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This article is about a series of bus routes in Melbourne, Australia. For the SMART mass transit system in suburban Detroit, see Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation.

SmartBus
Transdev Melbourne Custom Coaches bodied MAN 18.310 on Lonsdale Street in August 2013
Transdev Melbourne Custom Coaches bodied MAN 18.310 on Lonsdale Street in August 2013
Overview
LocaleMelbourne
Transit typeBus
Number of lines9[1] (including 3 Orbital and 4 DART)
WebsiteSmartBus at PTV
Operation
Operator(s)CDC Melbourne
Kinetic Melbourne
Ventura Bus Lines
System map

SmartBus map and routes at Public Transport Victoria

SmartBus is a network of bus services in the city of Melbourne, Australia. Overseen by Public Transport Victoria, the network comprises nine key cross-town and orbital bus routes around Melbourne. Key aspects of the service include more frequent services, extended hours of operation to include late evening and Sunday services, improved timetable information at bus stops, roadspace priority along certain routes and priority at particular traffic lights.[2] Busses on SmartBus routes are shared among three operators, with route 900 being operated by both Ventura Bus Lines and CDC Melbourne.

SmartBus originally was a policy proposed by the Victoria State Government in the late 1990s, but was only implemented in the early 2000s.[3] In 2003, the first trial program began with routes 703 and 888/889 (now 902) being upgraded to SmartBus status.[3] The program was deemed successful and as a result new SmartBus routes began service with the most recent addition of routes being the introduction of the four Doncaster Area Rapid Transit routes in 2010.[4]

History

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Ventura Bus Lines DesignLine bodied MAN 16.240 on route 903 in August 2009

1990s

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Although SmartBus was originally a policy initiative of the Kennett government in the late 1990s, the government only began implementing the proposal in the early 2000s. However, plans from the late 1980s included several cross-town routes, which were to be called Metlink.[3]

2000–2012

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A Ventura Volvo B7RLE Smartbus operating a Route 902 to Chelsea at Westfield Doncaster

The first stage of the trial was implemented on 5 August 2002, with the following services being chosen as pilot routes: 703 Middle Brighton to Blackburn (operated by Ventura Bus Lines) and 888/889 Nunawading to Chelsea (operated by Grenda's Bus Services). These two routes received extra funding for more services, services on 703 increased by 20% and on 888/889 by up to 50%. Sunday services were also added to 888/889. The aim was to find out whether increased services and better reliability would increase patronage. The project was deemed successful when in 2003, on the 1st anniversary of SmartBus, the Victorian Government released a media statement that the SmartBus program increased patronage by 25%.[5]

On 16 October 2006, route 900 began operation, connecting major areas in south-eastern Melbourne including Chadstone SC, Oakleigh and Monash University.[4][6] It was jointly operated by Grenda's Bus Service and Eastrans.[7]

Three orbital bus lines were introduced as part of the SmartBus network, with the intention of providing cross city links connecting railway and tram lines and other bus routes.

The first orbital route started as several routes (including Route 665 from Dandenong to Ringwood and Route 830 from Dandenong to Frankston). It was re-launched as Yellow Orbital Route 901 on 24 March 2008 operating between Frankston and Ringwood.[8] Route 901 connects with nine railway stations and over 100 bus routes, and on 26 September 2010, the route was extended to Melbourne Airport. At 115 kilometres long, Route 901 has a journey time of four and a half hours, making it Melbourne's second longest bus route after the Route 684 service between Ringwood and Eildon.[9]

This was followed by route 700 running between Mordialloc and Box Hill; it was re-launched as a SmartBus on 14 June 2005. On 20 April 2009, the route was extended to Altona, becoming the Red Orbital 903, and replaced route 291.[10] It connects to 11 railway stations and nine tram lines, and is 86 kilometres (53 mi) in length.

Last, in April 2010, the Green Orbital 902 started operation, assuming the operations of Grenda's Smartbus route 888/889 as well as East West Bus Company's route 560. The route was jointly operated by Grenda's and East West. It runs between Chelsea and Airport West, connecting to nine railway stations, three tram routes and over 60 local lines, spanning 76 kilometres (47 mi).[4] The Green Orbital was intended to extend westwards to Werribee via Sydenham but this never eventuated.[11][4]

A Blue Orbital (route 904), was proposed in the 2006 Meeting our Transport Challenges publication, which proposed to service the inner city from Sandringham to Williamstown, however this proposed route was cut from the 2008 Victorian Transport Plan, with the route not mentioned in text or maps.

Doncaster Area Rapid Transit (DART) Routes begun operation on 4 October 2010. Those routes were designed to provide a public transport connection between the Doncaster area and the Melbourne central business district.[4]

The Smartbus had been criticised for being not par with world bus rapid transit system standards, such as segregating from car lanes via a separated roadway, working traffic light bus priority and better real-time information screens.[12]

Since 2012

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Kinetic Melbourne Custom Coaches bodied Scania K310UA on route 907 in July 2024. This is one of the only two articulated buses to bear the SmartBus livery

Between 2012 and 2013, all of the nine routes were operated by Ventura Bus Lines (with 900 to 902 jointly operated with other operators). Transdev Melbourne was awarded the Melbourne Metropolitan Bus Franchise, which included the three orbital and four DART routes, and took over the routes from Ventura in August 2013.[13] In late 2014, Transdev proposed to split the three orbital routes into seven routes, as part of a planned network change in 2015.[14] In April 2015, the proposed network change, including the splitting of the orbial routes, was rejected by the newly-elected Andrews Labor government.[15]

In January 2022, Kinetic Melbourne succeeded Transdev as new franchise operator of the Melbourne Metropolitan Bus Franchise and took over the three orbital and four DART routes.[16]

Network and Operations

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Routes

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Route From To Via Operator Notes
703 Blackburn Middle Brighton Forest Hill Chase Shopping Centre, Monash University, Clayton station & Bentleigh station Ventura Bus Lines Official SmartBus section is only north of Clayton, although PIDs are installed at Bentleigh. Service levels are not as high as on other SmartBus routes, especially along Centre Rd segment.
900 Rowville Caulfield Waverley Park, Monash University & Chadstone Shopping Centre CDC Melbourne and Ventura Bus Lines Limited stops service
901 Frankston station Melbourne Airport Dandenong station, Westfield Knox, Ringwood station, Blackburn station, The Pines Shopping Centre, Greensborough station, Epping station, Roxburgh Park station & Broadmeadows station Kinetic Melbourne Orbital – Yellow
902 Chelsea station Airport West Springvale Shopping Centre, Glen Waverley station, Nunawading station, Westfield Doncaster, Eltham station, Greensborough Plaza, Campbellfield, Broadmeadows station & Gladstone Park Orbital – Green
903 Altona station Mordialloc Sunshine station, Essendon station, Preston station, Northland Shopping Centre, Heidelberg station, Westfield Doncaster, Box Hill Central, Deakin University (Burwood Campus), Chadstone Shopping Centre & Mentone station Orbital – Red
Some services terminate at Box Hill, Heidelberg, Essendon or Sunshine, towards Altona, or either Mentone or Oakleigh towards Mordialloc instead.
905 City (Lonsdale Street) The Pines Shopping Centre Eastern Freeway exiting at Bulleen Road, Templestowe Doncaster Area Rapid Transit (DART)
906 City (Lonsdale Street) Warrandyte Eastern Freeway, exiting at Blackburn Road, The Pines Shopping Centre
907 City (Lonsdale Street) Mitcham Eastern Freeway, exiting at Doncaster Road, Doncaster Park and Ride
908 City (Lonsdale Street)
Terminates at Doncaster Park and Ride during off-peak 		The Pines Shopping Centre Eastern Freeway, exiting at Doncaster Road, Doncaster Park and Ride, King Street

Services

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SmartBus routes operate from 5:00am to 9:00pm from Monday to Saturday and from 6:00am to 9:00pm on Sundays, Good Friday and Christmas Day. Most services run the full route however, some services on the three orbital routes and off-peak services route 908 may serve shorter runs. SmartBus services usually serve most stops however, route 900 instead offers a limited express service, only stopping at major stops along the route.[17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][excessive citations]

Frequencies on the nine routes are higher than most bus routes on the network, will vary throughout the day and go as follows.[17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][excessive citations]

  • 30 minute frequencies between 5:00am and 6:30am
  • 15 minute frequencies between 6:30am and 9:00pm on routes 703, 901, 902 and 903
  • 10 minute frequencies (or higher) between 6:30am and 9:00pm on routes 900, 905, 906, 907 and 908
  • 30 minute frequencies from 8:30pm and 12:00am
  • 30 minute frequencies on weekends and public holidays
  • 60 minute frequencies on Night Network services

Operators

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Route 2002–2005 2005–2008 2008–2010 2010–2013 2013–2022 2022–now
703 Ventura Bus Lines (2002–present)
900 N/A Grenda's Bus Services and Eastrans[7] (2006–2012) Ventura Bus Lines and
Eastrans (2012–2014) 		Ventura Bus Lines and CDC Melbourne (2014–present)
901 N/A (Non-Smartbus routes 665 and 830/831) Grenda's Bus Services and
Invicta Bus Services (2008–2009)[26] 		Grenda's Bus Services (2009–2010) Grenda's Bus Services and
East West Bus Company[27] (2010–2012) 		Ventura Bus Lines and
East West Bus Company (2012–2013) 		Transdev Melbourne (2013–2022) Kinetic Melbourne (2022–present)
902 Grenda's Bus Services (2002–2010 as Smartbus 888/889) Grenda's Bus Services and
East West Bus Company[27] (2010–2012) 		Ventura Bus Lines and
East West Bus Company (2012–2013)
903 N/A Ventura Bus Lines (2005–2009 as Smartbus 700) Ventura Bus Lines (2009–2013)
905 N/A Ventura Bus Lines (2010–2013)
906
907
908

Infrastructure

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Buses

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A "next stop" display in a Ventura SmartBus

Originally, SmartBus routes used a dedicated fleet of low-entry buses painted in the grey SmartBus livery.[28] The first batch of SmartBus liveried buses were Mercedes-Benz OC500LEs delivered in 2006 and 2007 by Eastrans and Grenda's for route 900. However, since then, most of these buses have been displaced onto non-SmartBus routes and replaced by Gemilang Coachworks and Volgren bodied and Scania K320UBs painted in the orange PTV livery.[29] Buses dedicated to SmartBus operations, regardless of livery, feature PIDS inside of the bus, which shows the next stop. In 2022, Kinetic Melbourne began running electric buses on 901, 902 and 903.[30]

Bus Stops

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A SmartBus route 703 PID at Bentleigh
Smartbus totem with a Night Bus logo, Box Hill North

SmartBus bus stops offer a variety of premium features not usually present at non-Smartbus bus stops. All SmartBus bus stops feature totems, with some including real time PIDs embedded into them. Additionally, major bus stops may include shelters, bins, and real time passenger information displays. These displays will show the next departures of each SmartBus route and at railway stations will additionally show the next departures of rail services.[31]

Signalling

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SmartBus corridors use more modern signalling which is not common on non-SmartBus routes. The location of buses is tracked using GPS satellite receivers fitted to the bus, which relay this information to the network control centre. Many traffic lights on SmartBus corridors are fitted with bus signal priority equipment, to allow for buses to change signals ahead to speed up their journey. The information from both systems is also commonly used when operating PIDs, when accounting for delays and earlier arrivals.[32]

References

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  1. ^ "Network statistics". Public Transport Victoria. Archived from the original on 14 May 2013. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
  2. ^ "SmartBus – Public Transport Victoria". ptv.vic.gov.au. Archived from the original on 13 May 2013.
  3. ^ a b c W. A. Doubleday (July 1988). "The May Intermediate Draft MetPlan". Newsrail. Vol. 16, no. 7. Vic: ARHS Victoria Division. p. 200. ISSN 0310-7477. OCLC 19676396.
  4. ^ a b c d e "SmartBus map and routes". Department of Transport. 2 April 2011. Archived from the original on 26 February 2011. Retrieved 9 June 2013.
  5. ^ "Media release: Outstanding performance marks first anniversary of SmartBus" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 July 2008. Retrieved 26 March 2008.
  6. ^ "New SmartBus route for Melbourne's outer-east". Metlink. 11 October 2006. Archived from the original on 25 October 2006.
  7. ^ a b "900 - Stud Park - Caulfield via Monash University, Chadstone (SMARTBUS Service)". Metlink. Archived from the original on 23 July 2008.
  8. ^ "SmartBus network expands in Melbourne's South East". Metlink. 10 March 2008. Archived from the original on 23 July 2008.
  9. ^ Carey, Adam (27 October 2013). "901 bus service 'flawed'". The Age. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
  10. ^ "Patronage on new Smartbus route highest on record". Australasian Bus & Coach. 1 July 2009. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
  11. ^ "Smartbus". Department of Transport. Archived from the original on 22 July 2008.
  12. ^ SmartBus plan will not work in current form Sydney Morning Herald 13 July 2008
  13. ^ "Preferred tenderer announced for the Melbourne Metropolitan Bus Franchise". Public Transport Victoria. Archived from the original on 2 May 2013. Retrieved 9 June 2013.
  14. ^ "Proposed Service Changes to Orbital Routes". Transdev Melbourne. Archived from the original on 22 December 2014.
  15. ^ "Labor Backs Investment In Better Bus Services And Community Consultation". Premier of Victoria. 14 April 2015. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
  16. ^ "New bus franchise to jump start zero-emission pledge". Department of Transport. 25 November 2021. Archived from the original on 25 November 2021. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  17. ^ a b "703 Middle Brighton – Blackburn via Bentleigh & Clayton & Monash University". Public Transport Victoria. Archived from the original on 7 September 2018. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  18. ^ a b "900 Stud Park SC (Rowville) – Caulfield via Monash University & Chadstone (SmartBus Service)". Public Transport Victoria. Archived from the original on 7 September 2018. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  19. ^ a b "901 Frankston – Melbourne Airport (SmartBus Service)". Public Transport Victoria. Archived from the original on 7 September 2018. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  20. ^ a b "902 Chelsea Railway Station – Airport West Shopping Centre (SmartBus Service)". Public Transport Victoria. Archived from the original on 7 September 2018. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  21. ^ a b "903 Altona – Mordialloc (SmartBus Service)". Public Transport Victoria. Archived from the original on 7 September 2018. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  22. ^ a b "905 City – The Pines SC via Eastern Fwy and Thompsons Rd". Public Transport Victoria. Archived from the original on 7 September 2018. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  23. ^ a b "906 City – Warrandyte via Eastern Fwy and The Pines SC". Public Transport Victoria. Archived from the original on 7 September 2018. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  24. ^ a b "907 City – Mitcham via Eastern Fwy and Doncaster Rd". Public Transport Victoria. Archived from the original on 7 September 2018. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  25. ^ a b "908 City – The Pines SC via Eastern Fwy and High St". Public Transport Victoria. Archived from the original on 7 September 2018. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  26. ^ Route 901 timetable Metlink
  27. ^ a b "Bus Timetables and Route Details". East West Bus Company. Archived from the original on 14 June 2011.
  28. ^ "Is the Smartbus branding dead? Why not make every bus a Smartbus?". Daniel Bowen. 1 March 2018. Archived from the original on 3 March 2023. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  29. ^ "First New Buses Hit Melbourne Roads | Premier of Victoria". www.premier.vic.gov.au. Archived from the original on 3 March 2023. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  30. ^ "Volgren delivers first electric vehicles to Kinetic". BusNews.com.au. 27 April 2022. Archived from the original on 15 March 2023. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  31. ^ Public Transport Victoria (2009). "Fact Sheet: SmartBus Technology" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 April 2013.
  32. ^ Glenroy mini book. Australia: Gregory Powell. p. 25. Archived from the original on 23 May 2023. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
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Media related to SmartBus at Wikimedia Commons

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