The City of Greater Dandenong has placed bus network improvements at the centre of its advocacy agenda, drawing support from a community campaign that says more frequent and reliable services are needed to meet growing demand across Melbourne’s south-east.
The council’s 2026-27 advocacy priorities, released this week, call for the redevelopment of Dandenong Station and a modernised bus network. The plan includes expanded bus coverage in Dandenong South, more frequent services on Route 828 and upgrading Route 800 to SmartBus standards.
Fix Dandy Buses convenor Peter Parker said improvements to Route 828 would benefit thousands of passengers travelling between major employment, education and shopping destinations.
“More frequent services on Route 828 would be a game-changer for access to major destinations in the south-east including Fountain Gate, Dandenong, Parkmore and Southland.”
He said weekend services remained inadequate because timetables had changed little over many years. “Current gaps between buses can be up to an hour on weekends due to timetables unchanged for years.”
Mr Parker called for Route 828 to operate every 20 minutes on weekends, matching weekday frequencies, along with longer operating hours to reflect current travel patterns.
Support for the proposal now extends across several municipalities, he said.
“With the cities of Casey, Kingston and now Greater Dandenong supporting an upgrade to bus route 828 the time was right for the state government to fund this in its 2027 budget.”
He pointed to survey findings showing the growing role of buses in the region.
“This is particularly in light of a Greater South-East Melbourne survey that found 35% of people regularly travelled by bus, rising to two-thirds for 18-24 year olds and the importance of buses in helping people manage living costs.”
The council has also backed an upgrade of Route 800 to SmartBus standards, with extended operating hours until midnight and services every 15 minutes.
Mr Parker said those improvements would build on the success of earlier service upgrades.
“By extending operating hours to midnight and upgrading frequency to every 15 minutes this would build on the massive usage success of its last upgrade in 2024”, Mr Parker said.
He urged the Victorian Government to continue investing in high-demand bus routes across the south-east.
“With targeted investment in 7 day service, longer hours and higher frequencies on popular routes like 800, 811, 814, 828, 844, 901 and 902 the state government can ensure that buses play their full role in saving Victorians fuel and money”, he concluded.
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