By Danielle Kutchel
As a petition for a bus to Officer Secondary College continues to attract support, the head of Ventura Bus Lines has admitted there is a need for a dedicated service to the school.
Andrew Cornwall, managing director at Ventura, said the company believed there is a need for an extra service to the rapidly-growing school.
“We have tabled that a number of times with the Department of Transport and are waiting for an outcome,” he said.
He added that usually where demand could be proven, a service would be introduced by the government.
Asked how to prove this demand, Mr Cornwall said: “where there’s evidence of continuous capacity issues.”
Currently, a Ventura bus service runs from Pakenham station to Berwick Secondary College via Officer Secondary College.
It is understood the bus is in fact a dedicated Berwick Secondary College bus that has been rerouted to include Officer Secondary due to demand.
Students from both schools use this bus, which only runs once in the morning and once in the afternoon, according to the Department of Education and Training.
On one morning when Star News Group visited, 18 students from Officer Secondary disembarked from the Berwick Secondary bus outside the Officer school. Students were observed standing in the aisles as there were no seats left.
There are other bus services in Victoria where students from more than one public school travel on the same service, however the Department of Education would not supply names.
Mr Cornwall said Ventura had been contacted by Officer Secondary at the end of last year regarding introducing a bus route, and said the company had been recommending introducing the service throughout this year.
