SmartBus is a network of bus services in the city of Melbourne, Australia. Overseen by Transport Victoria, the network comprises nine key cross-town and orbital bus routes around Melbourne. Key aspects of the service include more frequent services, extended hours of operation to include late evening and Sunday services, improved timetable information at bus stops, roadspace priority along certain routes and priority at particular traffic lights. Buses on SmartBus routes are shared among three operators, with route 900 being operated by both Ventura Bus Lines and CDC Melbourne.
Originally proposed in the late 1990s, SmartBus services were introduced predominantly in the 2000s. It reached its current extent of nine routes in 2010.
History
Context
Unlike trains and trams, which were historically government-operated – via the Victorian Railways and Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board (MMTB) respectively – buses in Melbourne were mostly operated by smaller, private companies. Private operators generally competed with each other rather than car travel, with little co-ordination or network planning.
By the 1960s, new suburbs were also far from established railway and tramway lines. Train and tram routes generally ran frequently, until midnight, seven days per week; comparatively, bus services ran short hours, infrequently, and indirectly. Not even government-run routes were always as frequent as trams or trains.
The Victorian Government began more heavily co-ordinating bus services from 1971, when all routes were given 3-digit numbers for the first time. This was followed by new powers under the Transport Act 1983: the newly established Metropolitan Transit Authority (also known as 'The Met') was legislated to manage bus services and better integrate them with train and tram routes.
MetPlan 1988
The first significant signs of what eventually became SmartBus are evident in The Met's first integrated transport plan: MetPlan 1988.
MetPlan saw bus services as "important" in "serving those journeys that cannot be made on fixed rail routes" and to "feed" heavy and light rail. To achieve this role, however, bus services would need some substantial upgrades. For example, instead of finishing early at 6-7pm, it suggested that all bus routes run until 8pm on weekdays, and at a minimum half-hourly frequency. It also suggested that bus service kilometres should increase at least 33% to provide "acceptable" service to new areas.
More critically, however, the MetPlan was the first to envisage what would eventually become SmartBus: it proposed a series of cross-suburban bus routes, linking major 'neighbourhood' centres with train stations, shopping centres and other activity centres. These would be called MetLink, not to be connected to the later Metlink Melbourne (2000s).
The Plan proposed MetLink bus services on the following routes:
MetLink proposed bus services (1988) and SmartBus (2006) From Via To SmartBus (2006) Werribee Laverton, Albion, St Albans and Airport West Broadmeadows 902 (Green Orbital): Airport West to Broadmeadows Green Orbital: Airport West to Werribee (not introduced) Werribee Laverton, Sunshine, and Highpoint Shopping Centre Moonee Ponds Blue Orbital: Highpoint to Moonee Ponds (not introduced) St Albans Preston Broadmeadows via Camp Road, Campbellfield, Keon Park, and Bundoora Greensboroughfuture: Ringwood 902 (Green Orbital) Pascoe Vale via Bell Street, Coburg, Preston, and Heidelberg Doncaster 903 (Red Orbital) Doncaster via Box Hill, Oakleigh, Chadstone Shopping Centre and Southland Shopping Centre Sandringham 903 (Red Orbital): Doncaster to Oakleigh/Chadstone Doncaster via Nunawading, Tally Ho, Glen Waverley and Springvale Edithvale 902 (Green Orbital) Ringwood via Knox City, Stud Road and Dandenong Frankston 901 (Yellow Orbital) Lilydale via Dorset Road, Upper Ferntree Gully and Rowville Dandenong Wantirna Upper Ferntree Gully Frankston via Cranbourne Berwick Frankston via Mornington, Baxter and Moorooduc Road Portsea Frankston via Baxter Balnarring
Services would operate from early morning until at least midnight (weekdays), unlike other buses ending at 8pm. Frequencies would be at least every 30 minutes or better. On weekends, services would operate from 7am-8pm, with buses every 30 minutes on Saturdays and hourly on Sundays; most other bus routes would have limited weekend service. Some services would operate all-night.
Vehicles would offer seating and air conditioning to provide a "standard of service and comfort [...] comparable to trains".. Some routes would have had limited stops or express services in peak hours or use bus lanes. There would have been a distinct MetLink livery.
MetLink bus services were planned to be introduced by 1992. The early 1990s recession effectively prevented the plan from being implemented. Even had it not been for the recession, the Plan already noted in 1988 that there was "no real increase" in resources available, limiting scope for upgrade.
Still, many of MetLink's basic ideas - routes, service standards and special features - are evident in the design and implementation of the later 2000s SmartBus network.
1990s SmartBus was originally a policy initiative of the Kennett government in the late 1990s, focused on infrastructure and technology upgrades to the existing bus network rather than service improvement. However, no lasting progress was made prior to the 1999 Victorian state election, at which the Kennett Government was removed from office.
SmartBus Program (2000s)
2000–2004: Trial Having won the 1999 state election, new premier Steve Bracks committed to a transport upgrade program: Linking Victoria.
A SmartBus trial was included in the program by at least 2001. Services along Springvale (888/9) and Blackburn (703) Roads would be upgraded in a trial, including both infrastructure upgrades - basic forms of traffic priority signalling, 'queue jump' bus lanes, and real-time passenger information screens, for example - as well as service upgrades: more frequent services, and new or improved weekend and evening services. Other features included services timed to co-ordinate with trains; a "route management system" to minimise delays, combined with the traffic priority measures; significantly improved bus stops; and new low-floor buses.
The pilot program was implemented on 5 August 2002.
Route 703 - Middle Brighton to Blackburn (operated by Ventura Bus Lines) - saw an increase in service by over 20%, with services operating every 15 minutes for most of weekdays, and longer evening services. Routes 888/889 - Nunawading to Chelsea (operated by Grenda's Bus Services) - saw improvements in service by up to 50%, with Sunday services added for the first time.
The pilot sought to determine whether increased services and better reliability would increase patronage. By 2003, on the project's first anniversary, patronage on affected routes had increased by 25%.
2004–2007: New Routes
In late 2004, the State Government unveiled its new Linking Melbourne strategic transport plan. Among other priorities, significant investment in SmartBus was foreshadowed. The Plan identified a 19.4% increase in patronage on route 703 and 30.4% on routes 888/9 since SmartBus upgrades occurred, citing this as a justification for further expansion.
As a result, the State Government officially committed itself to introducing two new SmartBus services: Warrigal Road and Wellington Road. The Plan also proposed the introduction of a Ringwood to Frankston SmartBus and an extension of Route 700 as the Red Orbital to Altona as priority projects, while ultimately foreseeing the completion of four orbital SmartBus routes around Melbourne and the upgrading of bus services in other 'Principal Public Transport Network (PPTN)' corridors to SmartBus standard.
Bus services were already provided on Warrigal Road in the form of route 700 - Mordialloc to Box Hill. The service, however, was constrained by an indirect routing around the former Mont Albert and Surrey Hills stations, and south around Riversdale Road. Services also only ran every 70 minutes on Sundays.
Under the Linking Melbourne plan, route 700 was re-launched as a SmartBus on 14 June 2005. The route was realigned via Riversdale Road and Station Street to Box Hill rather than the previous route, which was transferred to a new local route 766 (Box Hill–Burwood). Services were upgraded to operate every 15 minutes until 9pm on weekdays; and every 30 minutes from 9pm-12am (weekdays), 6am-12am (Saturdays), and 6am-9:30pm (Sundays). More frequent services operated during peak hours.
The State Government also committed to introducing a limited express SmartBus service on Wellington Road in October 2004, which would run between Caulfield station and Rowville via Chadstone Shopping Centre. This necessitated partial road widening on Wellington Road leading to delays in its introduction, and was introduced in conjunction with EastLink.
The new route was introduced on 16 October 2006, as Route 900 (Caulfield to Stud Park (Rowville)). The service had the typical 15-minute weekday daytime service and 30 minute service at other times. This route was the first SmartBus service to be operated by two operators - Grenda's Bus Service and Eastrans (now Ventura and CDC Melbourne).
2007–2010: Going Orbital
The State Government released a further transport plan in late 2006: Meeting Our Transport Challenges. This identified expansion of the SmartBus network as a key priority.
Notably, the development of SmartBus would now be split into four stages:
Completion of initial phases: Introduction of the route 900 on Wellington Road (completed 16 October 2006); Introduction of Yellow Orbital SmartBuses on Stud Road (then-incomplete). Creation of three of four orbital routes: Red Orbital: Route 700 extension – Box Hill to Altona – work commencing 2006; Green Orbital (Stage 2): Route 888/889 extension – Nunawading to Airport West – work commencing 2007–08; Yellow Orbital (Stage 2): Ringwood to Melbourne Airport – work commencing 2008–09. Completion of Green and Blue Orbitals: Green Orbital (Stage 3): Route 888/889 extension – Airport West to Werribee – work commencing 2010–11. Blue Orbital: Sandringham to Williamstown – work commencing 2010–11. Completion of SmartBus network. Work commencing 2011–12.
It is unclear exactly how far the SmartBus network would eventually have extended by Stage 4. Many corridors part of the Principal Public Transport Network were located outside the proposed orbital SmartBuses.
SmartBuses were finally introduced to Stud Road on 24 March 2008, with new Yellow Orbital Route 901 operating between Frankston and Ringwood. This service replaced previous routes 665 (Dandenong – Ringwood) and 830/831 (Dandenong – Frankston).
On 20 April 2009, route 700 was extended to Altona via Heidelberg, Coburg and Essendon, becoming Red Orbital 903 (Altona – Mordialloc). The service replaced route 291 (Box Hill – Heidelberg) around Doncaster, but did not replace routes in other areas, creating significant overlaps.
On 5 April 2010, the Green Orbital began operation as Route 902 (Chelsea – Airport West). This route incorporated several sections of new or existing route, including: Grenda's Smartbus route 888/889 (Chelsea – Nunawading); a new alignment to Greensborough via Doncaster and Eltham; East West Bus Company route 560 (Greensborough – Broadmeadows); and a new alignment to Airport West via Westmeadows. The Green Orbital connected nine railway stations, three tram routes and over 60 local bus routes, spanning . The completion of the route led to numerous local route changes, such as the implementing of a new local route 858 around Edithvale, an extension to route 735, and alterations to routes around Templestowe.