Wednesday, 30 July 2025

Greater Shepparton bus services

Rikkie-Lee TYRRELL (Northern Victoria) (18:48): (1772) My adjournment this evening is for the Minister for Public and Active Transport. The action I seek is a review into the Greater Shepparton bus network, with a view to developing a modern, faster, more reliable and environmentally sustainable network for the community. It has been brought to my attention by the City of Greater Shepparton that there has not been a review into the bus transport network in over 15 years. In that 15 years the population of Greater Shepparton has increased by over 12,000 people. This increase in population has seen the current bus network become overcrowded, unreliable and unsuitable for the day-to-day travel needs of residents, especially those in smaller outlying towns such as Tatura.

Residents of Tatura face long travel times of up to 2 hours despite the town being only 20 kilometres from the Shepparton CBD. There are also limited services on Saturdays and no services at all on Sundays. The limitation of the current bus network is causing a wide range of issues for residents. It limits where those unable to drive can live and work within the community. It causes issues for employers, with some staff restricted in their work hours due to the limited nature of public transport in the Greater Shepparton region.

Recently the government announced a review into the bus transport networks for Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo and the Bellarine Peninsula, yet again Shepparton was overlooked for this vital review. People in regional areas deserve access to good, frequent and reliable public transport just as much as their counterparts in the metropolitan areas. The action I seek from the Minister for Public and Active Transport is for a review into the Greater Shepparton bus network with a view to developing a modern, faster, more reliable and environmentally sustainable network for the community.