Three additional routes, 100 new bus stops, 17 electric buses and almost 22,000 more people within a 10-minute walk of a bus stop. Residents of Nelson Tasman now have better access to public transport than ever before.

The newly launched eBus service is a major upgrade of Nelson Tasman’s public transport system, including new weekday services to Motueka four times a day (Monday to Friday), Wakefield six times a day (Monday to Friday) and Nelson Airport 23 times a day, seven days a week.

Nelson Airport chief executive Mark Thompson expects the airport service to be popular.

“A reliable bus service to and from the airport is a logical addition to the transport options for travellers and I’m sure it will be well-used.”

The Wakefield and Motueka services are express services taking passengers from Richmond to Nelson as quickly as possible. These services will stop at a range of Tasman bus stops until they reach Richmond and then go to the Nelson City Centre interchange, only stopping at the hospital on the way.

“The express service is designed to give people in Tasman the option of taking public transport to Richmond and Nelson and vice versa,” says Tasman Mayor Tim King.

“Prices with a Bee Card are very competitive compared to alternative transport costs for the same journey. We hope that these competitive costs will result in a high demand on these routes."

"When designing a bus service that travels along 67 additional roads across the region there are a lot of moving parts that need to line up", says Nelson City Council Group Manager Infrastructure Alec Louverdis.

“We've installed new bus stops, lowered crossing tables, built and amended kerbs, fixed roundabouts and put in new road markings. There will be ongoing work to continue upgrading the service. We'll be installing 14 new bus shelters, removing old bus stops and keeping an eye on the network to see if there’s further improvements to be made.

“We do expect to encounter some bumps in the road as the new service beds in and we want to hear from public transport users, new and old alike, who have suggestions about potential adjustments to routes and timetables.”

People who want to provide this feedback can do so either by visiting shape.nelson.govt.nz/ebus, emailing ebus@ncc.govt.nz, chatting to the customer service team at Civic House (or on the phone at 03 546 0200), or by sending a message to the Nelson City Council Facebook page.

“We will be using this information to consider adjustments in the short and medium term to optimise the new service. We have also committed to reviewing all routes, bus stops and timetables in 12 months.”

The new service features a new website at ebus.nz. This site includes live bus tracking, interactive timetables and route maps.

“It’s the best way to keep track of your next bus,” says Louverdis.

“We have also installed new e-readers at major interchanges across the network, which will display when the next bus is due. Anyone who is blind or has low vision can press the button on these for an audio version of the information.”

Another exciting feature of the eBus network is the introduction of the region’s first onDemand service, which has been rolled out in Stoke, a concept expected to become more popular throughout the region and country. Users can use the eBus app or call Nelson City Council to request a bus.

Nelson Mayor Nick Smith says the original Stoke Loop was popular with Stoke’s older adults but had its limitations.

“The loop would only travel five main routes in Stoke, leaving many passengers to find their way to a main road. The new service extends from Annesbrook, down to Monaco, through Saxton, Marsden Valley and Enner Glynn. As a resident of Stoke, this is a service I'm really excited about.”

Running between 9am and 3pm, the service is free for Super Gold Card users.

A Bee Card is the fastest and cheapest way to use the eBus service. Bee Card users get the cheapest fare of just $2 for journeys within one zone (for instance, between Nelson and Richmond) with even cheaper fares for some, explains Rachel Boyack, Nelson MP.

“I’m pleased that under 13s will have permanent free travel, and under 25s half-price travel to coincide with the launch of Nelson Tasman’s eBus service. It means that central and local government are making it easier and cheaper to use public transport than ever before.”

Users can load their age and concessions onto a registered Bee Card to enjoy discounted travel. Just remember to tag on and tag off your bus!

Anyone requiring assistance with Bee Cards can either visit Elma Turner, Stoke, Richmond and Motueka libraries or the customer service centres of both councils.

© Scoop Media