No Go Wellington buses from Thursday

There will be no Go Wellington buses from tomorrow (Thursday 25 September), until further notice, due to an industrial dispute between NZ Bus and the Tramways Union.

Wellington City Council and Greater Wellington Regional Council are urging people to avoid severe traffic jams and delays, by carpooling, walking or cycling.

Greater Wellington public transport divisional manager, Wayne Hastie, said it was not known how long the Go Wellington buses would be off the roads. "But we would urge affected passengers to make alternative travel plans for at least the next few days."

Wellington's Acting Mayor, Ian McKinnon, said affected bus passengers should, wherever possible, avoid bringing their cars into the city. "We're asking people to carpool with neighbours or workmates, or to pick up people from bus stops if possible. By reducing the number of cars on the road, we can lessen the chance of gridlock and reduce pressure on parking."

If people could walk some or part of the way to work they should. But Cr McKinnon urged people not to try to walk or cycle � or drive - through the Hataitai bus tunnel as it was still being used by the Airport Flyer bus service and possibly other buses.

Wayne Hastie said both councils were actively exploring contingency plans, in case the dispute stretches into next week. "Of course, we are hoping for the best and that both parties can resolve this dispute quickly so bus services can resume. However, we have to plan for the worst so we are looking at a range of alternative transport options. This could include creating some temporary parking on the outskirts of the city, some shuttle services and increasing the Seatoun ferry services. But all these options are only being explored at this stage and need much further consideration before anything concrete can be developed."

All other public transport services, including Mana, Newlands, Valley Flyer and Airport Flyer buses, trains, the harbour ferry and the cable car, are running as usual.

ENDS

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