Buses will serve more parts of Tauranga city centre under a plan approved at a Council meeting today.

Tauranga City Council commissioners today approved the locations of several bus stops along a key bus route, with these stops serving central and northern parts of the city centre.

They resolved that Dive Crescent will eventually become an important bus area with up to six individual bus stop bays. These would be built as needed to meet the city’s public transport needs.

The middle part of town would be served by four individual bus stop bays on Willow, Harington and Hamilton streets, as well as two bus stops near Baycourt.

The Commissioners also resolved for staff to speak with people in and around the full length of Durham Street about the future locations of bus stops in the southern part of the city centre.

The decisions come as the council looks at a long-term solution to replace the current temporary bus interchange on Durham Street.

Tauranga City Council’s Team Leader: Transport Development, Tom McEntyre, said the new bus stop locations would improve access to the city centre and help people move around more easily.

“We want to make it safer and easier for people to move around Tauranga no matter how they choose to travel – including catching a bus.

“Having several main bus areas instead of just one interchange means people will be able to access more parts of the city centre more easily, without having to walk so far.”

The temporary interchange on Durham Street has been operating since June 2022.

It was moved there from Willow Street to allow development of the city’s new civic area, Te Manawataki o Te Papa.

Bay of Plenty Regional Council runs the city’s bus network, while Tauranga City Council owns infrastructure such as bus stops, bus shelters, bench seats and bus lanes.

The two councils work together to coordinate this system.

You can find out more about the Tauranga city centre transformation in the Council’s City Centre Action and Investment Plan 2022-32.

© Scoop Media