KEVIN STENT/Stuff
Transport Minister Michael Wood at the launch of the new airport bus.
Metlink’s new Airport Express bus is a success, with thousands more passengers than expected in its first two months of service.
The bus, which takes passengers on an express route from the airport to Wellington Station and back with just five stops along the way, is fully electric. Ten buses started operating on the route from July 1 .
Almost 50,000 passengers used the service in its first two months – Greater Wellington Regional Council had only predicted 15,000 passengers would catch the bus each month. Instead there were 24,219 in July and 25,613 in August.
Regional councillor Thomas Nash said he thought the bus would do well, but the passenger numbers were even higher than expected. “Up the airport bus,” he said.
READ MORE:
* On-demand bus services in the offering for Hamilton
* Wellington Airport is running out of space, planes left idling on the tarmac
* ‘Embarrassing’: How Wellington became a capital city without an airport bus
Supplied
Wellington has a new airport bus – it’s fully electric, and people can pay on board by Snapper or debit card.
“The numbers we modelled were big, so to be hitting 50% more than that is quite the signal. It shows that if you provide high-quality, high-frequency, reliable public transport people will use the heck out of it.”
He acknowledged the regional council hadn’t been able to provide that on normal routes recently with the driver shortage. “The airport bus shows what you can do when all the pieces are in place, but it does also highlight those frustrations when we don’t provide this.”
General manager Samantha Gain said the numbers showed bringing back the bus was the right decision from Greater Wellington.
“The regional council’s bold vision has materialised into a popular, premium, high frequency service that Wellingtonians and visitors to the region are coming to rely on.”
The bus comes with free wifi, charges, and luggage racks.
MONIQUE FORD / STUFF
Ethan Hakopa loves driving buses in Wellington. The 23-year-old student has been getting the city’s morning commuters where they need to go for a year now – a job that’s its own reward, he says.
With half-price fares, a single adult Snapper fare to the train station costs around $3.76. Full price it will cost $7.51.
Operator of the airport express, Mana Newlands Chief Executive Craig Chin, said it was “great to see” people taking the bus.
“This service is accessible and environmentally friendly and is serving both visitors and workers in and around the airport.”
Discussion about this post