By Danielle Kutchel
Residents in Clyde and Clyde North will soon have better connections to local amenities with the addition of three new bus services.
The booming suburbs will soon be served by the brand-new 881, 888 and 889 bus routes.
Minister for Public Transport Ben Carroll visited St Germain estate in Clyde North on Friday 26 February to announce the new services, which will link residents to other local transport hubs as well as shops, schools and health care.
Route 881 – Clyde North to Merinda Park Station – will connect St Germain estate to destinations such as The Avenue Shopping Centre and Springhill Shopping Centre before finishing at Merinda Park Station in Lyndhurst.
The bus will run to a minimum 40-minute frequency seven days a week delivering residents of the St Germain area public transport access for the first time, as well as a direct link along Thompsons Rd.
The service is expected to commence in early 2022.
Meanwhile, routes 888 and 889 will commence services from 28 March 2021.
Timetables are now available for routes 888 and 889, which will operate seven days a week, between 5:30am and 10:30pm on weekdays, between 6.30am and 10.15pm on Saturdays and between 7:15am and 10.00pm on Sundays.
Route 888 – Clyde to Berwick Station via Eden Rise Village Shopping Centre – will run to a 60-minute frequency from Berwick-Cranbourne Road near Pattersons Road in Clyde, along Berwick-Cranbourne and Clyde roads towards Berwick Station.
Route 889 – Clyde North to Berwick Station via Grices Road – will run to a 40-minute frequency from Skylark Boulevard in Clyde North, continuing on Grices and Clyde Roads and finishing at Berwick Station.
New bus stops will be built at key points along the route, providing essential connections to important local services including Berwick Station, Eden Rise Village Shopping Centre, Federation University Australia, Chisholm Institute and Casey Hospital. Most of the bus stops will be disability compliant.
The bus routes will also connect local students to St Francis Xavier College and Rivercrest Christian College.
“These new routes will get people in the south-east to important local services – with direct access to stations, shopping centres, educational institutions and health services,” Cranbourne MP Pauline Richards said.
Speaking at the announcement, Mr Carroll said buses had been a preferred public transport option for passengers since the pandemic.
It is not yet clear whether the new bus services will connect with the planned extension of the Cranbourne line to Clyde.
Ms Richards said money had been set aside to plan for the extension, following the duplication of the Cranbourne line which will be completed in 2023.
There is also scope for the frequency of the bus services to increase depending on usage.
“I am urging the community to please get on the bus and use it because we can use that data when we do need to increase the routes,” Mr Carroll said.
“It’s a great start and I think it’s going to be built upon as the foundations of public transport in the south east,” he added.
Member for Bass Jordan Crugnale said the services were another boost for the growing community.
“These new services ensure that as our south-east grows, public transport grows with it – providing an important connection for locals,” she said.
City of Casey chair of administrators Noelene Duff commended the State Government for delivering the new bus services to Casey’s fastest-growing suburbs.
“We know our community has been calling for accessible, affordable public transport to get to and from work, school and the services they need. I would like to acknowledge the support from Jordan Crugnale MP and Pauline Richards MP for backing the call, which has led to these new services,” Ms Duff said.
“With more than ten thousand families moving to Casey each year, and the majority of future growth expected in the Clyde and Clyde North area, there has never been a greater need for more buses to run more often.
“The new bus services for Clyde North and Clyde were amongst the top ten bus routes Council identified as most needed, with further improvements to the wider network sought to respond to the growing need to connect the community. We are pleased that the Government is listening.”
