Community
9 June, 2023
Public transport concerns
MEMBER for South West Coast Roma Britnell has described the limitations placed on VLine group bookings for school groups as “ludicrous”.
Ms Britnell said the government was disadvantaging school groups by refusing to allow bookings of more than 30 students on the Warrnambool VLine service for school trips to Melbourne.
“It’s ludicrous to expect schools to send 100 students to Melbourne on four different regional train services and still coordinate their excursions,” she said.
“The last students will be arriving nearly a full day later than the students on the first service.”
Ms Britnell shared the frustrations of south west coast schools who have contacted her office, unable to book more than 30 students onto a single VLine service.
As a result, they are left having to hire coaches, resulting in thousands of dollars in increased costs to families.
“I understand that the 100-day booking window provides uncertainty to travellers wishing to plan their trips in advance, which is a particularly concerning issue for local residents attending specialist medical appointments.”
Ms Britnell said booking a school group on VLine should be an easy action, not something prevented by red tape.
“We need immediate action from the Minister for Public Transport to use common sense and remove this department red tape, giving regional Victorian students the opportunity to take the train for their school amp in Melbourne, or for community members to attend a specialist medical appointment in the city,” she said.
