Councillor Roz Blades will defend Greater Dandenong’s weekend bus service against the odds.By Shaun Inguanzo
A WEEKEND bus service funded by Greater Dandenong ratepayers will terminate within months, with the State Government unlikely to take-over funding.
Keysborough Ward councillor Roz Blades defiantly opposed a call this week by Noble Park North Ward councillor Maria Sampey to relinquish funding and cease the service by the end of January 2006.
Cr Blades said stopping the service would disadvantage residents who cannot drive to the city.
The weekend bus service has been running for 12 months and was reviewed at this week’s council meeting to determine whether it would continue or cease early next year.
Charter buses run on two routes that cover the east and west sides of Greater Dandenong, and stop at key activity centres.
Council agreed to seek funding for the service from the State Government in its 2006/07 State Budget and to continue to lobby local MPs for improved public transport in the region.
But Cr Sampey moved that council discontinue the service from 31 January, 2006, as it was costing ratepayers between $18,000 and $20,000 per month, while the average passenger count per ride was just 5.5 people on average.
She said public transport was a State Government responsibility, and not a council responsibility.
But Cr Blades hit back and said Greater Dandenong’s decision to fund the service could be seen as an example of leadership, and that the council was a “$100 million business” in the “industry of service supply”.
Cr Blades said the bus service was essential for one in eight Greater Dandenong residents who did not have a car.
“What (other councillors) are basically saying is that they didn’t agree with the fact council provided the service.
“No other council provides it, so why should this council provide it? Well, the others may not provide it because they have got a decent public transport system,” she said.
Cr Blades also dismissed Cr Sampey’s suggestion that people catch taxis instead, and said it would be more expensive to do so.
“This business of catching taxis – people need to realise that people on low incomes are not always on a pension.
“A lot of people fall a few dollars over getting a pension and health card, and they pay full whack for everything and will not get a pensioner rebate in a taxi,” Cr Blades said.
But Dandenong MP John Pandazopoulos offered little hope for the weekend service, and said he had “always been cynical” about the bus service.
Mr Pandazopoulos said while the service was a good idea “at the time”, low patronage was showing otherwise.
“I have had chats with (the operator) Grenda, and they are not convinced the most appropriate routes are being run,” he said.
Mr Pandazopoulos said it was “a bit rich” for council to show the service was experiencing a lack of patronage and then “palm it off” to the State Government.
“It would look pretty silly if we were using taxpayer dollars to run a service council has shown customers are not using,” he said.
Mr Pandazopoulos said the service and its routes would have to be reviewed before the State Government considered funding, with a large input of consultation from Grenda.
