Whanganui submitters support greater investment in public transport

Te Ngaru The Tide is currently Whanganui's only high-frequency bus route. Photo / NZME

More investment in Whanganui public transport has been backed by members of the public, with a high-frequency network the most popular option.

During hearings on Whanganui District Council’s annual plan, public transport advocate Anthonie Tonnon said 89% of the 320 submissions to Horizons Regional Council’s annual plan favoured more investment, “even if that does have rates implications”.

Horizons oversees public transport in Ruapehu, Whanganui, Manawatū-Rangitīkei, Palmerston North, Tararua and Horowhenua.

Tonnon, the district council’s representative on Horizons’ passenger transport committee, said there were 394 replies to the Whanganui on the Move survey, which presented a series of different network options for the city.

Of those, 67% favoured having three 20-minute-frequency routes and two routes running hourly.

“That would mean almost 60% of our population would be within a 400m walk of a 20-minute-frequency route,” he said.

“Crucially, we don’t have to wait long for this.

“We are planning to implement this network in the next financial year [2025/26].”

Whanganui currently has one high-frequency route; Te Ngaru The Tide.

Earlier this year, Tonnon said the high-frequency network would cost the average-rated household in Whanganui $95 a year.

At present, they pay about $55 a year for public transport.

Last November, Horizons councillors voted to keep $400,000 in its draft 2025/26 budget for Whanganui public transport despite no matched funding from NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi.

A final vote is required before Horizons’ annual plan is officially adopted in June.

Previously, Whanganui-based Horizons councillors Alan Taylor (for) and David Cotton (against) have been split on the increased investment.

Tonnon told district councillors the new network would benefit their council by reducing long-term roading costs.

The new network would mean “removing more bus stops than we’re putting in”, he said.

“However, we will need to install around 25 bus stops in the next year.

“In theory, we [the district council] have $50,000 in the general pool for bus infrastructure and $15,000 for cleaning.

“I would suspect that, to do this work and to recognise the value it has to our city, we will need to double that in the next year.”

The $50,000 allocation had been diverted to roading projects in recent years, Tonnon said.

“That’s maybe understandable when we had a network which wasn’t really designed to get a lot of people on the bus.

“That is changing, and we are a long way from best practice.”

Speaking to the Chronicle, Tonnon said there were 15 buses in use in Whanganui and the high-frequency network would use the same number or slightly less.

“We are going to be getting more out of them,” he said.

“Nothing is over the line yet, but signs are positive.”

The district council’s annual plan will be signed off in June following deliberations on May 28 and 29.

Mike Tweed is a multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.