By Victoria Stone-Meadows
RESIDENTS from City of Casey and Greater Dandenong will be more connected than ever with the announcement of new bus routes starting Sunday 13 November.
Parliamentary Secretary for infrastructure, Shaun Leane, Member of Cranbourne, Jude Perera, Casey Mayor, Sam Aziz and Greater Dandenong Mayor, Heang Tak made the announcement at Cranbourne train station.
The new bus routes will employ about 50 local people as bus drivers for the new and extended services and four new bus bays will be added to Cranbourne train station.
The new bus routes will see residents in Cranbourne North have access to three bus line for the first time.
Route 799 will be extended to connect passengers to Merinda Park and Cranbourne train stations.
The 847 bus route will travel to Cranbourne North under the new route system and connect residents with Berwick train station.
A new bus route will be introduced, the 899, that will connect residents in The Avenue Estates directly to Berwick train station.
The brand new 792 route will see residents in the Botanic Ridge, Cranbourne West and Pearcedale Road residential areas able to access Cranbourne train station.
Up and coming estates in Clyde, Cranbourne East and Lyndhurst will have access to Lynbrook train station will the extension of the 897 route.
Mr Leane said the new services will help fill the gap in public transport that has developed in Melbourne’s south east.
“We’re providing services where they are needed most by boosting access for residents in new estates and making it easier for people to get where they need to go faster and sooner.”
Cr Aziz said the new bus services will make a big difference to the booming population of Casey.
“It will make a huge positive difference,” he said.
“We are the largest municipality in the state with 10,000 new residents every year.
He also said the improvements to the bus lines are something the City of Casey has been working towards for a long time.
“This is a project Casey has lobbied for and we thank the State Government for hearing us and making these improvements,” he said.
The upgrade to the Cranbourne and surrounds bus system will have additional benefits to residents as well.
There will be more weekend services, more services between Frankston and Cranbourne train stations, more direct and frequent services between Cranbourne and Dandenong stations.
Furthermore, the announcement included more connections between east and west Cranbourne, more services between Cranbourne and Clyde, seven days a week and services directly to the Dandenong South Employment Precinct.
Services 797 and Route 896 will not run after November 13 as their routes will be absorbed into the new bus routes.
