Inspired by the recent success of other Merri-bek bus campaigns, residents in Merri-bek’s north have launched a new petition calling for more frequent buses on route 534, in Glenroy, Hadfield, Pascoe Vale, Coburg North and Coburg. The link to the parliamentary petition is here. Follow the campaign for updates here.

This latest petition, sponsored by Anthony Cianflone, MP for Pascoe Vale, runs until August 31. Currently the 534 bus service runs every 30 minutes on weekdays and every 40 minutes on weekends. It is difficult to rely on a bus that has such a poor frequency. Residents are calling for bus to come every 15 minutes.

Many people in the north of Merri-bek live two kilometres or more from a train station. There are no tram lines in the north. Buses such as route 534 provide a vital link to access the Craigieburn and Upfield rail lines. The 534 bus also provides access to five schools, two Major Activity Centres (Glenroy and Coburg) and three Neighbourhood Centres (West Street Hadfield, Gaffney/Sussex Streets Coburg North, and Merlynston Station).

Melbourne on Transit’s map below shows where there are reasonably frequent public transport services on weekdays 7am to 7pm (defined at coming every 20 minute or better). You can see the big gaps in Merri-bek’s north, since the main bus routes serving this area (530, 531, 534 and 536) run at a 30 minute or worse frequency.

Improving the frequency of bus services is a key issue for commuters. Indeed, the recent consultation by the state government on bus reform in Melbourne’s north found that frequency was the top concern, followed closely by reliability. Improved bus frequency was also a strong theme when Climate Action Merri-bek asked residents about their wishes for better public transport at last year’s Glenroy Festival.

Getting more people using public transport is vital in addressing climate change. The transport sector is the second largest contributor to carbon emissions in Australia, and these emissions keep growing. Too many households are locked into car dependency due to a lack of sustainable transport options. This also worsens our health and social connections, and exacerbates the cost-of-living crisis, with Melbourne households spending around $30,000 per year to run their cars.

Much of Merri-bek’s north is missing out on decent public transport services, as we demonstrated in the maps in a recent blogpost. There is a lot of focus on upgrading the Upfield Line to improve frequency, which we fully endorse. But frequent bus services are also important in ensuring people can move around sustainably and economically.