The shortest bus route in Victoria, the 509, is being axed by Public Transport Victoria on September 30.
The ten-minute bus ride has been popular with the elderly community of Brunswick, many of which are of Greek and Italian decent.
The bus route has struggled in recent years to get more than one passenger a trip, but has been a lifeline for elderly commuters who use it for their shopping during the week.
The two kilometre route across Mellville Road and Sydney Road has been in operation for over 60 years, and is solely serviced by Hope Street Bus lines, a small two bus company.
Owner Joe Piccolo is devastated and is at odds with what will happen to him, the company and the drivers.
“The whole line is devastated at the moment,” Mr Piccolo told Neos Kosmos.
“When I got the letter, I didn’t want to say too much because lots of people aren’t going to take it lying down. They’re disheartened, their livelihoods are gone,” he said
When Mr Piccolo got the news, the outpouring of sympathy was heartwarming. He says many of the regulars were offering support and anything that could help.
Many of the passengers have started a petition to keep the bus line intact and are hoping to bring it to Brunswick MP, Jane Garrett’s office.
Mr Piccolo employs three bus drivers and a book keeper, and regrets that he cannot keep them on.
509 Bus driver Menelaos Hatzigeorgiadis is ashamed that the government isn’t keeping the route.
“I am upset that the government can’t find a few dollars to keep the line going. I am very upset, but what can I do? They should be ashamed,” he told Neos Kosmos.
Mr Hatzigeorgiadis has been driving the Hope Street bus line for more than four years, and has struck a strong rapport with the passengers.
“I know everybody, mostly by name,” he said.
The bus has become a bit of a social club, and with the strong migrant community of Brunswick, many backgrounds easily chat and interact between stops. In between conversations in Greek, Italian or Chinese, everyone stops to greet the new passengers in English.
In true community camaraderie, Mr Hatzigeorgiadis doesn’t adhere to the bus stops all the time. He’s become a bit more of a private taxi service, willingly picking up people who hail him on the road, even outside their house.
“Anybody that hails us we pick them up,” he said.
A sentiment the elderly passengers really appreciate. The drivers wait patiently for them to hop on board and take their seats.
Public Transport Victoria said two other bus routes on nearby streets a few hundred metres north and south of Hope Street would continue to run services.
They believe they “offer the same connections to intersecting tram routes, but run for longer hours with better connections to trains”.
For owner Mr Piccolo, the future seems bleak. The government hasn’t agreed to compensate him and will be closing more routes.
He feels like more sensitivity should have been shown to the bus line’s role in Brunswick and in people’s daily life.
“It’s a community bus line. It’s still a little bus line that does a lot of good for the area,” he said.