Melbourne bus route 601
{{Short description|Bus route in Melbourne, Australia}}
{{Use Australian English|date=December 2022}}
{{Dmy|date=December 2022}}
{{Infobox bus line
|number = Route 601
|logo = Victoria bus logo.svg
|logo_width = 100px
|bgcolor = #f68a24
|titlecolor = white
|image = 601 bus at Huntingdale station.jpg
|operator = CDC Melbourne
|depot = Oakleigh
|vehicle = Volgren bodied Volvo BZL
|pvr = 7
|open = 18 July 2011
|close =
|start = Huntingdale station
|via = North Road
Wellington Road
|end = Monash University
|length = 2.5 kilometres
|level = Weekdays
|frequency = 3-8 minutes
|time = 5-7 minutes
|zone = Myki Zone 1
|timetable_link = [https://d1u8c9axrpru07.cloudfront.net/1676505873492/bus-12750-2023-02-20-2023-04-09.pdf PTV]}}
Melbourne bus route 601 is operated by CDC Melbourne between Huntingdale station and Monash University, Clayton campus in Melbourne, Australia.
History
Prior to opening the route, there were numerous complaints about the inadequacy of the public transport service from Huntingdale station to the Monash University Clayton campus, because route 630 and SmartBus route 900 failed to provide a service that met demand.[https://web.archive.org/web/20220318130259/https://www.ptua.org.au/2010/04/18/rowville-huntingdale-chaos/ Huntingdale chaos brings renewed call for Monash/Rowville] Public Transport Users Association 18 April 2010
Eastrans began operating route 601 on 18 July 2011, allowing students and staff at Monash University to travel to the campus more quickly and efficiently. Initially, the route was launched as a trial run for one year.[https://web.archive.org/web/20120319211631/https://www.ptua.org.au/2011/05/25/monash-shuttle-601/ Shuttle bus shows urgent need for rail] Public Transport Users Association 25 May 2011
The service immediately became very successful and doubled patronage on the corridor. Its success ensure that the route would become permanent.[https://web.archive.org/web/20190402122151/https://www.busnews.com.au/industry-news/1207/uni-bus-turns-one Uni bus turns one] Australasian Bus & Coach 19 July 2012
By 2014, the route was Melbourne's busiest, with an average weekly patronage of 22,000.{{cite news |last1=Rabar |first1=Julia |title=Huntingdale bus Link to Monash University let down by poor signage |url=https://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/east/huntingdale-bus-link-to-monash-university-let-down-by-poor-signage/news-story/66c4447056b6f5610c7a71436bb19c40 |access-date=2023-09-14 |work=Waverley Leader |date=2014-02-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221215063721/https://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/east/huntingdale-bus-link-to-monash-university-let-down-by-poor-signage/news-story/66c4447056b6f5610c7a71436bb19c40 |archive-date=2022-12-15}} If the Suburban Rail Loop is constructed, route 601 will likely be connected with the rail line at Monash University via Monash station.[https://web.archive.org/web/20221114080439/https://bigbuild.vic.gov.au/library/suburban-rail-loop/fact-sheets/suburban-rail-loop-stage-one-monash Suburban Rail Loop Stage One: Monash] Victoria’s Big Build 12 April 2021 In 2022, route 601 was chosen by CDC Melbourne to operate trial runs for its new electric buses.[https://web.archive.org/web/20221106111922/https://www.busnews.com.au/industry-news/2206/cdc-making-the-electric-transition CDC making the electric transition] Australasian Bus & Coach 10 June 2022
Route
Route 601 operates from Huntingdale station to Monash University via North and Wellington Roads. The journey time for the 2.5-kilometre trip is five minutes on average.[https://d1u8c9axrpru07.cloudfront.net/1676505873492/bus-12750-2023-02-20-2023-04-09.pdf Route 601 timetable] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230222223416/https://d1u8c9axrpru07.cloudfront.net/1676505873492/bus-12750-2023-02-20-2023-04-09.pdf |date=22 February 2023 }} Public Transport Victoria It is one of the most heavily patronised bus routes in Melbourne, with buses running every few minutes, and usually being crowded even during peak frequencies.[https://www.miragenews.com/creating-connections-to-clayton-701165/ Creating connections to Clayton] Mirage News 29 December 2021
Vehicles
Route 601 was initially operated by a dedicated fleet of three Volgren-bodied Volvo B7RLEs, painted in a white and orange livery. More recently, it has been operated by buses in standard Public Transport Victoria orange livery. In December 2022, Volgren-bodied Volvo BZL electric buses were introduced, and Australia’s first off-site bus charging station was installed at Monash University.{{cite web |title=ComfortDelGro Australia Begins Electric Bus Trial in Melbourne |url=https://cdcvictoria.com.au/latest-news/comfortdelgro-australia-begins-electric-bus-trial-in-melbourne/ |publisher=CDC Victoria |access-date=2023-09-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230203131240/https://cdcvictoria.com.au/latest-news/comfortdelgro-australia-begins-electric-bus-trial-in-melbourne/ |archive-date=2023-02-03 |date=2022-12-16 |url-status=live}}