Council survey asks Hikurangi residents to get on the bus

Could a new public bus service from Hikurangi roll into the Whangarei terminus?

A new public bus service between Hikurangi and Whangarei could get on the road if enough people say they would use it.

Northland Regional Council (NRC) is testing the idea through a survey asking if people felt there was a need for the service, how often it should operate and where it should run from.

Cr Anna Murphy

Among questions being asked are would they use the bus (for work, shopping, school or medical appointments, for example), how often and at what time or day of the week?

One question asks if people wanted to go on to a car pooling database.

NRC transport project officer Dean Mitchell said the council, and Whangarei District Council ward members Anna Murphy and Greg Martin, had distributed information in the area of interest.

Ms Murphy said statistics showed that although the population in the Hikurangi area had not grown, the number of elderly has increased: "Which could mean an increase in demand for a bus service."

The population of the Hikurangi area was 1413 according to the 2013 Census, down slightly from 1422 in the 2006 Census.

Ms Murphy said that when she was campaigning for her seat on Whangarei District Council the need for a bus service was one of the key issues people talked about.

"There are no plans at this stage but the stronger the support from the community - either by individual submissions and/or a petition - the more chance there is of a trial being investigated," she said.

Mr Mitchell said the NRC was also encouraging people to answer the survey questions and make submissions.

The submissions would be considered in the Long Term Plan process, but any bus service would need to qualify for New Zealand Transport Agency funding.

"The more buy-in from the public, the better a case we can make," Mr Mitchell said.

"It's a matter of getting everyone on board with what they want and how we can provide it."

A 12-month trial Hikurangi to Whangarei and return bus service operated in 2003 but was shut down two months early because of lack of patronage.

A similar trial service from Waipu, Ruakaka and One Tree Pt was also cut short for the same reason. In 2007, NRC worked with Manaia Health to canvass Hikurangi residents about the need for a bus service.

At the time there was no evident clear support for a workers' bus because of the range of start and finish times.