RESIDENTS of Prince Street in Mornington are unhappy about planned rerouting of the 784 Mornington to Frankston bus service that would see the route travel along their street and a new bus stop constructed.
Currently the 784 bus travels down Nunns Road before turning up Strachans Road and back to Nepean Highway.
The proposed new route would see the bus turn off Strachans Road and onto Prince Street. Indications are the bus would then travel along Hoylake Grove to Dava Drive, eventually intersecting with Bentons Road. As part of the proposed changes, new bus stops would be constructed.
Member for Mornington Chris Crewther MP met with a group of concerned residents last week and has raised the issue with the Minister for Transport Infrastructure, Public and Active Transport, Gabrielle Williams MP.
Crewther’s letter details concerns from residents about the lack of community consultation about the changes; safety and pedestrian risks; noise, amenity and parking concerns; and requesting a review of the changes.
Crewther point out that while a consultation process ran through the “Engage Victoria” website, “not a single Prince Street resident I have spoken with received any formal notice or letter-drop about this change or consultation”.
The consultation process for the proposed changes to the 784 and 785 bus routes were rolled into a separate consultation regarding the Hastings to Mornington cross-peninsula bus service (886) titled “Hastings and Mornington Bus Planning” leading people to believe the consultation only pertained to the new 886 service.
Adding to the confusion is the absence of information about the change on the “Engage Victoria” website with the information pertaining to the Hastings Mornington bus route repeated a second time under the heading for “Changes to routes 784 and 785 in Mornington”.
The News has also seen a letter from Mornington Peninsula Shire mayor Cr Anthony Marsh to Williams expressing concerns about the lack of consultation, and particularly the proposed bus stop infrastructure.
One of the affected residents, Karen Ford, lives with a disability and is the voluntary chair of the Mornington Peninsula Shire Disability Advisory Committee.
Ford told The News “Prince Street has no footpaths at all. Residents with mobility issues/wheelchairs are forced to use the Prince Street roadway to travel”.
“The same applies to families with prams, dog walkers and young children on bikes. Not to mention older residents on the street with mobility scooters.
“Having a bus service also sharing the roadway is dangerous and poorly thought out.”
“It is not a ‘NIMBY’ issue, it is a serious safety issue”.
Another resident, Susie Morgan, echoed Ford’s sentiments saying that having a bus travel down a street with such inadequate infrastructure is “a catastrophe waiting to happen”.
Adding to the perceived lack of consultation is the intended placement of a bus stop to service the new route.
Hoylake Grove resident Kerrie Jacobs was shocked to find workmen on her nature strip last week, marking lines with spray paint for the construction of a new bus shelter outside her home.
Jacobs, who only purchased the property last year, told The News she had not been informed of the bus stop and, indeed, the only correspondence had indicated the stop would be in nearby Dava Drive.
The News contacted the office of Gabrielle Williams MP for comment but did not receive a response.
First published in the Mornington News – 18 November 2025
