Connect update - July 2024

It's been a busy time for public transport in the Horizons Region! From launching the country's first fully electric bus fleet, to figuring out if you like sounds or silence as the wheels on the bus go round and round - it's anything but quiet for us! 

This update has some information about a network review, upgrades to bus stops, and more.

Bus Beats | Music on buses

At Connect, we do our best to offer great public transport services. That means providing things we know everyone wants: well-trained drivers, clean buses, reliable timetables and more.

However, there is one issue which has proven hard to settle - music on buses. Some people love hearing the driver's pick of music when they get on board. Others believe music should not be played for the bus and passengers should use headphones if they want to listen to something.

This is also a difficult situation for drivers. We know some want to play music on board for everyone to hear, but are unsure what genres they should play.

We are working out guidelines for music on buses, and we need your help to get them right. We're asking you a few simple questions:

• Do you mind music being played by drivers for bus passengers to hear?
• If we have music on board, what genres/stations/playlists should be allowed?
• Should we have different guidelines for different times of the day and/or year?

How to have your say

We have an online survey, with submissions closing on Monday 2 September. You can also find physical copies on board most of our services. It only takes about two minutes to answer the survey, depending on how many genres you're keen for drivers to play on board.

Whanganui bus shelter improvements complete!

Another big step to improve public transport use in Whanganui has been completed, with 19 new or improved bus shelters installed in the city - including the one pictured, which features artwork from Whanganui glass-etching artist Claire Bell (check out more of her work here).

This project came about after the 2021 Whanganui Public Transport Survey. Many of those surveyed said a lack of comfortable passenger facilities was a big barrier to using the city’s bus network.

We usually only have budget for about two shelters each year in the city, but successfully bid with Whanganui District Council for $1.1m of funding from NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi via its Transport Choices programme. This meant we could do decades' worth of public transport infrastructure work in ~18 months.

The investment meant we could also instal tactile ground surface indicators to help people with vision impairments access buses, more real-time information displays at shelters, and improved bicycle and scooter parking. This means we’ve effectively made ‘urban transport hubs’, where people can leave their bikes and scooters safely if required, then comfortably wait before catching the bus.

We're now monitoring and doing engagement to see if the project is truly a success. This includes a survey about the project, which we hope you'll take the time to fill out. It should take about 5 minutes to complete.

Palmy network's strong start

And speaking of bus stop upgrades - the Main St Bus Hub in Palmerston North just had some lighting upgrades! Perfect for when you have to wait for those late-night services, which run all the way until 9pm every single day.

The new fully electric Palmerston North and Ashhurst network, which launched in March, has had a strong start to life. Passenger numbers are significantly up on the same time last year, while we're also getting great feedback from passengers and drivers about the comfortable new buses and how easy the network is to understand.

We're also already seeing the positive climate impacts from having a fully electric network. In it's first three months, the buses travelled 809,605 kms across the various routes in Palmerston North and Ashurst, saving 267,169 litres of diesel and preventing 595 tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere.

Click here to learn more about the fully electric Palmerston North network.

Let's get Manawatū moving!

Manawatū is a picturesque district located in Te Ika a Māui/the North Island. Made up of a key town in the form of Aorangi Feilding surrounded by smaller settlements, people move between these areas to access services, get to work and school, see friends and whānau, and take part in activities they love. Public transport is one way this happens.

At the moment, Manawatū has two public transport offerings:

• The 301 Orbiter, introduced in January 2022, which takes a circular route around suburban Aorangi Feilding before stopping near Manchester Square.
• The 311 Commuter, which also does a loop of Aorangi Feilding suburbs before heading to Papaioea Palmerston North via Bunnythorpe. It does the reverse route on the way back.

We're all about keeping Manawatū moving with public transport options designed to meet the needs of people who live, work and play in the district. But to do this, we need to know if the services we provide are what people want, and what changes could make things better.

We have a survey open now, asking for your thoughts about how current services work and how they might change to operate better together. You also have the option to drop pins on an interactive map, telling us where you travel to and why. This survey closes 2 September. The findings from this survey will help us to plan any route changes, which we'll consult on later this year. 

Follow us for the latest news

Keen for the latest information on public transport in the Horizons Region? You're best to follow Connect - Horizons Regional Transport on Facebook and Instagram. It is where we post videos, how-to guides, updates on new services and initiatives, and the occasional public transport-themed meme to freshen up your timeline.