Sandy Cameron's daughter Allana lives in Horsham, where she works at AXIS Worx preparing lunches for the workers.

Mrs Cameron said the existing public transport arrangements made it hard for the family to be together as often as it would like.

"There used to be a bus from Horsham to Hamilton, but it was a private one and when they got elderly and the bus conked out a good few years ago they weren't obliged to keep it going," she said.

"Ever since we've been without one, and that was part of the reason my daughter went up to work at the wool factory - because she could have this regular transport home. I'd just have to go to Hamilton to pick her up or take her to the bus."

Two V-Line bus services leave Horsham for Hamilton each day, at 6.48am and 3.20pm. Each takes between five-and-a-half and seven hours, and travels via Ballarat.

Mrs Cameron said Allana, 34, lives with a learning disability and has lived in Horsham since she was 18.

"We've set her up in her own home up there, and she's going really well, but because there is no bus... she's becoming sort of distanced from the family because it's so hard for us to get up there regularly to bring her home," she said.

"She used to be able to come home most weekends on the bus, but for us to go up there, you've got to make it a long weekend for it to be worthwhile.

"I have a friend in Coleraine in her 80s who has a daughter in Stawell, and if the bus was there, she'd just be able to whiz over to Horsham and pick her up. But as it is now, she has to do this business and go to Ballarat, so it's difficult for her too."

Mrs Cameron said she had contacted Member for Lowan Emma Kealy about her concerns.

Ms Kealy said she continued to call for a direct public transport link between Hamilton and Horsham, which the state opposition made an election promise in 2018.

A Department of Transport spokesman said representatives "recently" met with Horsham Rural City Council and Southern Grampians Shire Council to discuss transport needs. He would not elaborate on what these discussions were about.

Horsham council's infrastructure director John Martin said a meeting date had not yet been set due to schedule clashes.

While you're with us, you can now receive updates straight to your inbox twice weekly from the Wimmera Mail-Times. To make sure you're up-to-date with all the news from across the Wimmera, sign up below.