From Our Archives

 In the early years of this century, attempts were made to obtain a permanent regular passenger service from Doncaster to Melbourne. In our archives, we have a series of letters between various bus companies and the Doncaster Progress Association to this end.

Charabanc: Sonnenberg's bus service from Box Hill to Doncaster. The steps at the front led to aisle and the seats all faced the front. The charabanc carried twenty passengers. The bus service ran in the 1920's

The arrangement was that a bus would travel from Doncaster East Post Office to Zander Corner thence via Doncaster Road, High Street Kew, Barker's Road, Victoria Street, Bourke Street, Swanston Street to St. Paul's Cathedral. The journey would take about one hour. The length of the route was estimated at 20 miles per trip and there were to be two trips daily. The charge for a viable service needed to be 2/- from Doncaster and 2/6 from Doncaster East for the service to cover costs.
A bus service by the British Motor Service under the auspices of the Doncaster Progress Association commenced on November 6th 1912.
Problems arose over this service, as a guarantee for 1/- a mile was not able to be met and the service was discontinued a few months later. Unfortunately at the time, the population was such that costs of running the bus service were greater than the clientele and over the next 10 years the bus service was at best sporadic. It was not until the roads were better maintained, the vehicles more reliable and the passenger load larger that a permanent bus service became possible.

Source: 1998 03 DTHS Newsletter