Timetable change to end Wonthaggi time warp a victory for Leongatha bus passengers
After complaints from bus passengers PTV has instituted a revised timetable for the weekday return bus service from Traralgon to Wonthaggi via Leongatha to allow more time in Wonthaggi.
SOUTH GIPPSLAND bus passengers are celebrating a major victory this week after Public Transport Victoria (PTV) capitulated to community pressure and overhauled a controversial bus timetable that had left local passengers stranded in a time warp.
From Monday (July 6) the weekday morning service from Traralgon to Wonthaggi has departed significantly earlier. This adjustment corrects a flawed scheduling shift that had drastically cut the time passengers could spend in Wonthaggi before their afternoon return trip.
The previous schedule left passengers with barely enough time to attend medical appointments, buy groceries, or access essential services. Under the newly instituted timetable the weekday morning bus departs Traralgon Station at 9.03 am a full one hour and 19 minutes earlier than its previous iteration. The service rolls into Leongatha Station at 10.17 am, reaches Inverloch at 10:40 am, and terminates at the Wonthaggi Bus Interchange at 10:58 am.
This vital shift expands the lay-over window in Wonthaggi substantially, granting passengers ample time to conduct their business before the 1.35 pm return journey departs for Leongatha and Traralgon.
For years the morning service allowed passengers to manage their days effectively. However, recent changes disrupted that balance, sparking widespread anxiety and anger among community members who rely heavily on the regional transit network for social connection and healthcare.
The community’s plight quickly gained political traction. Member for Gippsland South and Nationals Leader, Danny O’Brien MP, formally intervened, calling on the state government to prioritise the actual needs of regional passengers when designing complex timetable overhauls.
While PTV frequently cites low passenger numbers to justify reducing or limiting regional connections, local commuters argued that poor scheduling was the root cause of declining patronage.
Leongatha passenger Barry Phillips, who became a prominent voice in the community backlash, believed authorities were looking at the issue backward. “If they say there’s not enough people using the bus, they need to realise that if you had extra time in Wonthaggi, especially with the current cost of living crisis, more people would actually use it,” Mr Phillips stated.
PTV conceded the restricted timeline may have been unworkable for local users and acted on community feedback to ensure public transport remained accessible and functional for everyone.
