On his way to work Kim Nillson can read a book, relax and does not have to stress about parking - he is one of the thousands of Bay residents choosing the bus over the car.
Numbers released this month show bus use in the past seven months is up almosta quarter over the same time last year.
"The people I see travelling every day are regulars on the bus," Mr Nillson said.
"I'd say they're taking it for the same reasons I am."
He started taking the bus from Hastings to work in Napier about six months ago. The bus stop was right outside the Napier City Council building where he was on the works asset IT team.
It cost him $30 a week to commute to work. Petrol alone might not cost much more, but other vehicle expenses add up quickly.
"The costs of compliance are going up," Mr Nillson said. "Registration, warrants - and it's harder to get with older vehicles."
Instead he catches the commuter express bus, putting him outside work at 8.25am each day.
Hawke's Bay Regional Council public transport manager Carol Gilbertson said a number of improvements had helped boost numbers.
Signs were updated, weekend buses had increased in service and frequency, and there had been more advertising.
"More people using the bus means more cars off the road and that's absolutely a positive," Mrs Gilbertson said.
"Any extra revenue we didn't expect will work towards further improvements."
The commuter service started in September 2008 to answer the demand for affordable, reliable transport.
Next July services are expected to start earlier and finish later.
