Threat to bus service

– Dion Teasdale
UPPER Yarra residents are being urged to show their support for the East Warburton bus service before it is terminated because of poor patronage.
The service started a six-month trial period in August last year and connects East Warburton to Warburton.
Martyrs Buses operations manager Peter Jennings said the response to the service, which operates four times a day Monday to Friday and twice on Saturdays, was disappointing.
“Patronage on the service is significantly below that of other regular bus services along the Warburton Highway,” he said.
“If patronage remains at current levels, the continuation of the service will be in jeopardy.”
He said the poor patronage was particularly disappointing because the community, the bus company and Gembrook MP Tammy Lobato fought hard for the service improvement.
“A petition calling for a bus service connecting East Warburton to Warburton collected about 500 signatures,” he said.
“Now we need the people who signed the petition for this service to get out and use the it, otherwise they’ll lose it.”
Mr Jennings said he hoped the service would continue for the rest of the year, but warned the community to show their support.
“If the numbers do not improve over the coming months, then the Department of Infrastructure could decide to terminate the service at the end of the year,” he said.
Warburton resident, Garry Holden, who campaigned in the late 1980s to save the Warburton police station from closure, said now was not the time for the community to be apathetic.
“If we lose this now, we’ll never get it back again. It will be totally lost forever and that will be a terrible tragedy,” he said.
“The community campaigned hard for this new service, and the government and the bus company have been very generous to put it in place. We must show our support.”
Mr Holden said East Warburton residents needed to make an effort to make use of the new services.
“Parents in the area need to make their kids use the bus to get to school, and adults and older people need to use it at least once a week,” he said.
Gembrook MP Tammy Lobato urged residents to maintain the service by using it whenever possible.
“Through hard work the community, the bus company and myself have achieved this service, and we don’t want to lose it.
“The service gives residents access to employment, training, recreation and services and that must be maintained,” she said.
Ms Lobato said she had distributed fliers to households in the area to remind residents of the bus timetable and encouraged anyone with feedback to contact her.