Free bus service to TSB Festival of Light thanks to Taranaki Regional Council

Taranaki Regional Council is to run a free bus service from Inglewood and Waitara for the TSB Festival of Lights. Photo / Taranaki Regional Council

Waitara and Inglewood residents can jump aboard a free bus to the Festival of Lights this summer, thanks to Taranaki Regional Council.

Return bus services will run from Queen St, Waitara on December 20 and January 5. On December 22 and January 18, return busses will run from Moa St, Inglewood.

Each bus will leave at 7pm and return at 10.15pm, allowing passengers plenty of time to take in the sights and sounds of the festival. The busses will drop off and pick people up at the Fillis St gate.

The council also provided free bus for the Waitara Night Market last month in conjunction with New Plymouth District Council.

Taranaki Regional Council transport manager Cheryl Gazley says she hopes people will take advantage of the Festival of Lights buses for a fun night out.

“The festival is an incredible event [which attracts] people from all over New Zealand. We wanted to help make it more accessible for people in those communities without transport and encourage others to ditch their car for the night.”

She says she is expecting a festive, family-friendly atmosphere on the buses.

“The council is committed to making public transport more accessible, and this may include more buses and extended routes for special events in the future.”

The service is one of several the council is running this summer, including extended timetables being in place for three Saturdays this month on buses across Taranaki.

The Saturday services began on December 2 and will run again on December 9 and 16. The usual Saturday Citylink timetable has been extended, with Routes 1 to 9 in New Plymouth and Route 20 from Waitara to New Plymouth running at regular intervals throughout the day.

There is also a Southlink Waverley to Hāwera service connecting with the Ōpunake/Hāwera to New Plymouth Connector, timed for Christmas shoppers or those visiting friends or family for the day.