Party shuttle bus

By Tania Martin
AN EMERALD community organisation hopes that $59,210 funding for a shuttle bus will help reduce hitch hiking in the hills.
Gembrook MP Tammy Lobato last week announced the funding for Emerald Community house to purchase a bus.
House coordinator Chris Easdown said the idea to apply for funding for the bus came after one of the her committee members saw some local youths hitch hiking late one night.
Ms Easdown said it was hoped that the bus would provide a shuttle service for young people on a Friday and Saturday night so they don’t feel the need to hitch hike.
Senior Sergeant Trevor Teer from Pakenham police said anything that got young people off the side of the road was a good idea.
He said hitch hiking was dangerous and that the funding for the bus was a positive step forward for the Cardinia region.
Ms Easdown said the community house would invite people from the community to volunteer to drive the bus between Belgrave and Cockatoo so that young people don’t have to hitch hike.
“We are hoping the service will offer safety as well as transport,” she said.
Ms Easdown said the community house applied for the funding in conjunction with the palliative care unit Fernlea House and Emerald’s University of the Third Age (U3A).
She said the funding would enable the house to purchase a 12-seater bus which will be used to help transport clients to and from Fernlea House, for excursions for Emerald U3A and the community house.
“The bus will enable the community house to improve and extend its range of programs by providing transport for excursions,” she said.
Meanwhile, Fernlea House nurse manager Helen Pike said the bus would be used to help transport clients to and from the house.
Ms Pike said Fernlea House has a maximum of six guest per day who are picked up and dropped off at the end of each day from across the hills and as from as far as Croydon, Ringwood and Wantirna.
The funding for the bus was part a broader announcement for the Cardinia region which included a $175,000 volunteer support grant to develop a shire-wide volunteer network to encourage local residents to get involved in volunteering.
The Cardinia Shire Council will also use a $58,365 grant to purchase a bus to help link isolated residents to local community services and activities.
Shire general manager of community wellbeing Fiona Hodges said the volunteer support grant would help the council to fund an initiative to develop an integrated approach to the recruitment, training and retention of volunteers across the shire.
She said the bus grant was also a part of an overall council initiative to develop a community transport network.
Ms Hodges said the council has also appointed a TravelSmart officer through funding provided by the Department of Infrastructure to assist in developing partnerships with other service providers.
But despite this recent funding, Ms Hodges said the council would continue to advocate for more public transport in the shire.