Wellington's new bus network promises to be simpler and more reliable
Thursday, 28 June 2018
Wellington's bus network is about to undergo the most comprehensive overhaul in its history. The aim to make it simpler, more practical and more user-friendly, but the changes will require thousands of commuters to alter well-engrained habits. Damian George reports.
Wellingtonians are catching the bus in greater numbers, but they are using a system that is 'past its use-by date'.
That is the view of Greater Wellington Regional Council's general manager of public transport Wayne Hastie, who says the current network has served its purpose and can no longer cater to the capital's needs. But that is all about to change.
On July 15, Wellington city's bus network will be turned on its head. Some routes will change, timetables will be rejigged, new buses – including high-capacity double-deckers and electric buses – will appear and the price you pay will alter in some fashion.
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The network overhaul, which will coincide with the introduction of new bus operators in some cases, was first talked about back in 2012.
It is a big job and has taken a while to get to this point. But the end result, Hastie says, will be a public transport system that is simpler, easier and more reliable.
Yes, many commuters will need to change their daily routines, and not absolutely everyone will be in a better position. But Hastie says the vast majority will be, and the new network will be a drastic improvement on the convoluted, outdated system bus users have endured in recent years.
'You may recall, a bit over a year ago, we were having massive issues coming out of Karori, with people being left behind because of full buses,' he says.
'So we put on another one or two services, but we end up with so much bus-to-bus congestion in the Golden Mile. We've got more than double what the recommended number of buses per hour down a section of roadway like that is, which means it's hard to get reliable travel times.'
Public transport trips are forecast to grow from 38 million per year to 42 million per year by 2024, and the current network 'just wouldn't cope with that demand', Hastie said.
'We had an opportunity here … to simplify it.'
SO, WHAT IS HAPPENING?
The new bus network is one of a number of changes the regional council has implemented over the past decade in its push to have a 'world-class' public transport system.
Recent improvements have focused more on the rail network, with a new fleet of fully-electric Matangi trains introduced, more park-and-ride stations established, and services extended to Waikanae. Future improvements are planned for the troubled Wairarapa line.
But right now it is bus users' turn to see some change, with the new routes based on careful assessment of the areas that need the most capacity, and at what times.
The system will be based on a simpler network of core routes, supplemented by extended or express services at peak times, Hastie says.
'We're trying to provide a seven-day-a-week, all-day network, rather than a network that serviced the peak, with some off-peak services.'
The network will take people to 'more places, more often', reduce carbon emissions by 68 per cent and offer more streamlined bus and rail services.
Buses will be 'right-sized' for the route they are operating on. Evidence of this will be the double-deckers on the busy north-south route that runs from Island Bay through Wellington to Grenada, Johnsonville and Churton Park.
There will be large, medium and small buses at the council's disposal, Hastie said.
'In the past, we’ve just had these big buses running everywhere on all the services, whether we needed a big bus or just a small bus.'
The direct north-south route will also reduce the number of buses on the Golden Mile – the CBD thoroughfare that encompasses parts of Lambton Quay, Willis St, Manners St and Courtenay Place – as commuters will no longer need to change services along there.
'At the moment, if you start in the north, you end at Courtenay Place, and if you start in the south, you end up at the railway station,' Hastie says.
'In the future network, we’re not stopping those routes at the railway station interchange and at Courtenay Place.'
There will be a new local route in Churton Park, extending to and from Wellington at peak times. University students will have a peak-time morning and afternoon service between Miramar and Karori via Massey and Victoria campuses, and an all-day, high-frequency shuttle service between Courtenay Place and Kelburn Parade.
BUS HUBS
A handful of high-frequency bus services will run every 10 to 15 minutes on core routes during the day, while several standard services will operate every 30 to 60 minutes.
On top of this, extra peak-time 'feeder' buses will connect outer city suburbs to high-frequency routes in and out of Wellington at various bus hubs.
There will be eight hubs set up – Wellington Railway Station, Courtenay Place near Allen St, Johnsonville Station, Evans Bay Rd in Kilbirnie, Miramar Ave, Wellington Regional Hospital, Karori Tunnel and Brooklyn.
The hubs have been set up for people who will need to change buses on their journey. Some of those people currently need to take only one bus, and have criticised the new system for adding an extra disruption.
But the council says only five per cent of commuters who did not previously need to change buses will need to now.
It has promised those transfers will be streamlined at the hubs. Most people will still be able to take one bus into the central city at peak times.
The council also says 75 per cent of people will be within one kilometre of a high-frequency bus route.
INTO THE 21ST CENTURY
Regional council chairman Chris Laidlaw says the package of public transport changes, including a simplified ticketing system and more streamlined journeys, will be the biggest ever seen in Wellington.
'It all adds up to what is effectively a jump-shift into the 21st century. We're looking ahead to a radical change in the way in which people travel, and the technologies they use to buy their tickets – all of that.'
The new system is about 'future-proofing', and a lot of people have yet to fully appreciate that.
'That's the whole purpose of it, and the overall impact will be seen over the next 10 or 20 years, Laidlaw says.
'So I'm excited by this. I'm excited by electric buses being deployed for the first time in New Zealand. I'm excited by our ability to be able to finally deal with some of the climate change and emission challenges that are in front of us.'
A one-card payment system for all public transport will be rolled out across the region from 2021. In the meantime, the Snapper Card will become the universal electronic payment method for all buses in the Wellington region.
TEETHING PROBLEMS
While the future of Wellington's bus network begins on July 15, the future is now for the Hutt Valley.
An overhaul of its bus network was rolled out on June 17, and there were some early teething problems.
Some services ran late, while others failed to follow the correct route. It was claimed one bus driver on a school route even paid a passenger $5 to show him the way.
But Deb Hume, the regional council's public transport transformation programme director, says the Wellington changes should run a lot smoother.
The new network will be rolled out on a Sunday, then run for a week during school holidays, so there will be some quiet time to sort out any issues.
More than 100 'AmBUSsadors' will also be on hand for several days to provide information to commuters, Hume says.
Half of Wellington's services will be operated by existing operators NZ Bus and Mana Bus, so that should also make things easier. But Hume urges commuters to be patient as drivers get used to the new routes.
'Think of your first day on the job; there's a lot of pressure and you're under the gun. So just be kind to those drivers as they get up to speed.'
Some of the biggest changes will be in suburbs that do not currently have great services, such as Churton Park. People living there will notice more services, including buses on weekends and evenings.
'People won't experience, in the main, a drop in service. It's just that your 8.05am might now come at 8.03am. But by a magnitude of change, lots of things will change all at once, so it's going to feel big.'
FARE CHANGES
From July 15, bus users will have three payment options: cash, SuperGold card (for seniors) and Snapper card. Using the latter will earn you a 25 per cent discount over the equivalent cash fare.
Rail users will continue to use paper tickets.
A raft of fare discounts will come into effect alongside the new bus network, offset by a 3 per cent average fare increase.
A 50 per cent discount will be available for all school students and blind and disabled passengers, while fulltime tertiary students and off-peak travellers will enjoy a 25 per cent discount.
There will also be free bus transfers (30 minutes between tag off and tag on) for bus users and monthly rail pass holders travelling four or more zones. Commuters will be allowed up to four transfers (five total trips), with the final fare to be determined by the number of zones travelled. Transfers will be charged at the same rate as when the journey started.
The free transfers reflect the new 'zone-based' fare system, rather than station-to-station ticketing.
But many peak-time commuters will be paying more, especially if they use cash. Adult one and two-zone travellers will be hardest hit, in percentage terms, with cash fares going up to $2.50 and $4 respectively (from $2 and $3.50). All other fares – excluding zones three, four, five and eight – will increase by up to 6.3 per cent.
In contrast, Snapper fares will increase by between 2.9 and 3.1 per cent, while monthly rail pass and 30-day bus pass prices will increase up to 3.1 per cent.
Harbour ferry prices will increase by up to 9.4 per cent.
People with Mana/Newlands or Uzabus cards can get a free Snapper card from the Mana Coach Services depots in Porirua and Paraparaumu until July 13. Metlink staff will also be handing them out at various bus and train stations, schools and shopping centres. They can be also bought at Snapper retailers or online.
Balances cannot be transferred onto the new cards so Metlink is encouraging commuters to run down the balance on their existing cards. However, balances can be refunded until September 30 if the card is returned by post with a deposit slip to the respective bus operators.
WHO IS OPERATING MY BUS?
Wairarapa-based bus company Tranzit was awarded 60 per cent of the Wellington region's commuter contracts last year. Its buses will operate in many parts of Wellington city, including the main north-south spine from Island Bay to the northern suburbs, as well as the Hutt Valley, Porirua, and Wairarapa.
NZ Bus, which operates the Go Wellington and Valley Flyer services, will continue to operate in various parts of the capital, including on the east-west spine from Karori to Miramar and Seatoun, as well as in Eastbourne.
Mana Coach Services will operate in Newlands and Tawa, while Uzabus will operate Kāpiti's routes.
Not that any of this will be overly-apparent to the general public because all of the region's buses will eventually be branded with the same Metlink colours and signage, as many already have been.
The council's advice is to look out for their bus number, not colour.
Tranzit will introduce 10 fully electric double-decker buses on the north-south route, and will welcome a further 22 by 2021.
The rest of the 420-strong fleet will be diesel buses.
The capital's retired trolley buses, owned by NZ Bus, could yet return as fully-electric battery buses, adding up to another 60 non-diesel vehicles. But it is possible NZ Bus could opt to take those buses elsewhere.
THE NUMBERS GAME
North-south (Island Bay to northern suburbs): old bus numbers 1, 53, 54 and 55 become new bus number 1
East-west (Karori to Miramar/Seatoun): old numbers 2, 3 and 11 become new number 2
Lyall Bay, Rongotai: old numbers 3, 10 and 11 become new number 3
Strathmore Park: old numbers 25, 43 and 44 become new numbers 12 (shuttle) and 12e (peak-time Wellington extension)
Kowhai Park: old number 8 becomes new numbers 17 and 17e (peak-time Wellington extension)
Miramar-Karori: old number 18 becomes new number 18e. A separate local Miramar route will be the number 18
Mairangi: old numbers 22, 23 and 47 become new number 22
Houghton Bay: old numbers 21 and 23 become new numbers 23 and 23e (peak-time Wellington extension)
Miramar Heights/Broadmeadows: old numbers 24, 46 and 50 become new number 24
Khandallah/Highbury: old numbers 9, 20, 43 and 44 become new number 25
Ngaio: old number 45 becomes new number 26
Southgate/Owhiro Bay: old numbers 4, 22 and 29 become new number 29e (peak-time Wellington extension)
Scorching Bay/Moa Point Express: old number 30 becomes new number 30x
Miramar North Express: old number 31 becomes new number 31x
Houghton Bay Express: old numbers 4 and 32 become new number 32x
Karori South: old number 3s becomes new number 33
Karori West: old number 3x becomes new number 34
Hataitai: old number 5 becomes new number 35
Lyall Bay via Hataitai: old number 6 becomes new number 36
Karori (Wrights Hill)/Brandon St: old numbers 17 and 21 become new number 37
Tawa: old numbers 210 and 211 become new numbers 60 and 60e (peak-time Wellington extension)
No number change: Kingston (7), Mairangi (13), Wilton/Roseneath (14), Mt Victoria (20), Karori/Wrights Hill (21*), Beacon Hill Shuttle (28), Newlands, Woodridge, Paparangi (52), Paparangi (56), Woodridge (57) and Newlands (58).
*The 21 will include an all-day, high-frequency service between Courtenay Place and Kelburn Parade.
New service: Churton Park 19 (loop) and 19e (peak-time Wellington extension)
BY THE NUMBERS: WELLINGTON'S NEW BUS NETWORK
45 per cent more weekend services
26 suburbs with more off-peak services
15 per cent more weekday services
12 suburbs with new evening and weekend services
10 fully electric double-deckers