HORSHAM public transport commuters will be serviced by five bus routes from next week instead of seven.
The Department of Transport has revealed its updated bus network for the city, which includes four routes and a shuttle service from Roberts Avenue to Horsham train station to connect with the Overland train.
Commuters will also be able to catch buses until as late as 7pm on some routes, where currently some routes receive their last buses for the day before 5pm.
The department says the four routes will be more frequent and get people across town, and will come into effect on Tuesday January 28.
There will be no services on Monday, the day before, due to the Australia Day public holiday.
For Haven commuters, Route Four will replace the old Route Six, and the bus will not run along Plozzas Road.
For commuters in the city's northeast, Route One will change to pass Horsham Primary School via Rasmussen Road instead of Jones Street. Route One will also service the city's southeast like the old Route Five.
Similarly, a single route - Route Three - will service the city's northwest and southeast, where previously two separate routes did this. Route Three includes Horsham College, Williams Road and Ingenia Gardens Retirement Village. Following consultation, this route will travel down Roberts Avenue instead of Baillie Street.
Route Two will go past Federation University and Wimmera Base Hospital, travelling from one side of Horsham to the other via the town centre, from Natimuk Road in the west to Shirley Street in the east. Following consultation, this route will not travel along McLachlan Street.
None of the new services will travel along Dooen Road.
A Department of Transport spokesman said: "These changes will provide improved cross-town services, delivering a better service for locals heading to schools, recreation facilities, hospitals and aged care facilities."
He said the school bus network had been simplified to free-up buses during the morning and afternoon peaks.
He said the government received 200 pieces of feedback during consultation, and that all students will still have access to school bus services with revised routes and timetables.
Horsham Mayor Mark Radford said he was pleased the department had taken on some of the council's suggestions for route changes.
"Discussions around changing the bus service in Horsham go back two-to-three years, and the review was prompted by a need for better connections to the Aquatics Centre," he said.
"The route to get there was very challenging and I think they've picked that up with these changes."
Cr Radford said he hoped more Horsham residents would choose to take the bus to work or into town to shop as a result of the changes.
"We often hear stories about the parking situation in Horsham, this is a chance for people to consider an alternative way of getting into the city," he said.
"The extended hours could also help your retail shoppers, so there are potentially a few little advantages. We need to give the new routes and timetables a chance to settle down - maybe six months. They may need some tweaking but we need to be fair and reasonable."
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