Wattle Park Primary School community & it's neighbours, recently discovered that, with effect from Sunday October 15, 2023, the 903 bus route between Mordialloc and Altona has now been re-routed down Elgar Road to provide increased service to the Deakin University Burwood Campus. This has effectively eliminated bus service on Warrigal Road between Riversdale Road and Toorak Road/cnr Burwood Highway.

As a result;

• CHILDREN & VALUED EDUCATORS HAVE BEEN LEFT WITHOUT ADEQUATE PUBLIC TRANSPORT OPTIONS TO & FROM SCHOOL
• ELDERLY & DISABLED RESIDENTS HAVE BEEN LEFT WITHOUT ADEQUATE PUBLIC TRANSPORT OPTIONS, AND HAVE MISSED IMPORTANT MEDICAL APPOINTMENTS DUE TO NO COMMUNICATION ON THE CANCELLATION OF THE SERVICE
• CARERS SERVICING AGED CARE FACILITIES HAVE BEEN LEFT WITHOUT ADEQUATE PUBLIC TRANSPORT OPTIONS

Families living in the Box Hill South area have been directly impacted, as has one of our respected educators travelling from the south eastern suburbs of Melbourne.

Our elderly neighbours at Cameron Close Retirement Village rely on this public transport service to attend important medical appointments & support their way of life during their post-driving years, and health staff at the nearby Uniting AgeWell Camberwell Community in Joffre Street also use the 903 route to commute to & from work.

We believe that there has been no transparency, community engagement, communication, or consultation undertaken by the Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) with early learning or primary schools regarding such a significant change that will directly impact local families and child safety. This decision appears to have been made without any apparent consideration for the local and surrounding communities along this route, including preschool (early learning), primary school students, high school students and elderly residents in the area.

We ask that you sign this petition in support of the reinstatement of this crucial segment of the 903 bus route, prioritising the safe passage of children, families carers & seniors in our local community, who also rely on the public transport network & are entitled to be consulted.

Thank you