Whanganui's urban bus service could be heading in different directions soon.
Horizons Regional Council's passenger transport committee sought community feedback on the city's services earlier this year and, based on that information, a number of changes have been recommended.
Regular users said they wanted more frequent weekend services, wanted buses to run on public holidays (currently that doesn't happen), more frequent services and better coverage of some parts of the city where current service is limited or doesn't exist at all.
Users also said the bus timetables were confusing, overly complicated and difficult to access, and that some bus stop infrastructure wasn't up to scratch.
This week the committee endorsed the recommendations from its advisory group. If adopted by full council, Whanganui commuters will see more buses running on Saturdays and services on public holidays which align with the Saturday timetable.
It could also see a variation to the current Aramoho bus route to take in a small residential area around the Liverpool St-Keith St area.
Extra weekday services will be looked at but the committee said this could vary, depending on whether the frequency of services was increased across the board or just on selected routes.
More analysis will also be done on suggested new or amended routes. These include possible new services covering Bastia Hill and Durie Hill, Castlecliff and Gonville, a new hospital-Aramoho loop and a possible Putiki school service.
Increasing the frequency of the services will come at an extra cost which could range from $88,000 to $157,000. But those costs do not include a 51 per cent NZ Transport Agency subsidy which could be accessed.
The passenger transport committee endorsed the proposed changes and has asked staff to develop detailed costs and timetabling to can go before its next meeting in February.
Horizons' current contract with bus company Tranzit expires in December 2018 but, to make for a smooth transition to any changes, the committee it suggested the contract be extended another nine months to August 2019.