Dozens of Ventura & Cranbourne Transit bus routes across Melbourne’s middle and outer south-eastern suburbs received timetable updates on 27 July 2014, coinciding with the introduction of an interpeak turn-up-and-go train service between the City & Dandenong, with 10 min headways (from 15 mins), matching the previous April 2012 upgrade on weekends between 10am and 7pm.

Passengers on the outer ends of the Pakenham and Cranbourne Lines enjoyed an increase of frequency as well, with the former half-hourly services boosted to every 20 mins.

Updated peak timetables were also introduced along the Pakenham, Cranbourne, Frankston and Sandringham Lines.

While primarily each route had adjustments to better meet interpeak trains, other timetable updates across the region included:

Route 767 (Box Hill – Southland via Chadstone)

• Inter-peak services now run every 40 mins instead of every 30 mins, leading to gaps of up to 30 mins along Elgar Rd between Box Hill & Deakin Uni (combined with the 281 every 30 mins and 768 every 50 – 60 mins). This is a bizarre decision as runtimes remain largely unchanged and connecting trains at Hughesdale are every 10 mins, while services no longer harmonise with 15 min trains at Jordanville or Box Hill. Saturday morning trips continue as half-hourly
• Weeknight trips now operate every 40 mins, instead of once an hour

Route 770, 771, 775 & 782 (Frankston area)

• Evening services have had minor adjustments to maintain train connections at Frankston

Route 785 (Frankston – Mornington East via Mornington)

• Evening services have had minor adjustments to maintain train connections at Frankston
• 785 services have been retimed to be off-set with 781 and 784, reinstating the 20 min evening service to Mt Eliza and Mornington, connecting off each triain arrival until 22:21. A previous adjustment in April last year had seen 781 & 785 buses depart within a couple of mins, followed by a gap of almost 40 mins

Route 789 (Frankston – Woodlands – Cranbourne West via Karingal Hub & Cranbourne)
Route 790 (Frankston – Cranbourne West via Karingal Hub, Southgateway & Cranbourne)
Route 791 (Frankston – Cranbourne West via Karingal Hub & Cranbourne)

• Revised weekday runtimes
• More consistent 20 min headway to match train headway at Cranbourne and consistent transfer times at Frankston

Route 795 (Cranbourne Station – Warrneet & Tooradin via Devon Meadows)

Route 796 (Cranbourne Station – Clyde via Devon Meadows)

Route 797 (Cranbourne Town Service)

• Minor revisions to meet new train timetable

Route 799 (Cranbourne Park Shopping Centre – Cranbourne North via Merinda Park)

• Updated to depart every 40 mins on weekdays off-peak, instead of every 50 – 55 mins, reinstating service levels downgraded back in 2003 to allow upgrades on the Frankston – Cranbourne West corridor

Route 798 (Cranbourne Park Shopping Centre – Selandra Rise via Cranbourne Station)

• Cranbourne Transit introduced a new 798 route from Cranbourne to Clyde North along Camms Rd & Linsell Bvd providing access to the Cascades on Clyde & Selandra Rise estates. In conjunction with the existing 896 Trainlink & 898, Cranbourne East would surely rank as one of Melbourne’s best served outer suburbs
• On weekdays buses run every 15 mins during peaks & 20 mins inter-peak & night, finishing at 10pm
• Saturday daytime services operate every 20 mins and half-hourly at night, with last bus at midnight
• Sunday services operate every 40 mins, dropping to hourly between 7pm & 10pm
• Buses are timed at Cranbourne Station to meet both arriving & departing trains, providing connections with most train services from Cranbourne Park Shopping Centre 1km south of the station – although the 896 connects off every train arrival, it operates an indirect path back to the station, with weekend trips terminating mid-loop

Route 802 (Dandenong – Chadstone via Monash University & Oakleigh)
Route 804 (Dandenong – Chadstone via Wheelers Hill, Monash University & Oakleigh)
Route 862 (Dandenong – Chadstone via Waverley Gardens, Monash University & Oakleigh)

• The above routes were each increased to operate every 40 mins on weekdays instead of every 45 mins, improving harmonisation with 10 min train services at Dandenong and Oakleigh
• Unfortunately, trips are not properly off-set along Princes Hwy & Wellington Rd, with buses on 802 & 862 in both directions running with a couple of minutes of each other, resulting in an effective drop of frequency from 15 mins to 20 mins on the 10 km combined segment. Furthermore, services on 800 towards Chadstone are also run at similar times, so there will be daily instances of three buses operating a convoy along Princes Hwy followed by a gap of around 20 mins. With plans for an upgrade of 900 services to every 10 mins, a full review of services on Mulgrave – Chadstone corridor is overdue
• Runtime adjustments have been made using GPS data

Route 828 (Hampton – Berwick via Southland & Dandenong)

• Revised runtimes using GPS data, using Ventura’s approach for analysis, meaning every trip has different runtimes than the previous service. There is now little resemblance of a clockface 20 min inter-peak timetable for someone boarding later in the trip.

Routes 831, 836, 837, 838, 840, 846, 847 (Berwick Area)

• Revised timetables to harmonise with trains
• Use of GPS runtime data to make adjustments to improve punctuality

Route 834 (Berwick Circle anti-clockwise)
Route 835 (Berwick Circle clockwise)

• Both Berwick Circle services 834 & 835 now operate every 40 mins inter-peak instead of every 30 mins to harmonise with trains every 20 mins, however weeknight services until 10pm now operate every 20 – 25 mins instead of every 30 mins

Route 841 (Narre Warren North – Cranbourne via Fountain Gate & Narre Warren)

• Services on 841 (Narre Warren North – Cranbourne) have been boosted to run every 30 mins in peak periods and 40 mins inter-peak, an upgrade from former 45 min headways
• Use of GPS runtime data to make adjustments to improve punctuality

Routes 843 & 849 (Dandenong – Mossigel Park)
Route 845 & 861 (Dandenong – Endeavour Hils)

• Off-peak services on individual routes have been upgraded from 48 mins to 40 mins, matching peak headways. A bus meets every train arrival at Dandenong, providing a combined 10 min service along Clow St into Doveton (previously every 12 mins)
• Evening services have also been retimed, with the last Monday to Wednesday departure ex Dandenong at 21:16 on 849 (previously 20:38). Late night services remain Thursday to Saturday.
  

Route 891 (Fountain Gate – Lynbrook via Hallam Gardens, Hallam & Hampton Park)
Route 892 (Dandenong – Casey Central via Hampton Park)

• Revised weekday runtimes, with offpeak runtimes matching weekends
  

Route 893 (Dandenong – Cranbourne via Hallam, Hampton Park & Lynbrook)

• Interpeak headway boosted from 30 mins to 20 mins off-peak, timed to meet every off-peak train at Hallam
• Revised weekday runtimes, with offpeak runtimes matching weekends

Route 894 (Hallam – Amberly Park via Hampton Park)
Route 895 (Fountain Gate – Narre Warren South via Narre Warren & Hampton Park)

• Interpeak 894 & 895 services upgraded to operate every 40 mins instead of every 45 mins, with through-routing maintained for one-seat travel from Hampton Park east to Fountain Gate
• Revised weekday runtimes, with offpeak runtimes matching weekends

Route 896 (Cranbourne East Trainlink)

• 896 now operates every 20 mins inter-peak instead of every 30 mins meeting the upgraded Cranbourne line timetable.
• AM peak shortworkings now originate at Lyall St Interchange instead of Hunt Club estate, providing better access from new estates in the vicinity of Casey Complex & Berwick-Cranbourne Rd
• Revised runtimes

Route 897 (Cranbourne – Central Parkway)
Route 898 (Cranbourne – Archers Field Dr)

• Inter-peak services on 897 & 898 were upgraded to run every 20 mins instead of half-hourly to harmonise with trains, although peak services remain at 25 – 30 min intervals
• Revised weekday runtimes, with offpeak runtimes matching weekends

Routes 925, 926, 927, 928 & 929 (Pakenham Area)

• Revised timetables to harmonise with trains
• Use of GPS runtime data to make adjustments to improve punctuality