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Category: Media releases

  • 21st century upgrade call – Belgrave and Lilydale lines

    Passengers on the Lilydale and Belgrave lines beyond Ringwood are receiving train services that are below urban standards according to the Public Transport Users Association (PTUA). In the off-peak, services beyond Ringwood operate half-hourly, compared with every 15 minutes between the city and Ringwood. Peak hour services also finish very early at just after 8am…

  • Crime stats highlight station hotspots

    Analysis of 2009 crime statistics by the Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) has shown that 45% of assaults on railway stations occur at just ten locations. The figures also showed about half the assaults occurred in the daytime. PTUA President Daniel Bowen said that the figures reinforced the association’s call for all stations to be…

  • No end to crowded buses

    Upgrade call from Heidelberg to Mordialloc Passengers on the route 903 Smartbus are still being forced to stand on slow, infrequent and overcrowded buses serving the busy Chadstone Shopping Centre. Despite previous concerns over crowded buses expressed by the Public Transport Users Association (PTUA), the State Government has made no commitment towards fixing the problem.…

  • More train and bus services welcomed

    The Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) has welcomed new Metro train timetables that will boost train services on some of Melbourne’s busiest lines, and as well as the boost to Smartbus services in Melbourne’s northeast. PTUA President Daniel Bowen said extra peak-hour services on the Werribee, Craigieburn and Sydenham lines would improve conditions for commuters.…

  • Call to staff all stations

    The Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) has called on all political parties to commit to fulltime staffing of all metropolitan railway stations, and a joint Victoria Police/Metro review to determine which stations should have a permanent police presence. “We should not have a train network of ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’”, said PTUA president Daniel Bowen. “Everyone’s…

  • Photos reveal crowded weekend buses

    BUSES serving the busy Chadstone Shopping Centre are slow, infrequent and overcrowded, with many passengers being forced to stand on weekend services. Photographs taken by the Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) show large numbers of standing passengers, and the PTUA said the same buses waste a lot of time stuck in traffic in and around…

  • Call for railway station at Southland

    The Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) has called on the state government and opposition to commit to building a railway station at Southland Shopping Centre. PTUA president Daniel Bowen said it was ludicrous that a major traffic generator adjacent to a railway line had no station. Southland’s western entrance is only a short distance from…

  • Chadstone transport woes spur new group

    A new Facebook group has been launched by the Public Transport Users Association (PTUA). The group aims to harness the support of the public in order to solve the many transport woes that exist around Chadstone Shopping Centre. “After years of bad planning and neglect we have a situation that is sub-optimal around Chadstone,” said…

  • Bus users call for 10 minute service — Stud Road

    The Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) has called for an upgrade of buses to every ten minutes on Stud Road, to make better use of new bus lanes. The upgrade from the existing 15 minute service would add two extra buses an hour. “Although we applaud the installation of new bus lanes, they would be…

  • Myki change welcome, but City Saver users pay the price

    The Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) has welcomed the decision to scrap the requirement to touch-off Myki cards on trams, but said that zone 1 fares should be reduced to compensate for the loss of the City Saver Zone. Until now, the government had said that tram passengers would need to touch-on and touch-off their…

  • Widened freeway slows buses to a crawl — Urgent action needed

    The Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) has expressed concern that increased traffic from the widening of Monash Freeway is already slowing down buses on Warrigal Road. The section of road is used by two of Melbourne’s major SmartBus routes and a number of other routes servicing Chadstone Shopping Centre. “Buses are scheduled to take 10-12…

  • Poor connections leave passengers waiting

    A study by the Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) has highlighted the poor co-ordination between train and bus timetables on many routes around Melbourne. It found that just 37.5% of train arrivals have bus connections at stations — 39.8% on weekdays, 32.3% on Saturdays, and just 25.3% on Sundays. Of those connections, 42.5% require passengers…