Community win for students on Z24 bus

It was a shaky start to the school year for students catching the Z24 bus from Yarra Glen to Lilydale, when students were left stranded as the bus was at capacity.

State Liberal Member for Eildon, Cindy McLeish, together with community members put pressure on the State Labor Government to provide a solution to get students safely to school. As a result, a temporary second back up bus has since been provided.

Ms McLeish said, “This is a small win for the Yarra Ranges community however we are still in need of a permanent solution to ensure students can get to school safely, without any issues.”

Ms McLeish raised the matter directly with the Minister for Public Transport and spoke in Parliament, urgently requesting a permanent solution.

“A lack of good planning and funding from the State Labor Government has led to students being stranded. The Labor Government have had years to establish a proper solution and have failed to do so.”

“Young Year 7 students on their first day of secondary school, kids with special needs and VCE students were all understandably upset and distressed at being left. They didn’t know what to do.”

The Z24 is a backup bus put in place in 2012 to accommodate the overflow of students, as the school bus was already at capacity. The new temporary bus is the back up bus for the backup bus, with a list of over 50 students waiting to secure a place.

Ms McLeish said, “With no secondary schools in Dixons Creek, Yarra Glen and Coldstream, students must travel to school. A better system must be in place.”

“It is simply not good enough that students and parents were questioning whether kids could get to school safely. Urgent action by the State Government must be taken to provide a permanent solution,” Ms McLeish concludes.