Horizons announces bus fares in Whanganui-Manawatū to be half price from April

Bus fares are to be cut in half for three months from April 1. Photo / Bevan Conley

Public transport fares are set to be cut in half in the Whanganui and Manawatū regions for three months, starting from April 1.

Horizons Regional Council announced the price change on Monday.

The move is in line with a nationwide halving of public transport fares, announced by the Government on March 15, to counteract the rising cost of living, with a fuel tax decrease also introduced.

Horizons transport manager Mark Read said passengers would not need to do anything when the cuts were introduced, as fares would reduce automatically.

The savings, which apply to regional bus services, Capital Connection and Total Mobility services, will round down odd-numbered fare prices to the nearest 10.

"For Total Mobility users, this means an extra 50 per cent on their subsidy rather than 50 per cent off the entire trip," Read said.

"If your Total Mobility subsidy is normally $10 and you take a $20 trip, then $15 would be covered by the scheme."

Monthly bus passes will not be able to be purchased during this period, as the half-price fares will work out cheaper.

It will also avoid disappointment for users who purchase a pass at the end of the scheme which will then be unusuable due to the change in fares.

Passengers are still required to follow all Covid requirements on the bus, including wearing a mask and boarding from the rear of the bus if they have a Bee Card.

Information on bus timetables, Bee Cards and Covid requirements can be found at https://bit.ly/Horizons-Buses.