporation's bus services in the Northern and Northeastern suburbs of Melbourne, centred around Doncaster. Jeffrey Gibb Kennett AC (born 25 July 1948), Australian politician, was the 43rd Premier of Victoria (6th October, 1992 to 20th October, 1999). ... The National Bus Company, or NBC, was the Australian brand for National Express Groups mass transit bus services in Melbourne and Brisbane. ... National Express coach on route 561 National Express is the brand under which the majority of long distance bus and coach services in the United Kingdom are marketed, and also the company that manages this network and operates some of the services. ... The Public Transport Corporation was a State Government of Victoria owned corporate body that operated passenger and freight trains, trams and bus services in Victoria, Australia. ... Doncaster is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ...

National Bus Company commenced operations on the 27th December 1993 with a fleet made up of former Government owned buses including MAN SL200s and Volvo B59s. The company acquired two depots located at Doncaster and Fitzroy North. The Volvo B59 is a rear-engined bus chassis produced by Volvo in Sweden from 1970 until 1980, which features a 10-litre straight-6 diesel engine. ... Doncaster is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ... Fitzroy North is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ...

In 1994, National introduced the first of 56 Mercedes-Benz LO812 mini buses. These buses were introduced under National's plan to introduce bus services in local areas previously not serviced by bus routes. Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) The year 1994 was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by the United Nations. ...

In addition, between 1997 and 2005, National has undergone extensive fleet modernisation programs in order to phase out Volvo B59s and early model MAN SL200s. This has involved the purchase of 68 Mercedes-Benz O405 series buses along with 53 low floor MAN AG buses. The Volvo B59 is a rear-engined bus chassis produced by Volvo in Sweden from 1970 until 1980, which features a 10-litre straight-6 diesel engine. ... O405 in Viernheim, Germany A SBS Transit Mercedes-Benz O405 in Singapore. ... MAN AG (German: Maschinenfabrik Augsburg-Nürnberg AG, ISIN: DE0005937007) is a German transportation company. ...

A 1997 press release from then Transport Minister Robin Cooper announced that a consortium of Reservoir Bus Company and Dyson's Bus Services were the preferred bidders for the remainder of the Public Transport Corporation's bus routes (particularly in the inner city). In 1998, the routes were sold to the consortium, which operated under the name Melbourne Bus Link. For the band, see 1997 (band). ... Robert Popper is the co-creator of the mock BBC documentary Look Around You, in which he also plays the part of Jack Morgan. ... Reservoir Bus Company is a privately owned bus operator in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ... Dysons Bus Services is a privately owned bus and coach operator in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... Melbourne Bus Link is a Melbourne bus company. ...

In 1998, Quince's lost their bus routes. Ironically, Quince's long cross-suburban bus routes were broken up, with sections divided between Ventura and Driver (for instance, the Monash University - Brighton leg of one Quince's route became part of Ventura route 703, the Glen Waverley - Mitcham section became part of Ventura route 736). Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ...

2000s

National Bus Company MAN 15.220

In 2000, Ventura purchased Mount Dandy Bus, while in June of that same year, Kefford Corporation acquired Geelong's Benders Buslines. In September 2003, Dyson's Bus Services acquired the Nixon Group, which was the parent company of Bell Transit, Cobb & Co., and Rambler Tours. The National Bus Company, or NBC, was the Australian brand for National Express Groups mass transit bus services in Melbourne and Brisbane. ... MAN AG (German: Maschinenfabrik Augsburg-Nürnberg AG, ISIN: DE0005937007) is a German transportation company. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... - - Nickname: City by the Bay Geography Area: 1,240 km² Coordinates: Time Zone UTC +10:00 Population (2003) 200,067 Among Australian cities: Density: persons/km² Political Mayor: Shane Dowling Governing body: City of Greater Geelong Geelong is a port city of 200,067 people (2003 census) located on Corio... Benders low floor bus in service in Geelong Benders Busways is a privately owned transport company in Geelong, Victoria. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Dysons Bus Services is a privately owned bus and coach operator in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ... Cobb and Co is the name of a transportation company in Australia. ...

2002 saw the sale of Sandringham Charter Coaches to the Dineen Group, it now operates under the Sandringham & Brighton Coaches brand. Also see: 2002 (number). ...

In 2004, Ventura purchased the National Bus Company from the National Express Group for A$45 million, becoming the largest private bus operator in Melbourne. While the company has announced that it will continue to use the National Bus Company brand until bus contracts come under re-tender in 2007, new National Buses are painted in the Ventura livery. Through National Express, ventura purchased what remains of the old government fleet, which is often of particular interest to railfans, though this section of the fleet will be phased out over the coming years. Also in 2004, in September, Chris' Coaches (which also traded under the 'Melbourne on the Move' brand, and formerly operated Hope Street Bus Line) changed its name to Olympic Coaches. Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The National Bus Company, or NBC, was the Australian brand for National Express Groups mass transit bus services in Melbourne and Brisbane. ... National Express Group plc (LSE: NEX) is a UK-based transport group that operates airport, bus and rail services in the UK, the US and Canada, Australia, Spain, Portugal and Morocco and long-distance coach routes across Europe. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... Railfans practicing their hobby at Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Recent developments

Since the Kennett Government left office in 1999, a number of new policy initiatives have been undertaken in regards to Melbourne's bus network, as spelled out in the Melbourne 2030 and Melbourne Transport Plan documents. Jeffrey Gibb Kennett AC (born 25 July 1948), Australian politician, was the 43rd Premier of Victoria (6th October, 1992 to 20th October, 1999). ... Events of 2008: (EMILY) Me Lesley and MIley are going to China! This article is about the year. ... Melbourne 2030 is a Victorian Government urban planning blueprint for the metropolis of Melbourne covering the period 2000-2030 in which the population of the urban area is expected to grow to just under 5 million people. ...

These include:

• Improvements to passenger information through Metlink signage

• The introduction of higher-frequency cross-suburban SmartBus routes

• Proposals for a series of orbital bus routes, based on existing and proposed SmartBus routes.

• Progressively upgrading 250 local routes to specified minimum service levels by the state government's Department of Infrastructure. These upgrades will mean that most local routes will run until at least 9 pm seven days a week. [1]

This article is about the Melbourne public transport network. ... Judicial High Court Lower Courts Constitution State and territory governments Executive Governors and Administrators Premiers and Chief Ministers Legislative Parliaments and Assemblies State electoral systems ACT - NSW - NT - Qld. ...

SmartBus

Main article: SmartBus

A policy initiative of the former Kennett government, the first SmartBus service begun on 5th August 2002 under the former Victorian Premier, Steve Bracks. SmartBus seeks to eventually establish a series of key suburban bus routes, and orbital bus routes, around Melbourne. The SmartBus program was originally a policy initiative of the Kennett Liberal (conservative) state government of Victoria, Australia in the late 1990s. ... Stephen Philip Bracks (better known as Steve Bracks) (born 15 October 1954), Australian politician, was the 44th Premier of Victoria, holding the position for eight years, from 1999 to 2007. ...

Key aspects of this program include longer operating hours, higher service frequency, improved information at bus stops, wheelchair accessible services and priority at traffic lights. Current Melbourne SmartBus routes are the 700 Box Hill - Mordialloc via Holmesglen, Chadstone Shopping Centre, Oakleigh Railway Station and Mentone Railway Station; 703 Middle Brighton - Blackburn via Bentleigh Railway Station, Clayton Shops and Railway Station, Monash University, Syndal Railway Station and Forest Hill Chase Shopping Centre; 888/889 Nunawading - Chelsea via Forest Hill Shopping Centre, Glen Waverley Railway Station, Brandon Park Shopping Centre, Springvale Railway Station, Keysborough, Chelsea Heights (889), Edithvale Railway Station (888), and the 900 Caulfield - Rowville/Stud Park S/C via Chadstone Shopping Centre, Oakleigh Railway Station, Huntingdale Railway Station, Monash University, and Waverley Park.

SmartBus services typically run every 15 minutes on weekday, 30 minutes during evenings (hourly beyond 10pm on routes 703 and 888/889) and every 20 to 40 minutes on weekends. The last SmartBus services depart around midnight on weeknights, except on weekends, when services finish earlier, an example could be the 703 and 888/889 weeknight services compared to Saturday/Sunday. The final 703 departing Blackburn is 12:04am, while on Saturdays, the final service is 9:00pm, and on Sundays, the final service is 8:40pm. On the 888/889, the final service to depart Nunawading on a weeknight is 11:35pm, on Saturdays 8:23pm while on Sundays, 8:30pm. The southern portions of routes 703, 888 and 889 are not considered part of SmartBus and may receive less frequent services. An extreme example of this is the 703 does not run to/from Middle Brighton on Sundays and Public Holidays. All Sunday and Public Holiday 703 services terminate early at Bentleigh Railway Station.

SmartBus 900, the newest route, is the first truly dedicated SmartBus service. This service only stops at dedicated stops along the route from Caulfield railway station to Stud Park shopping centre in Rowville. SmartBus 900 was introduced to alleviate some of the pressure on the State Government to introduce a rail service to Rowville.

Criticism

The Melbourne bus network is less developed than either the train or tram system. Buses in Melbourne have the (often justified) reputation of being a poorer transport mode and are frequently criticised on many grounds. The main points of such criticism usually include:

• The lack of network-wide planning. New services are often grafted on without changes to existing services. This can lead to wasteful duplication in some areas while other areas go without service. The little planning that does happen appears to be based on a single route or operator rather than a region.

• Slow and indirect routes. Walking is often faster than waiting for and riding on a bus due to a combination of circuitous routes and poor service frequencies. In addition the bus system is riddled with anomalies such as occasional deviations, early finishing, varying public holiday arrangements and some operators imposing reduced service 'summer timetables'.

• Poor days and hours of operation. The majority of Melbourne bus routes finish at around 7 pm on weekdays, 6 pm Saturdays and do not run at all on Sundays, making them unsuitable for modern travel, working and shopping patterns. This has been recognised by the State Government, which is now introducing minimum service standards so that most local routes will operate until 9 pm seven days a week.

• Poor service frequency. Many bus routes operate at a frequency of 40 minutes or hourly, even during peak hour. Where it is provided, weekend and evening service is typically no better than hourly. As a result passengers must plan trips to avoid long waits, and in some cases poor connections between services make them unavoidable.

• No correlation between service levels and route importance or passenger demand. Melbourne is filled with examples of frequent bus services serving quiet back-streets (example, Route 509, which is a useless route with a 20 minutely service from 6am-6pm), while those serving major trip generators are less frequent (example route 665). This is a reason of historical factors and the lack of network-wide planning mentioned above.

• Lack of timetable and service co-ordination. Even on the premium 'SmartBus' routes, it is not uncommon for service intervals on buses not to match trains (for instance buses every 30 minutes attempting to connect with trains every 20 minutes). Hence passengers are continually juggling timetables to find a service offering the best connection.

• Missing or out of date passenger information at bus stops. Unlike the tram system, where all stops have current timetables, timetables at bus stops are often either missing, out of date or do not include details for all routes that serve the stop. Information is also presented in a confusing array of formats, which is now being standardised under the Metlink project.

See also

• List of Victorian Bus Companies
• List of Melbourne bus routes
• Transportation in Australia
• Transport in Melbourne

. ... This is a list of the numerous bus routes in Melbourne, Australia. ... Transport in Australia is a highly significant part of the infrastructure of the Australian economy, since the distances are large and the country has a relatively low population density. ... A ferry operating on the Yarra River // Public transport Melbourne is served with a robust public transportation network. ...

External links