Kaitaia's local bus service 'never stopped'

Passengers are very welcome aboard Far North Link buses. Picture / Supplied

A Kaitaia woman who appealed to Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones to ask InterCity when it planned to resume its Kaitaia service has been referred to Transport Minister Phil Twyford.

The woman said she had been using InterCity to get to Auckland for medical treatment, and older people relied on the service to visit whānau.

Jones, who had been highly critical of Air NZ's decision to cease servicing Kaitaia in 2018, told the Northland Age he would not accept a similar attitude from the bus company (More shabby treatment for Kaitaia, June 4).

InterCity has yet to restore its service between Kaitaia and Kerikeri, but it was very much a case of business as usual for locally run services, according to CBEC general manager Candace Rameka.

"Far North Link bus services are still running. They never stopped," she said.

CBEC had worked alongside the Northland Regional Council to ensure the Far North Link within Te Hiku ward was retained as an essential service throughout the Covid-19 lockdown.

"We never considered suspending our services through Covid-19," Rameka said.

"We worked hard to get this service started 10 years ago, and it has become too important to give up on just because it got a little difficult. Our amazing drivers were determined to keep the wheels turning, as they know their customers and how important public transport is to them.

"For CBEC, the eternal social/greenie that we are, this is not just a transport system running to a timetable. We run these services to ensure all people can access all services, connect with others, reduce our transport carbon footprint, and reduce costs for our people. Some of our regulars save more than $100 a week using Far North Link, and $5000 a year is a big saving.

"We have all just had a taste of not being able to connect with others, and communities cannot survive without access to services and the socialising that comes with that."

The "shoppers' runs", from Mangonui, Ahipara and Pukenui to Kaitaia, had become a social occasion, delivering passengers close to their homes.

"As tourism starts off again we will see backpackers, from New Zealand and internationally, young people who use Far North Link and other public transport," she added, "and this service critical to attracting them to the Far North.

"The bottom line for CBEC is that the little things in life are important, and local businesses will always feel responsible for looking after their communities, as they live here too."

Anyone who had any ideas for increasing transport services was welcome to phone (09) 408 1092.