New school bus services will run from Doreen to Diamond Valley and St Helena secondary colleges from late January next year.
Yan Yean MP Danielle Green announced last Wednesday that the two new services, one for each high school, would run from Doreen and travel through South Morang.
Detailed routes have not yet been made public.
While the services will operate as school buses rather than on the Public Transport Victoria Network, students will pay using a myki.
Diamond Valley College principal Greg Williams said the school community had been pushing for new school buses to operate from Doreen for about three years.
“This is really positive news,” he said. “While we don’t have details about their routes or timetables yet, at least students will be able to get here for the cost of a myki.”
The school currently provides a charter bus service for 40 students living in Doreen and Mernda that costs each student about $200 each term. A yearly myki pass costs students $545.
St Helen Secondary College middle school principal Jenny Heathcote described the new bus services as “great”.
“We probably need some more,” she said. “I really feel sorry for these students – if they have after-school activities it’s really difficult for them to get back home. We’ve been pushing for this for four years.”
The announcement of the new school buses comes two months after PTV announced it would introduce three new bus routes for nearby transport-starved Epping North and Wollert.
The changes are designed to link Epping North and Wollert residents to Epping station, Epping Plaza and the Northern Hospital.
Buses will run every 20 minutes in peak times on week days and every 40 minutes off-peak.
