A newly unveiled survey has found that nearly three-quarters of Melburnians support bus network reform, making it the fastest growing major transport focus in the city over the past year.
The Committee for Melbourne/Ipsos survey released this week has found that public support for Melbourne bus reform has jumped six per cent to 72 per cent, making it the fastest growing major transport project in popularity over the past year.
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Sitting second only to the Airport Rail in popularity, bus reform now sits ahead of the Suburban Rail Loop, Metro Tunnel, West Gate Tunnel and North East Link when it comes to public approval.
The 2025 Living in Melbourne Report, which is based on a survey of 1000 Melbourne locals in July 2025, found that 72 per cent of respondents agreed with reformed bus services, up from 66 per cent for the same question last year.
The survey also found that there was a four per cent drop in the respondents who personally owned a car, with five per cent more people saying that public transport didn’t go where they need it to go.
Fix Dandy Buses convenor Peter Parker says these results reinforce the importance of bus service reform. He called on the state government to boost investment in metropolitan bus services in the 2026 state budget to be nearer that of other states.
“The easiest to implement bus reform involves adding trips on existing popular routes at times when service is sparse yet there is known travel demand,” Parker says.
He says weekends were a particular need, citing the desirability of weekend services every 20 minutes or better on major routes such as 828, 901 and 902 to replace existing 30-to-60-minute gaps.
Another priority was longer operating hours and new Sunday service on local Dandenong routes such as 802, 804 and 814.
“Gippsland towns like Moe now have local buses every 40 minutes seven days per week, yet routes in suburbs like Mulgrave, Noble Park North, Dandenong North and Doveton can lack even this basic level of service,” Parker says.
“Investment in better bus services changes lives and saves people money. It was time the Victorian government came on board by boosting service levels of Dandenong buses to match those of other suburbs and even regional Victoria.”
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