Community Bus Service
TRIAL TRANSPORT SERVICE FOR LOCAL COMMUNITIES
FOR TIMETABLE SELECT: TIMETABLE
ROUTE MAP
Pyalong, Tooborac, Clonbinane and Waterford Park residents are now able to access V/Line trains, shops, library and health services with the introduction of two trial community transport services in August 2011.
Each service operates one day a week during the trial period. On Monday, a bus service connects Clonbinane and Waterford Park to Wandong and Kilmore; on Thursday, a second bus service links Pyalong and Tooborac with Heathcote and Kilmore. Both services are timed to meet V/Line trains enabling passengers to spend half a day in Melbourne. The Thursday bus service makes it possible for Pyalong and Tooborac residents to travel to Bendigo on the McIvor Transit bus from Heathcote, and for Heathcote residents to travel to Kilmore for medical appointments or other reasons. The services are available to anyone for a gold coin donation for each single journey during the trial.
The community transport services are the result of a partnership between the Connecting Mitchell project, Wandong Bus and Coach, Comet Tours and Charters, Pyalong Neighbourhood House, Mitchell Community Resources and Advocacy Group and Wandong-Heathcote Junction Community Group. Connecting Mitchell's Project Worker, Jenny Sitlington, said that the services are being introduced in response to a survey of residents carried out last summer. "From the survey results, it was clear that many people had no way of getting to nearby towns" she said. "A lot of people don't have access to a car, can't afford taxis and they live in areas where there is no public transport. Without family or friends to help, there is the risk that they could fail to attend medical appointments, be unable to make essential purchases or miss out on social activities. Trialling the services will give us an indication of the level of community support and provide data that could be used to put in place something more permanent."
The new bus services have received strong support from local community organisations. "The residents desperately need transport services linking them to some of our closest towns," said Moira Waye, President of Pyalong Neighbourhood House. "Pyalong's ageing and widowed residents are in danger of becoming isolated without transportation and there are many young families where only one car is available to meet their needs," she said.
The Clonbinane/Waterford Park bus service commenced on Monday 1 August and the Pyalong/Tooborac service commenced on Thursday 4 August 2011. The services will pick up and drop off passengers at bus stops in each town, at railway stations, Kilmore and District Hospital, medical centres and other venues. Passengers with mobility problems who cannot get to a bus stop but who live within a reasonable distance of the bus route, may have the option of being picked up from home if they notify the bus operator no later than 6pm on the day before they wish to travel.
People can pick up a timetable from local outlets, neighbourhood houses, Council customer service centres, libraries, visitor information centres and the Kilmore and District Hospital. Alternatively, copies can be downloaded from http://www.connectingmitchell.org/ and http://www.wandong.vic.au/. If you would like to know more about the services, contact Connecting Mitchell on (03) 5734 6344 or call the community bus Project Worker on 0403 860 890 or email on jennys@mitchellshire.vic.gov.au.