This letter was sent to The Age in response to State Government claims that public transport is allocated according to need:
IT IS hypocritical for the acting Premier, John Thwaites, to claim that money allocated for public transport would be spent “where it was most needed” while denying the people of Greater Dandenong weekend bus services. With the City of Greater Dandenong having a higher percentage of no-car households (11 per cent, against the Melbourne average of 9 per cent) and part of a designated growth corridor, it is clear that Greater Dandenong is one of the areas of most need.
The situation in Greater Dandenong is symptomatic of wider inaction from the State Government towards Melbourne’s lagging bus network. The fact that Melbourne’s bus services offer the worst service levels compared to other capital cities is evidence of this inaction.
Alex Makin, Outer East Branch Convener, Public Transport Users Association