Campaigners, members of parliament and councillors gathered on the steps of Parliament House on May 17 to urge the Victorian government to improve public transport in the western suburbs.
Western suburbs residents gave passionate accounts of their struggles trying to access the small amount of available public transport.
One resident said their local bus stop had been removed and “people with disabilities had to walk 2 kilometres to the next one”.
Greens MP Katherine Copsey and Liberal MP Trung Luu urged the government to invest in more buses to the western suburbs and to increase bus route efficiency to make it easier for residents.
Friends of the Earth is campaigning for the government to “stop leaving the west behind”. It is calling for a “bold transformation to a fast, frequent and connected network of electric buses”.
Disability advocate Christian Astouria told the crowd he was heartened by the show of support.