Improve Gisborne Bus Services: Better Train Connections and Accountability for Missed Stops

Petition to Gisborne Transit, Sunbury Coaches, Donric Group and Transport Victoria

Residents and public transport users in Gisborne are calling for improvements to the local bus network operated by Gisborne Transit, run by Donric Group trading as Sunbury Coaches, on behalf of Public Transport Victoria.

Gisborne’s local bus services are an important connection for residents travelling to and from the train station, schools, work, appointments and the wider community.

However, the current service has significant issues that need to be addressed.

Timetables need to connect with trains

Routes 73 and 74 should be properly coordinated with train services at Gisborne Station.

When buses and trains are not properly timed to connect, passengers can be left waiting for extended periods between services. This is particularly difficult for commuters, students, workers, older residents and people who rely on public transport because they do not have access to a car.

Timetables should be reviewed based on the actual needs of the Gisborne community and designed to provide practical connections between buses and trains.

Passengers should not be left behind at bus stops

Passengers waiting at designated bus stops should be able to rely on buses stopping to pick them up.

There have been concerns about buses passing stops where passengers are waiting, leaving people stranded and forcing them to wait for the next service — sometimes for a considerable period of time.

We understand that there may be legitimate reasons a bus cannot stop, including safety concerns, a full service or other operational issues. However, where there is no legitimate reason for a bus to pass a waiting passenger, the incident should be properly investigated.

Passengers deserve a clear and accessible process to report these incidents and should receive meaningful responses when complaints are made.

What we are calling for

We call on Gisborne Transit, Sunbury Coaches, Donric Group and Transport Victoria to:

✅ Review Routes 73 and 74 to ensure bus timetables properly connect with train services.

✅ Reduce unnecessary waiting times between bus and train services.

✅ Improve the reliability of connections between Gisborne buses and trains.

✅ Provide a clear and accessible process for reporting buses that fail to stop for waiting passengers.

✅ Properly investigate every reported incident where a bus passes a designated stop while a passenger is waiting.

✅ Use available GPS, vehicle tracking and other operational information to investigate complaints where appropriate.

✅ Take appropriate corrective or disciplinary action where a driver has failed to stop for a waiting passenger without a legitimate safety or operational reason.

✅ Provide passengers with meaningful responses to complaints rather than simply dismissing concerns.

✅ Regularly review passenger complaints and service data to identify recurring problems and improve the service.

Gisborne deserves a reliable public transport service

People who rely on public transport should not be left stranded because bus and train timetables do not properly connect.

They should also be able to trust that a bus will stop when they are waiting at a designated bus stop.

This petition is not about unfairly targeting individual drivers. It is about ensuring there is a fair, transparent and accountable system when services fail passengers.

We are calling for Gisborne’s bus services to be reliable, properly coordinated with train services and responsive to the needs of the community.

Please sign this petition if you support better bus-to-train connections and greater accountability for missed stops on Gisborne’s local bus services.

Together, we can show that the Gisborne community expects a reliable and accountable public transport service.