Friends of the Earth has announced plans to rally against the planned change to Melbourne bus contract tendering this Wednesday at Parliament House
Campaign group Friends of the Earth has hit back at a recent Melbourne bus contract announcement from the Victorian government, calling on them to provide a better avenue to rejuvenate Melbourne’s bus network.
On May 10, the Victorian government announced major changes to the negotiation process for contracts between bus companies and the government.
The new recontracting process will ask the bus market to submit proposals on how to boost passenger experience, deliver network and operating efficiencies and optimise the transition to zero-emissions buses.
Previously, Friends of the Earth says the government negotiated contract terms directly with bus companies, meaning this change will see contracts put out to a public, competitive tender for bus companies to bid on.
“These changes are a great step for an efficient and logical transition towards zero emissions buses and we congratulate public transport minister Ben Carroll for his commitment to this part of Victoria’s Bus Plan,” Friends of the Earth Better Buses campaigner Elyse Cunningham says.
“But for this change to truly have a big impact on customer experience and on reducing Victoria’s emissions, it is crucial that it is met with commitments to transforming the bus route network. Currently, Victorians do not have much faith in the outdated bus network, with its typically unreliable services and a poor overall user experience. The western suburbs in particular, which is the fastest growing area in Australia, have some of the worst bus services in Victoria.
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“The lack of regular, reliable bus services means that communities in the west are dependent on cars, leaving hardworking families paying more for car ownership and petrol and creating polluting carbon emissions.”
Cunningham says transport is the second largest and fastest growing source of emissions in Victoria, meaning getting people onto public transport is important to reaching a net zero-emissions target by 2045.
To rebel against this announcement from the Victorian government, Friends of the Earth Better Buses will be holding a rally for bus reform this Wednesday at 12.30PM on the steps of Victoria’s Parliament House.
“As funding is set to be slashed for major public transport projects such as the airport rail in this budget, it is now crucial that the government implements bus reform,” Cunningham says.
“Buses are a cheap, easy solution to get people moving. The community is crying out for better buses.”