A daily bus service between Ruakaka and Whangarei could be back on the timetable with the Northland Regional Council due to survey Bream Bay residents to gauge demand.
A public bus service to the area was last trialled about eight years ago, but was stopped due to low passenger numbers.However, from Thursday the council will ask residents if they would use such a service.
Following a recent increase in requests for a Ruakaka bus service from potential users, the council was revisiting the issue, NRC public passenger transport officer Sharlene Selkirk said.
"We're running the survey to find out how many people would now use a Ruakaka service, so we can see if it's feasible to run another trial in the area," Mrs Selkirk said.
She said the survey would also ask residents about their interest in carpooling. "Carpooling is cheaper and more environmentally friendly than driving alone, and there are several schemes running around the country. If people in the area are interested, we can help facilitate the set-up of a local scheme to put them in touch with one another," she said.
"We're opening this up for more than 10 weeks because it's a really busy time of year for most people, especially with the holiday season coming up," Mrs Selkirk said.
The Northland Regional Council contracts the operation of the Whangarei CityLink bus service to NorthBus.
