A government review proposed a full bus route along Canterbury Road. The plan has been stuck for 16 years.
More than 20 bus routes stop along the major arterial road across the east, but there is still no way for someone to take a bus trip from Montrose to Camberwell.
Matthew Sims
May 20, 2026
While Melbourne’s eastern suburbs are set to receive improved bus services in the latest State Budget, some say a dedicated Canterbury Road route should be prioritised.
💰 Money up: The 2026/27 State Budget will fund some eastern bus improvements, including a Sunday service between The Pines and Nunawading Station and extra school-time services between Box Hill and Burwood via Surrey Hills.
🗓️ Years of plans: But eastern Melbourne councils have been plotting a particular bus route – along Canterbury Road from Bayswater to Camberwell – for some time.
Federal infrastructure funding reviews and a focus on delivering large-scale infrastructure projects like the Suburban Rail Loop and the North East Link have halted any progress on the plans.
Whitehorse Council’s 2020 Box Hill strategy outlined aims to lobby with Boroondara and Maroondah councils for the route.
A 2010 State Government bus review also recommended a main route along Canterbury Road.
🚌 Eastern connections: Canterbury Road is a 25.8-kilometre arterial strip linking Montrose to Camberwell, with more than 20 bus routes intersecting or running along it.
🛑 🟢 Stop and start: As Canterbury Road runs parallel to the Belgrave and Lilydale train lines, the bus network aims to connect commuters to nearby rail stations via key points along the road rather than having bus services which take the same journey as a train route.
However, outer eastern trips along Canterbury Road often require multiple changes and walks up to 45 minutes, including access to Ringwood or Box Hill.
For example: A Bayswater resident travelling to Brentford Square in Forest Hill may need three buses – 679, 742 and 765 – with walking between connections.
✍️ What’s needed? Former state transport planner and public transport advocate Peter Parker said parts of Canterbury Road were “a bit of a black hole in the network”, calling for a review into the potential for a connection between Ringwood and Box Hill.
🗣️ "I think there’s a strong justification for it because a lot of the bus routes are very indirect,” Parker told the Eastern Melburnian. “When bus routes are upgraded, they tend to get more usage.”
Former state transport planner and public transport advocate Peter Parker and Public Transport Users Association spokesperson Daniel Bowen.
Public Transport Users Association spokesperson Daniel Bowen said services should be improved before major redesigns.
🗣️“On weekends … many bus frequencies drop by half, blowing out wait times and making connections difficult,” Bowen told the Eastern Melburnian.
⏭️ What’s next? North-Eastern Metropolitan MP Nick McGowan said any dedicated route should focus on links between Box Hill, Mitcham and Ringwood.
🗣️ “These centres are among Melbourne’s best patronage performers.” McGowan told the Eastern Melburnian.