BELINDA Anderson and her two young sons walked home in the rain when they could not catch a bus from Golden Square to Kangaroo Flat.
After collecting her son from school, Ms Anderson tried to catch a bus along High Street at Golden Square.
When the bus stopped, she was told there was no room for her with a stroller and she would need to wait for the next bus.
Already cold and wet, Ms Anderson walked to a nearby bus stop in Mackenzie Street near Maple Street, where the bus drove straight past.
“It was raining, so we kept walking and ended up walking home,” Ms Anderson said.
“We got home at 5.30pm.
“Connor was crying, he was wet and uncomfortable and very tired in the stroller and Thomas was so grumpy you couldn’t reason with him when he got home.
“I had a massive headache, I was pretty stressed.”
However, Ms Anderson does not blame the drivers.
“It’s not working the way they’ve changed it,” she said.
“We need more school buses because the kids are taking up the public buses.
“There’s a big need here.
“I don’t think it’s been very well planned.
“It’s our public transport and we pay money to get to where we need to go, we should have been asked what was needed.”

By Nicole Ferrie
MITCHELL Street traders are seeking police guidance to help staff deal with intimidating bus commuters.
Bendigo Traders Association president Neil Athorn plans to speak with the community policing division asking officers to meet traders and discuss their concerns.
They hope the move will help educate staff members on how to deal with difficult situations.
The move follows an increase in shoplifting since the number of people catching buses in Mitchell Street more than doubled when the new bus network came into effect on April 28.
All bus stops in the CBD were moved into Mitchell Street at that time.
Commuters are also using offensive language and confronting staff at several CBD businesses.
Mike Hammond of Toyworld said shoplifting had increased
by up to 60 per cent at his store since the change.
“The staff are being confronted every day,” he said.
“They are not coping too well, they’re not used to people coming in and confronting them.
“I need to provide a safe working place for my staff.”
Mr Hammond said the traders were not opposed to 1.5 million bus commuters coming into the CBD annually, but a better location for the central bus interchange needed to be found.
“We want those people in Bendigo, we apreciate them and there is so much to offer particularly now with the new mall, but they need space the same as shoppers,” he said.
“They need to have the proper infrastructure and amenities.
“The footpaths are not made to handle the volume of people coming in.
“If they put the shelter a block away, it would be fantastic.”
Mr Athorn said the traders were simply calling for a tranquil place for commuters to go to access public transport.
However, he said in the short term, they were seeking some direction for staff on “how to handle things at the front of shops”.
“We are looking at helping the traders were we can with the situation,” he said.
“We are looking at different options including training courses with the police along with other people.”

CHILDREN travelling by bus to St Therese’s Primary School now need to cross one of Bendigo’s busiest roads before walking two blocks to school.
Before Bendigo’s new bus network came into effect on April 28, the youngsters were dropped outside the school gate by the special school bus.
That bus now no longer exists and students must use route 14 to get to and from school, which means walking from Lowndes Street to Glencoe Street and crossing the busy St Aidan’s Road.
The school was only told of the change the week before the new bus timetable, giving principal Matthew Mann only one day before the Anzac Day long weekend  time to notify parents.
“Our students now have to walk two blocks and have to cross St Aidan’s Road,” he said.
“We can’t provide a teacher to escort them up to Glencoe Street.”
Ann-Maree Davey is furious and disappointed with the changes.
Her son Tom was to catch the bus home from school last week but walked to his Strathdale home in the rain.
“They have left a whole heap of school children in the lurch,” she said.
“I’m really disappointed.”