Several North Shore bus routes dropped or altered in February with the introduction of the Northern Busway will be reinstated next week.
The Auckland Regional Transport Authority has agreed to reinstate peak-time 963 service between Campbells Bay and Newmarket, the 964 service between Browns Bay and Newmarket, and
the express 822 route for Castor Bay and Milford residents through Takapuna and Esmonde Rd.
That follows complaints by East Coast Bays commuters unimpressed by the authority's invitation in February to find their own ways to the Albany or Constellation bus station, from where they would have a choice of 12 daily services to Newmarket.
The resumption of 822 buses will also please passengers such as Milford resident Sue Proffitt, who staged a one-woman protest at the opening of the $300 million busway against an offer of the more circuitous 858 service.
In other changes to be introduced on Monday:
* The 555 and 858 services will call at North Shore Hospital between 9am and 3pm every day, including weekends;
* The 839 service from Long Bay will bypass the Akoranga station at the southern end of the busway, to save time now spent on detour from Esmonde Rd;
* The 863x, 873x and 874x express buses will pick up and drop off passengers at Akoranga rather than drive through the station to the busway;
* The 945 route between Glenfield and Takapuna will receive an extra late-night return service Monday to Friday.
Transport authority chief executive Fergus Gammie described these moves as "fine-tuning" after a 66 per cent rise in patronage on the Northern Express route in the first month of busway operations.
Suburban services throughout North Shore City were realigned to plug into the busway, meaning time savings in some instances.
Mr Gammie said: "Any major service improvement on the scale of the Northern Busway can expect to be fine-tuned and forms a key part of ARTA's customer responsiveness."
Mrs Proffitt said although she was pleased with the restoration of her 822 service, it was too late for a neighbour who had obtained a parking space in central Auckland.
* For timetable information go to www.maxx.co.nz
