Proposal to extend Whangarei bus services to four rural areas

CityLink bus services could be extended to Hikurangi, Whangarei Heads, Ruakaka, and Waipu if enough people use them. Photo / File

Public feedback is being sought on a proposal to extend bus services to four areas in rural Whangarei.

The Northland Regional Council (NRC) wants to trial the services in Hikurangi, Whangarei Heads, Ruakaka, and Waipu and if it goes ahead, Whangarei ratepayers will pay extra to make it run.

The NRC proposal is contained in its Long Term Plan (LTP) document that is out for public submissions.

Whangarei ratepayers are currently paying $13.90 a year in public transport rate to cover the expense of 40-seater CityLink bus services in urban Whangarei.

NRC is proposing to increasing that rate to $21.46 to improve CityLink service and to upgrade its ticketing system.

For the Far North, NRC wants to levy a district-wide annual public transport rate of $8.80 per ratepayer rather than rate only those that directly benefit from the service as is currently the case.

A district-wide transport rate would provide much greater flexibility to change services to meet customer demand and to trial and fund new services elsewhere in the district, NRC
said.

NRC transport committee chairman John Bain urged the public to make submissions for or against the four new routes in rural Whangarei.

"Bus services have been trialled in some of those areas in the past but we've had to stop them because of low usage. But we're willing to have another try,'' Mr Bain said.

"I want people to start talking about whether it's a good idea to have bus services in those four areas. If they think it should be done, they should put their submissions in and we'll consider them."

He said a number of people have called for buses to run in the four areas through their elected representatives but stressed the importance of making sure enough people used the services.

Those wishing to make submissions can do so online on www.nrc.govt.nz/ltp2018. The feedback period is open until 4pm, on April 17.