A network of more than 30 bus routes running every 10 minutes would criss-cross much of Melbourne within less than a decade under ambitious plans produced by Public Transport Victoria.

The state's public transport authority wants to drastically boost bus services in the suburbs, particularly the outer growth areas, to keep pace with Melbourne's rapid population growth and sprawl.

Under the plan, Melbourne would have 35 so-called ''SmartBus'' routes by 2021, running every 10 minutes along direct routes between busy urban hubs such as shopping centres and railway stations. There are currently nine SmartBus routes in Melbourne that run at 15-minute frequencies, including four between the city and Doncaster and three that orbit the middle and outer suburbs.

New turn-up-and-go routes would be introduced between Werribee and Melbourne Airport, Moonee Ponds and Melbourne Airport, Caroline Springs and Brighton Beach, and Elwood and La Trobe University, to name a few. Some existing routes that run every half-hour would be boosted to 10-minute frequencies, and several new SmartBus routes would be launched in the outer suburbs.

The plans have not officially been made public but appear in a document that was tabled this month at the planning panel hearing into the East West Link. Future bus and tram plans were used to model traffic volumes on the $6 billion to $8 billion road.