The state government has been accused of hoarding almost $3 million in taxes intended to boost public transport in Wyndham.
Greens state leader Greg Barber called last week for the money to be spent immediately on fixing problems with the municipality’s public transport and bus services.
Mr Barber said $23.5 million from the Growth Areas Public Transport Fund was ‘‘stashed away’’ by the government, including more than $2.9 million intended for Wyndham.
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The money, collected by the State Revenue Office, comes from the Growth Areas Infrastructure Contribution and is for essential infrastructure in Melbourne’s growth areas.
Figures released by the Greens show that in the two years to June 30 last year, only 2.3 per cent ($66,780) of the total tax collected for Wyndham had been used on infrastructure.
Mr Barber said public transport was not keeping up with population growth.
And he said there was a desperate need for more bus lines in Wyndham to take commuters to train stations as car parks were stretched beyond capacity.
“It leaves locals with only one choice . . . to run a car for every adult in the family and spend large amounts of time ferrying the kids from place to place,” he said.
Public Transport Users Association spokesman Daniel Bowen echoed Mr Barber’s call for the money to be spent.
He said most buses in the municipality ran every 40 minutes, even during peak hour.
“Buses also get caught in traffic, and crowding on the Werribee line is getting worse so it’s no wonder most people drive,” Mr Bowen said.
Transport Minister Terry Mulder’s spokesman said the government had boosted the number of weekly train trips on the Werribee line by 181 since 2010.
“There is now a train approximately every 11 minutes during the peak, as well as more express trains for faster journeys,” he said.
The spokesman said the number of weekly bus trips in the Point Cook area tripled, from 697 to 2120, as part of the opening of Williams Landing station last year.
