TRAVELLERS say they are frustrated by the lack of public transport between central Wodonga and the city’s new train station.
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But figures show that an average of just five people a day were using the now discontinued bus run.
The bus from central Wodonga to meet trains was stopped when the third V/Line service was returned in late April.
Member for Benambra Bill Tilley said in the weeks leading up to the third train only five people a day caught the the shuttle.
“Figures provided to me in the months leading up to April had the usage at 1.2 people per service,” he said.
“The cost of providing that shuttle was about $2700 a week.
“On average the taxpayer was subsiding the shuttle at about $80 a passenger each week.”
But a regular traveller, who did not want to be named because of ties to the transport industry, said the service was poorly promoted and unreliable.
“The only option for me and many others like me is a taxi to the train station,” he said.
“They want to talk up the city, its future growth and service the needs of its residents and yet V/Line dumps the bus to the train station.
“I know they will say that there were not enough people using the bus, but it wasn’t well publicised and four times I was left stranded when it just didn’t turn up.
“I think it is scandalous that they can’t detour one of the buses running around the city to go past the stop and onto the train station.”
But Mr Tilley hasn’t ruled out the bus-to-train shuttle returning in the future.
This week the Victorian government announced an $80,000 study into transport options for Wodonga.
It said it would look at linking the central business area, the rail station, Logic, Gateway Island and the Leneva growth corridor.
“This funding demonstrates that the government is committed to seeing the needs of the largest population and growth centre in the Benambra electorate will be met in the future,” Mr Tilley said.
“That may very well see the re-institution of the train shuttle in some way.”