Werribee community members gathered over the weekend and paraded a giant cardboard bus through the streets, drawing attention to bus reform as a key issue in the Werribee by-election.
Members of the Werribee community have been calling for years for reform of the “broken bus system”, with infrequent and unreliable buses often leaving residents stranded for an hour at a time, or left to wander dangerous routes home.
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This inconsistency has led to many families having to own multiple cars, creating a financial burden for them, and adding to Melbourne’s growing traffic issues.
Traffic has been earmarked as one of the top issues for Werribee residents this by-election, with a fast, frequent and connected bus system cited by community members and experts as an obvious solution.
The Werribee by-election is set to be an important signal for the future, with the campaign hoping that widespread interest in the outcome of this by-election will lead to a significant announcement for bus reform that they say is desperately needed.
“For decades, communities across Melbourne’s west have been ignored by successive governments,” Better Buses campaign coordinator Elyse Cunningham says.
“It is deeply unjust that the people of Werribee are spending more money and time to get where they need to go, while those living in affluent parts of Melbourne are able to get around with ease.”