Narre Warren North MP Luke Donnellan and Casey deputy mayor Kevin Bradford have joined many other local community leaders in expressing their desire for the Night Rider bus to be extended to Casey.By Callan Date
THE Night Rider bus is back on the agenda with a local MP and a councillor joining the chorus of calls for the late night service to be extended to Casey.
Narre Warren North MP Luke Donnellan and Casey deputy mayor Kevin Bradford are teaming up to make sure two local representatives work closely to have the bus head to suburbs including Endeavour Hills, Cranbourne and Narre Warren.
Currently the service, which transports night clubbers and pub goers from the Melbourne CBD in the early hours of Saturday and Sunday morning, ends at Dandenong station.
The Night Rider bus is a popular and safe way home every weekend for thousands of young people who live in Melbourne’s outer suburbs
But with no Night Rider service, Casey’s young residents are being forced to shell out up to $100 for a taxi fare home or not go out in the city.
Local councillors, community leaders and Casey police officers have been calling for the Night Rider to be extended for over two years.
However, nothing has been done.
Further enraging local officials is the fact Casey has a higher population of young people than any of the councils with a Night Rider bus.
“The population of young people in this area who would use the Night Rider bus is by far large enough to warrant the service being extended,” Mr Donnellan said.
“The extension of the service to Fountain Gate Shopping Centre via the Endeavour Hills Shopping Centre would be a popular route. I am aware that many young people can’t afford the taxi fare from Dandenong station and are put off accessing entertainment closer to the city,” he said.
City of Casey deputy mayor Kevin Bradford is also keen to have the service extended to the Casey area.
“There are a lot of young people in Endeavour Hills, Fountain Gate and the Cranbourne area. For the young people I speak to in these areas this is a very important issue,” Cr Bradford said.
Mr Donnellan said he had written to Minister for Transport Lynne Kosky asking for the service to be extended and was confident of a favourable outcome.
