16/10/2026
Happy 20th anniversary to the Route 900 SmartBus between Caulfield and Rowville, which began operation on Monday 16 October 2006.
Also known as the Wellington Rd SmartBus, it was Melbourne's first route to specifically created as one, rather than being an existing route upgraded into the SmartBus network (700, 703, 888/889) and was the first to wear the bold orange & silver SmartBus livery.
Today the service carries over 2 million passengers per annum, with higher demand during university semesters. It has has strong boardings per km & per service hour, which make it one of Melbourne's most productive bus routes, including on weekends.
Route 900 was a bus-rapid transit solution to solve the long-running problem of limited public transport to the Rowville area. Rowville had no railway line, and there had been discussion of a possible rail connection to the area. Rather than waiting for a rail project, the Victorian Government decided to provide a high-quality bus connection.
A need for improved public transport in the Mulgrave area had also arisen following the construction of 1,400 new homes on the site of the former Waverley Park stadium on Wellington Rd.
Route 900 also linked Monash University's Caulfield and Clayton campuses, albeit diverting through Oakleigh, and later, from November 2008, via Chadstone. As such, the university-funded express shuttle (operated by Quince's) continues to operate.
The service also provided much-needed relief to overcrowding from uni students on Routes 630 & 630A from Huntingdale Station, ahead of the Route 601 shuttle being introduced in July 2011.
The route began as a shared operation between Grenda’s Bus Services and Eastrans (Kefford Corporation. A proposal in April 2005 to include Driver Bus Lines was not being supported by the other operators.
A fleet of 12 new Mercedes Benz O500LE buses were delivered for the service, with all buses on the route being fully low floor and air-conditioned at a time when high floor buses (with roller destos) were still a common sight.
GPS tracking allowed for real-time arrivals at stops alongside onboard 'next stop" displays. Bus stops were upgraded to meet Disability Discrimination Act requirements and totems featured maps & timetables, a far-cry from the standard of local bus stops around Melbourne.
Intersection queue jumps and bus lanes were also installed along sections of the route to reduce journey times.
A unique feature was a limited-stop service, with existing routes along both Dandenong Rd and Wellington Rd continuing to service minor stops.
Prior to Route 900 being introduced, there was no service after 7pm or on Sundays for the majority of the corridor (other than the Huntingdale-Monash Uni section shared with Route 630 and Route 691 at the Rowville end).
The initial timetable provided a 15 minute frequency until 9pm weekdays, with a 30 minute frequency for evenings and on weekends. These frequencies were replicated on other SmartBus routes introduced between 2008 & 2010.
On 18 February 2018, the peak hour frequency was upgraded to 10 mins headways alongside the opening of the new Huntingdale bus interchange.
To address overcrowding at Chadstone, Saturday afternoon services were later increased to every 20 mins in April 2021. In September 2021, Route 900 between Oakleigh & Rowville joined the Night Bus network, replacing part of overnight Route 969 to Ringwood.
Route 900 SmartBus still operates today in partnership with Ventura (since January 2012) and CDC Melbourne (since February 2009).
In April 2018, the ALP state government announced plans to introduce a Caulfield to Rowville tram to replace Route 900, but these plans were soon superseded by the announcement of the Suburban Rail Loop only months later.
Separately, Monash University, Vicinity Centres (owners of Chadstone) and local councils continue to advocate for a 'trackless-tram' solution along the corridor, aiming to cut the trip down to as
little as 31 mins.
