A HASTINGS to Mornington bus service is one step closer after the state government announced an extra $36.4 million in this year’s budget to improve bus services in growth areas.
Public Transport Minister Ben Carroll and Hastings MP Paul Mercurio were in Hastings on Wednesday to announce that planning is underway for the cross-peninsula bus link.
No details have been released on when work might start on the bus route.
There are currently no direct bus connections linking Hastings to Mornington, with trips requiring lengthy travel via Frankston.
Mornington Peninsula Shire Council last year used the results of a community survey to push the state government to finance a cross-peninsula bus service, after 82 per cent of respondents said they wanted the service.
Carroll last week said community consultation will determine how the new route can provide cross-peninsula connections between Hastings and Mornington and better connect locals to employment, medical centres, education and shops.
Planning for the new bus link forms part of Victoria’s Bus Plan, which sets out plans to continue network improvements and increase the number of people travelling by bus.
Mercurio said Hastings was continuing to grow and better bus services were essential.
“We know locals in Hastings have been advocating for a service across the peninsula – so we will keep working with them to get them where they need to go,” he said.
