Ballarat's bus network is at breaking point, as people across the city grow increasingly dissatisfied with the system.
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When the Victorian government changed the bus route in 2017, it promised better coverage and bus connections.
But a few months later, councillors were already calling for a review into the new system.
It's nearly five years from that promise, and like many of the buses in Ballarat, the review has failed to arrive.
ARE YOU SATISFIED WITH THE BUS NETWORK? HAVE YOUR SAY AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS STORY
John Blood is desperate for change, he lives on Victoria Street in East Ballarat, and would regularly use the route 15 bus.
Born with a serious heart condition, last year Mr Blood nearly died from double cardiac arrest.
Following life saving surgery in Melbourne, he returned to Ballarat where he has tried to avoid driving because of his health.
But in September 2022, the bus route Mr Blood relied on was changed, and the stops in front of his home became redundant.
Now the closest stops to Mr Blood and his wife Naomi, who also suffers from a bad hip, are approximately 850 metres and one kilometre apart.
Because of their health conditions, neither of these stops are accessible to Mr and Mrs Blood, and has effectively isolated them from their community.
"What they've done since September last year is just horrendous," Mr Blood said.
"My wife and I are stranded right now."
"That was our lifeline, now we can't go anywhere, we've got a two year old daughter, so if I don't drive we don't go anywhere."
Public Transport Users Association Ballarat convener Ben Lever said the problems with Ballarat's bus network had driven people towards cars.
"Decades of poor transport planning ... [has given] people little choice but to drive everywhere," he said.
"Improving the bus network and giving people a viable alternative to driving would really help to reduce traffic and pressure on parking."
Mr Lever said when the new bus network was introduced in 2017, the problems were obvious.
Criticisms of the network include, the hub-and-spoke system which sends all buses into the centre of Ballarat, the failure to address Ballarat's outer suburbs as the population has grown in areas such as Alfredton and Lucas, and infrequent buses, particularly on nights and weekends.
Since then, the PTUA have campaigned for bus routes to be straightened, extended to new and growing suburbs and run increased services.
Mr Lever said these measures would be an evolution rather than a complete revamp of the current system, and would be relatively quick and inexpensive to implement.
"The existing issues with the bus network disproportionately affect those who can't drive, because they're forced to use a network that is often slow, indirect and has long gaps between services - but in reality, every Ballaratian is affected because we all need to deal with the traffic congestion that comes from car dependent planning," he said.
Rachel is one of those affected by the bus network, she woke up on her 40th birthday to find she had lost her sight, multiple surgeries restored some of her vision, but not enough to drive again.
Consequently Rachel, who lives in Alfredton and travels to East Ballarat for work, spends a lot of time on the bus.
When she works on weekends, her commute there and back totals four hours.
The buses take a long time to get into the heart of Ballarat, and Rachel then has an extended wait for a connecting service to take her on the second leg of her trip.
"It's absolutely exhausting to get home, and it shouldn't be that taxing, but it is," she said.
Once Rachel finally gets off the bus, she has to walk another half a kilometre to get home, because she lives on a new estate where the bus network hasn't been extended to.
She said her complaints about the system have fallen on deaf ears.
"The bus company has said to me they want to fix the buses, but they're not doing it until enough people are using it, but people aren't using it because it sucks," she said.
Not being able to drive has meant Rachel is essentially cut off from entire parts of Ballarat.
She avoids going to Delacombe because it's too much of a hassle to change between multiple buses.
From where Rachel lives, a simple 10 minute drive to Delacombe becomes more than an hour on the bus.
"You've got to get off and change buses, and you've got to do the same coming home, it's just too much effort," she said.
Matt has suffered a similar experience since losing his licence for speeding.
There is no easy way for Matt to travel between his home in Sebastopol and his daughter in Wendouree.
What was once a brief 15 minute car trip has stretched to at least three quarters of an hour by bus, and often longer if the bus isn't running on time.
Because of the hub-and-spoke model, he has to rely on a smooth transition between bus routes, if either service is late his trip is ruined.
This was a surprise to Matt who came to Ballarat as a teenager in 2000, he remembered the buses were an efficient way to get around town.
"When I lost my licence, I was like, 'at least I know the buses are okay,' but now I don't feel like that anymore," he said.
"Literally I think, 'what am I doing?' It's like five kilometres from here to where I need to be, but it just feels like a slog to get to the middle of town."
"If people had a choice, they wouldn't choose to go on the buses, like I wouldn't, and for those people who don't have a choice, I feel sorry for them because the system's not cut out. [for them]"
Committee for Ballarat chief executive Michael Poulton said Ballarat needed a public transport system to reflect its growing population.
"We can't be a growing city and continue to put more and more cars on our roads, so we need to find alternative forms of transport," he said.
"Public transport has to meet the customer demand, yet sadly at the moment, we have a vast network that doesn't meet the demands of the consumer."
Mr Poulton said Committee for Ballarat would be working constructively with the Victorian government to provide a more effective transport network before the Commonwealth Games.
"We've certainly got enough time to both get the infrastructure and the timetabling right to ensure that our public transport network delivers for the tens of thousands of visitors who we will have for the Commonwealth Games, and importantly, leave a legacy of transport that lasts well beyond the Commonwealth Games," he said.
Greens minister for Western Victoria Sarah Mansfield said it was crucial for Ballarat's bus service to be improved before the 2026 Games.
She said current public transport systems were not fit for purpose, and hadn't developed to meet the rapid population growth in regional Victoria.
According to Ms Mansfield, The Commonwealth Games will be a "real opportunity" to update the network.
"A lot of these conversations, people start coming up with really high tech solutions like light rail and trackless trams and things," she said.
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"But a really efficient bus system can do an incredible job at moving people around to where they need to be, and is something that can actually be realistically delivered in a lot of our regional areas.
"We have such entrenched car dependence in all of our rural and regional areas and very few alternative options for people.
"Even in the biggest centres like Ballarat, there are relatively limited public transport options."
A department of Transport spokesperson said they were continually monitoring regional bus and rail networks to deliver the best service possible.
"We are working closely with the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee, key stakeholders and the City of Ballarat on planning to meet the transport needs of the expected influx of visitors and locals during the Commonwealth Games," they said.
