Palmerston North and Ashhurst will see some big changes to the way the bus service operates from February 2024. Routes will change to be more direct, operating through the city rather than meandering around the suburbs. The frequency will dramatically increase, while the fleet will be the first fully electric fleet in the country. Horizons Regional Council decided in March 2023 to award the Palmerston North and Ashhurst bus contract for the next nine years to Tranzit Coachlines, the current network operator. Horizons, Palmerston North City Council and Tranzit will be working together over the coming months to deliver an improved service with enhanced infrastructure to support it. The improvements will coincide with Connect, Horizons' public transport brand, being rolled out across the network. Follow Connect on Facebook and Instagram to get the most up-to-date information, including previews of the new buses and network. Information on current routes and timetables can be found here.
There will be three lines similar to existing Massey services. The services have been tweaked to support the urban services rather than operating separately. The new network will have additional connections to Massey at key travel times.
The route for this line will not change. However, there will be a large increase in service, with seven return trips Monday to Friday and four return trips on Saturday and Sunday.
The new network will see buses no longer go down some streets and begin going down others. This is a result of the new network having routes focused on being more direct. All these changes are in Palmerston North, since Ashhurst's line is not changing. The downloadable table below includes all the details on street changes, broken down to say which sections of streets will see changes.
Horizons and Palmerston North City Council successfully secured $6.9 million from the Transport Choices Package to upgrade Palmerston North’s and Ashhurst’s bus stop infrastructure to support the rollout of the new network. The two councils will work together to deliver these improvements in the coming months. While Horizons runs the network, Palmerston North City Council owns the bus stops and shelters. That means Palmerston North City Council will be doing the work to install new shelters. You can keep up to date with information about the new shelters, including designs and locations, on the Palmerston North City Council website. Palmerston North City Council asked for public feedback on proposed locations for new bus stops and shelters. This public consultation closed at 4pm on Sunday 17 September 2023. The city council is also talking directly with landowners, tenants and direct neighbours of stops where shelters would also be installed.
View an interactive map of the proposed new bus stops
If you have any questions about the shelters, please email busshelters@pncc.govt.nz. If you have questions about buses or routes, please visit this section of the Horizons website or email transport@horizons.govt.nz. For more information about the Waka Kotahi Transport Choices programme, which is funding upgrades to shelters and stops, head to Transport Choices programme.