Getting Around a Regional Victorian Town Without a Car

The main street is quiet at half past seven. A bakery has its lights on, a ute is parked at an angle outside the hardware shop and the bus shelter by the park has a timetable pinned inside it, faded by the sun. A teenager reads it twice, then looks at her phone, then reads it again. An older man crosses the road with a shopping bag and a folded appointment letter. Nobody is in a hurry, but nobody has a car to spare either.

In a town of this size, a missing car isn’t a small matter. The nearest specialist might be an hour away, the supermarket a long walk, and the timetable only works if your day fits it. People manage, though, and some of the ways they manage are worth knowing about before you need them.

The honest picture is this. There isn’t one transport answer in regional Victoria, and nobody has a magic app for it. There’s a patchwork of regional trains and coaches, community transport run by councils and volunteers, local taxis, a state subsidy for some taxi travel and informal lifts. The trick is knowing which piece covers which trip. This article does not rely on the idea, sometimes repeated, that taxis are making a big return. What matters is what’s available where you live.

Regional trains and coaches

V/Line runs regional trains and coaches between towns and into Melbourne. For longer trips, such as a day in the city or a regional hospital appointment, it’s often the sensible backbone. The limits are well known: services may be infrequent, the last one home may be earlier than you’d like and a coach stop may be on the edge of a town instead of the centre.

Check the timetable for the specific day you’re travelling, including the return, before you commit to a plan. Weekend and holiday timetables often differ from weekday ones.

Town and local buses

Some larger regional towns have local bus routes, and these can be useful for shopping, school and work. Smaller towns may have few or none, and coverage tends to be thinner in the evenings and on weekends. A route that looks useful on a map may only run a handful of times a day, so look at the times as well as the stops.

Community transport

Community transport is run by local councils, community health services and volunteer groups, and it’s one of the most important pieces for people who can’t drive. It generally helps with trips to appointments, shopping and social activities, often in a bus or a car with a volunteer driver.

Eligibility and cost vary between providers, and demand can be high, so you usually need to register first and book trips ahead of time. Your local council or community health service is the best first call to find out what runs in your area.

Local taxis

A local taxi can be the flexible piece the rest of the system lacks: door to door, outside timetable hours and available for a short hop that no bus covers. In a small town, though, taxis can be few. It pays to know how to book before you need one, because there may not be a rank to wait at and cars may be busy at peak times such as school runs, appointment times and event days.

Some points that help:

• Save the number of the local taxi company in your phone before you need it.
• Book ahead for early starts, medical appointments and anything with a fixed time.
• Ask about payment options, because not every vehicle may take every card.
• Confirm the pick-up address and whether the driver will wait if you have a longer errand.

The Multi Purpose Taxi Program

Victoria’s Multi Purpose Taxi Program is a state scheme that subsidises taxi travel for people with a severe and permanent disability who meet its eligibility criteria. It’s assessed through an application, and the current rules, subsidy and how to apply are set out by the Victorian Government. If you or someone in your family may qualify, it’s worth looking into, because it can make regular taxi travel much more affordable. The accessible side of taxis is a topic in its own right and isn’t covered in detail here.

Rideshare, lifts and the informal network

Rideshare coverage tends to fall away outside larger towns, so don’t count on it. Where it does work, it can be a useful addition. Informal arrangements often do a lot of the work: a neighbour who goes to town on Thursdays, a family member who does the appointment run, a community noticeboard or social group that organises lifts. These aren’t official, but for many households they’re part of how the week works.

If your trips are occasional but long, hiring a car for a few days now and then can be cheaper than owning one. Watch for extras that can change the total, which our post on car hire extras that cost more than the daily rate explains. And if your trip ends at an airport, the airport transfer options compared can help you choose between them.

Fewer trips, not just better ones

One more option is not to travel at all. Telehealth appointments where suitable, grocery delivery, and combining several errands into one trip can save a surprising number of journeys. They won’t replace the need to move around, but they ease the pressure.

Planning the week

Look at your regular trips: the appointment, the shopping, the visit. For each one, write down which option could cover it and what you’d need to do beforehand.

Then make the first call.

Sources: V/Line, Regional train and coach services (https://www.vline.com.au); Safe Transport Victoria, Multi-Purpose Taxi Program (https://safetransport.vic.gov.au/on-the-road/multi-purpose-taxi-program/)