More people use Hutt Valley buses

Preliminary indications of changes to the Hutt Valley bus services introduced last October are very positive.

Greater Wellington Regional Council figures for December 2003 released this week, show that patronage on the new improved bus services has increased by 26 percent, or more than 30,000 more trips, and that a significant number of people know about the improvements.

According to a survey commissioned by Greater Wellington to measure the success of a campaign to promote the new services, more than 90 percent of respondents are aware of the recent changes.

“We are delighted with this result,” Public Transport Committee Chair Chris Turver says. “These are initial indications only, but it shows we are heading in the right direction and getting lots more people using public transport.”

Cr Turver says that bus patronage on the West Coast (Porirua and Kapiti) has also increased significantly, with about 50 percent more people using buses now than four years ago. Bus patronage in Wellington has increased by 10 percent over the same period.

Greater Wellington is now planning upgrades to bus travel in Wainuiomata. A request for tenders has gone out for improvements, including more direct, frequent and late night services in the area.

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