One of Ipswich’s newest bus routes will mark a major milestone this month as customers show their support for the service in increasing numbers.

Launched in 2019, the Ripley Valley 531 service will celebrate its third birthday on January 29 and has already become a vital cog in the region’s public transport network.

Linking local bus and rail services, Route 531 provides connections between Springfield Central station and Orion Shopping Centre to Yamanto, via the Ripley Valley Priority Development Area (PDA).

It was expanded in October to include six Saturday services in each direction operating every two hours, complementing the regular weekday services running between approximately 5.30am and 10pm.

Customer use on the route had increased steadily prior to COVID-19 and has rebounded strongly since, with patronage hitting an all-time high in November with more than 2500 trips for the month.

And with the population of the region expected to increase significantly in the coming years, Member for Jordan Charis Mullen said the importance of Route 531 would extend well beyond the third anniversary.

“Greater Springfield and Ripley in particular are rapidly-growing parts of Ipswich and Route 531 has served a crucial role for residents in these areas over the past three years,” Mrs Mullen said.

“On a comparative day basis, we’ve now reached about 102 per cent of pre-COVID patronage in November 2021, which is really quite remarkable when you consider the impact of COVID-19 on public transport use.

“It’s exciting and pleasing to see more and more customers taking advantage of the service and adding a Saturday timetable has only made things more convenient.”

Member for Ipswich Jennifer Howard said that the 531 service is crucial for linking growing areas of Ipswich, Ripley and Springfield.

“I’ve had a number of constituents contact my office to pass on their praise for the 531 service,” Ms Howard said.

“The service plays an important role in ensuring connectivity on the public transport network both locally and further afield, as well as access to meeting points and places of interest in and around Ripley Valley.

“With the help of delivery partner Bus Queensland, we’ll continue to keep an eye on Route 531 and all services in the region to see how and where we might be able to make further improvements.

“There’s no doubt the 531 will only grow in the future and we’re looking forward to sharing that success.”

The eight stops on Route 531 are located at:

• Orion Springfield Central
• Springfield Central station
• Providence Parade
• Harmony Crescent, Providence
• Ripley Town Centre
• Parkview Parade, Ecco Ripley
• Ripley Road, Satterley Ripley Valley
• Yamanto Shopping Centre

Visit the TransLink website, download the MyTransLink app or call 13 12 30 for more information on the Ripley Valley 531 service.