But a priority bus lane would speed up the service and give passengers certainty they would not be caught in traffic jams,he said,which was a key selling point when competing with cars.
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“It’s absolutely sensible to have a dedicated bus route,” Sewards said. “It’s obviously beneficial,and at some point it needs to be pursued.”
SkyBus carries about 11 per cent of passengers to and from the airport,while another 3 per cent take local or regional buses and the rest travel by road. In Sydney,a quarter of airport passengers travel by the airport rail line,which opened before the 2000 Olympics.
Melbourne’s Airport Rail link promised trains from the airport every 10 minutes and a 30-minute journey to the five underground CBD stations being built as part of the Metro Tunnel project,via Sunshine,Footscray and another new station at Keilor East.
Sewards said SkyBus could continue as a frequent alternative service when the rail line opens,noting that many major airports around the world have both bus and rail options.
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The company would look to increase services and open new routes around the city as travel demand bounced back from the pandemic lockdowns,he said.
“Where there’s demand,we’ll look to introduce a service. No matter how fast the airport grows,we know bus mass transit can be a really good alternative for people,” Sewards said.
SkyBus’ Frankston bus resumed in December and Sewards said its Doncaster/Box Hill service would follow some time this year. Southern Cross services would increase from every 10 minutes to pre-COVID levels of every five minutes at peak times as travel demand increases,he said.
Public Transport Users Association spokesman Daniel Bowen said SkyBus was sometimes overcrowded and could take 40 minutes or more when the Tullamarine Freeway was congested.
“The operator should be putting on more services to cope with demand,but the travel time is really up to the government and Transurban to ensure SkyBus does get a fast run on the freeway,” he said.
A Melbourne Airport spokesperson said public transport played an important role reducing congestion around its terminals and it would “always welcome measures to ensure reliable travel times for passengers and staff”.
An Andrews government spokesperson said travel times on the Tullamarine Freeway had eased since it added an extra lane to the 24-kilometre road in each direction in late 2018. “We’re getting on with delivering the transport projects Victorians deserve,” they said.
Deputy Premier Jacinta Allan said last week that the revised timeline for Airport Rail would be confirmed in the state and federal budgets next month.
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