Update 8pm Tuesday: Statement from the Department of Transport

"The changes to Horsham's school town buses were introduced to enable town bus services to run before 9am for the first time - supporting locals using public transport to get to and from work.

"While the new school town bus schedule has made journeys to and from school easier for many families, we understand the changed routes are inconveniencing a small number of students.

"We'll continue to work with the bus service operator to make sure Horsham's bus services provide the best possible services for everyone, and we'll reinstate the 2019 schedule while we review the service."

The department said it has been in contact with Horsham schools to ensure they have the information they need to communicate with parents and students regarding these changes to school bus services.

It said any potential future changes would involve consultation with schools, local council, parents, students and the wider community.

Stockton Drive mother of four Liz Pumpa has welcomed Public Transport Victoria's decision to revert back to the old school bus timetable in Horsham and surrounds.

Mrs Pumpa had decided to drop off and pick up her four children at Horsham College and the 298 Primary School from last week, where previously all four used the bus.

A massage therapist, she said the decision was costing her $100 a day in lost consulting time.

"We have been living in Stockton Drive for ten years, and one of the reasons we bought there is because we had access to public transport for school down the track," she said.

"We had lost our three closest bus stops, which meant the closest was at the very top of Williams Road (near Stawell Road). When you've got young children with heavy bags, and it's a heavily congested area with the traffic and the new housing subdivision down Stockton Drive.

"It's ridiculous why they would have axed the stocks around our area around the population and growth that has happened around there."

Mrs Pumpa said she had heard from other concerned parents buses were getting to school before it had finished, or "up to half an hour" after it had finished.

"Teachers had to hang around the school at 4pm so children could get on the bus," she said.

Update 1.10pm:

Wimmera Roadways Horsham depot manager Bruce Wylie has confirmed Public Transport Victoria will revert back to the old school bus timetable in Horsham.

"They did put seven routes back to five on January 26, but it wasn't working so they are going back to last year's system of seven," he said.

"I haven't heard the word 'permanent' yet, that's up to PTV. We're just contractors. We don't have any say in what they decide. I believe it's a month-to-month thing at the moment."

Mr Wylie said Monday afternoon's school bus service would operate under the changed system before the government reverted to the old one came back on Tuesday morning.

"All the schools have been informed today and they are going to inform as many students as they can. We have had a lot of positive feedback already since we had a notification at 9.30 this morning they are changing back to the old school timetable."

Mr Wylie said the reversal would apply to the country routes one and six, which pass through Glenisla and Laharum respectively.

Mr Wylie said passengers had generally left positive feedback about the new town route system, separate to the school bus services.

Public Transport Minister Melissa Horne announced changes to Horsham's separate town bus network in Horsham on Wednesday.

12pm: Member for Lowan Emma Kealy says Public Transport Victoria will reinstate two school bus services changed on January 26.

She says she is seeking clarification as to what will happen on Monday afternoon's school pick up.

"With community support and working with Wimmera Roadways and the schools to make sure our voice is heard... we've seen some common sense by the minister. She has back-pedalled and reinstated those two school bus runs she cut last week, she said.

"We haven't got the security to know whether this is a short-term fix. We want to make sure it is reinstated for the long-term.

"My understanding from Wimmera Roadways is they have seven buses back."

"(The changes came into effect) with no notification to parents and families. It caused enormous disruption and ruined the first day of school for so many students across our region," Ms Kealy said.

"Because there were too few runs, all the bus route configurations were changed right across Horsham, and it impacted on the country runs too. We had the bizarre scenario where school buses were dropping kids off after school started and picking them up before school finished. There were whole patches of Horsham which are no longer serviced including Stockton Drive and the area north of Pryors Road.

"We had students abandoned at the interchange with no bus to connect and St Brigid's completely cut off from the rest of the town bus network.

"They had to change a lot of the timetables, which is why they tried to compress in school drop off too late to school start time. So the school bus runs became longer on a reduced footprint to try and cover the work the seven routes were doing beforehand."

The Mail-Times has contacted Public Transport Victoria for comment.