The train left at 4.15pm and arrived in Ballarat at 5.15pm. Rather than bother others to pick me up, I decided to try public transport.

I have been a latecomer to the benefits of public transport, and have been constantly impressed whenever in Melbourne.

I sat down at the station bus stop at 5.20pm. By the time I arrived at my destination near Grant Street in Sebastopol, I realised it took me longer to get from the train station to Sebastopol than it took for me to get from Melbourne to Ballarat.

Had I known, I could have walked the distance just as quickly.

After talking to other users, I was told that you would only use public transport in Ballarat if you were desperate or did not have a car.

There is absolutely no incentive to use it.

If we had a better system, it has the potential to cut down the amount of cars on the roads and to reduce Ballarat's emissions.

More buses running every 15 minutes and running on time would make a huge difference.

And why don't we have a dedicated tourist bus doing a loop from the station to the Ballarat Wildlife Park, M.A.D.E, Sovereign Hill and the CDB?

Forget spending millions on things that will benefit only a few. Build a better public transport system for the city that will benefit everyone.