JONATHAN DOW With petrol prices at a record high, more people are taking the bus to get to and from Hawke's Bay. But commuters appear to have only reached the "thinking about it" stage, when it comes to ditching the car for the bus. Bus company Intercity has recorded an 11 percent increasein the number of passengers it carries into and from Hawke's Bay. Intercity chief executive Malcolm Johns estimated two-thirds of the increase was due to people choosing to take the bus rather than their car. He said the rest was due to an increase in the number of international visitors, who make up 35 percent of Intercity customers, travelling to the region. Intercity matched its services with demand and would add an extra bus or a bigger, 72-seat bus, to the Napier - Wellington route, Mr Johns said. Chief executive Malcolm Johns said the company had already decided to upgrade the Wellington-Auckland service to a 72-seat bus. Of course the buses don't run on water - diesel has increased 11 cents per litre during April, to close at $1.279 per litre, the highest price ever. Mr Johns said Intercity had increased fares by $1 last month and in October last year, but with passenger numbers up the fuel price increases had been positive for the company. More people are ringing bus company Nimon and Sons Ltd to ask about the cost of taking the bus to commute between Napier and Hastings. "People are thinking about it, they're starting to do their sums," Pete Patterson, general manager of Nimon, said. But those thoughts had not yet translated into increased fare sales, Mr Patterson said. On a 10-trip concession ticket ($42.90) an adult can travel between Napier and Hastings 10 times.
