Member for Northern Victoria, Tania Maxwell MP has asked the Minister for Public Transport to act urgently on reports that travellers on V/Line coaches and buses are eluding checks when travelling to regional Victoria.

Ms Maxwell said she was fielding repeated enquiries from people concerned at the lack of checks on passengers to ensure they are only travelling for valid reasons during Melbourne’s Stage 4 lockdown. This includes no checks when passengers embark at Southern Cross Station and coaches being waved through checkpoints.

Ms Maxwell said that regional Victorians were diligently adhering to restrictions, with enormous stress on businesses and families as a result of the pandemic, and that regional Victorians should expect that proper checks were done to ensure people were not travelling without valid reason during Melbourne’s Stage 4 lockdown.

Quotes by Tania Maxwell MP

“I’ve asked the Minister for Public Transport to act immediately on reports that passengers on V/Line trains and coaches are not being checked when travelling to regional Victoria.”

“Melbourne is in Stage 4 lockdown, with very few reasons people can leave their homes, yet travel into regional Victoria on our public transport network is going unchecked.”