Wyndham has plenty of attractions but travelling between them hasn’t always been easy.
But for the next two months it will be, with a new shuttle bus service linking prominent tourist attractions with Werribee city centre, running until at least September 9.
The free 12 seater shuttle bus is being operated by Quest Apartments Werribee, whose owner, Amol Kasaju, said the idea came after hearing complaints from Wyndham business people.
“I’ve been to many events where local business people talked about connecting the dots, especially Werribee South and the Werribee Precinct where the zoo, mansion and rose garden are and where a large volume of people come to visit, but there is nothing to connect them to Werribee city centre.”
Mr Kasaju’s shuttle bus service does exactly that, beginning at Quest Werribee before stopping at Werribee Open Range Zoo, then Werribee Park and Mansion, Shadowfax Winery and finally Wyndham Harbour, before returning the same way.
The round trip takes about 55 minutes, with services leaving on the hour from 11am to 3pm on Friday and Saturday.
The service made its debut last weekend and Mr Kasaju conceded it’s starting from a low base.
“We had 8 passengers in total over two days” he said, adding that the trial is costing him $4000 a month.
Mr Kasaju isn’t expecting the numbers to increase for another three to four weeks, but said the potential benefits make it worth a try.
“When there’s a free shuttle, people tend to jump in so even if one percent of the people who visit werribee precinct take the shuttle bus we will see the economic impact in the Werribee city centre,” he said.
Werribee Business and Tourism Association secretary Kim Carter expressed strong support for the shuttle.
“It’s not just for tourists but it’s for locals too which will benefit the whole community,” Ms Carter said.
Mr Kasaju said other businesses and possibly Wyndham council would need to come onboard for the service to run long-term and attracting them is what the trial is all about.
“Somebody had to make a start and take initiative and that’s what we’re doing.”
For details: www.questapartments.com.au/properties/vic/werribee/quest-werribee.
Cade Lucas.
