A local man is calling for three major bus routes to run a more frequent timetable on weekdays and weekends.
Seabrook resident Brandon Hayes said the 496, 497 and 498 routes which run through Point Cook, Seabrook and Altona Meadows are important links to train stations and shopping centres.
“If you aren’t driving or walking, the bus is really your only way to get to the Sanctuary Lakes, Point Cook Town Centre or Central Square shops,” Mr Hayes said.
“You have to think about the elderly or those who may have disabilities– if they miss a bus it’s not really fair for them to hang about another 40 minutes for another bus.
“At the moment, if you want to go anywhere to do shopping without wheels you have to walk like 2km if you live in Seabrook– and it’s even worse down Saltwater way.”
Mr Hayes said increasing the frequency to every 10 minutes during the week and every 20 minutes on weekends would make buses a more inviting option.
“We always hear the complaints about Point Cook traffic, so what better way to actually get people out of cars.
“Half the people I know don’t take the bus here because if they miss one then they are just waiting around.
“In my opinion if more people could rely on the bus then they would use it, and we wouldn’t have such bad traffic long term.
“It would make life cheaper for a lot of people, too.”
He also said that Seabrook and Point Cook not having train stations of their own makes frequent buses more important.
“If we want to take public transport into the city or out to Werribee, we don’t have a station down here, so we need buses.
“Even on a weekend that gap between services is massive for things like going to the footy.
“If I am going to the footy and miss the bus I have two options– walk all the way to Aircraft or Williams Landing [stations] or drive into the city– but that is a pain when you want to relax or have a few.”
The Department of Transport and Planning were contacted for comment.
