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Whanganui Urban Bus Network
What’s changing on the Whanganui urban bus network?
The Whanganui bus network is being changed to fast, frequent and direct lines across the city. All bus routes will run seven days a week, at least every hour, with services to places which currently don’t get buses (e.g. Pūtiki). After the changes, 52% of Whanganui residents will live within 400 metres of a route which runs every 20min, and 72% of residents will live within 400 metres of a route running at least every hour. We’re also extending Te Ngaru The Tide to run to Whanganui East and further into Aramoho. For context, the current network only has 31% of Whanganui residents within a bus running every hour. The new network will be introduced on Friday 17 April 2026.
How did you come up with the new network?
We did extensive public consultation in 2025 about the new network. First, we gave people three options: more frequency, more coverage, or a refresh of the old network. We then went back out with the final design to ask people if we had got it right. To promote this, we did advertising, social media, got articles in newspapers, and did in-person events and engagement.
Which routes are changing and how?
These areas will have services tweaked:
Why are there no buses up Durie Hill or Bastia Hill?
The streets in these areas are too skinny and the hills too steep to consistently and safely run bus services – not just for the drivers, but also for passengers getting on and off buses. We have checked this by doing trips through these suburbs on buses with professional drivers. We know there are people in these areas who want services, but we need to make sure the services are safe for bus drivers, passengers and others in the area with safe places to turn around also.
I can currently catch the bus and get exactly where I need to go, while the new network looks like I will have to do a transfer?
The current network has one high-frequency route (The Tide) and other routes which run infrequently and take long trips through suburbs. The new network features two high-frequency routes and three routes running every hour. While you may have to transfer buses to get where you need to go, the improved frequency – as well as longer running hours and better weekend services – mean you are likely to get where you need to go faster and can make that trip more often. If you do your transfer within an hour, your transfer is free.
Why do I pay rates for the buses when I don’t even use them, or they don’t even go right past my house?
Buses are good for the community and for individuals. If you use the bus, you get the benefit of an affordable means of transport without needing to think about parking or vehicle maintenance. The community benefits are wide-ranging, including:
Why have you removed the dedicated school bus routes?
With all the routes getting more frequency, the specific high school routes we run – the 220, 221, 222, 223, 207x and 224 – are no longer required. The new network runs past all the schools serviced by the current routes (or very near by), and will give far more flexibility. If students finish or start school earlier or later for some reason (e.g. music lessons, study groups or sports practice) they’ll have more options for getting to and from home. These specific services also only ran one return trip a day. However the new frequent routes being designed to include access to schools, students have a chance every 20 minutes to get to school. It’s important to remember we are not making changes to Ministry of Education bus services. That’s because we don’t operate those buses.
Why have you split the current route for Te Ngaru The Tide up?
We know people love being able to jump on a bus in Castlecliff and get off in Aramoho, or vice versa. We’ve also had lots of feedback since launching The Tide, with people wanting a high-frequency service to Whanganui East and for the route to head further into Aramoho. To achieve this, we’ve split The Tide in two – one route from Castlecliff to Whanganui East, the other from Aramoho to Puriri St near Midway Dairy. Doing this enables us to keep the 20-minute frequency while also extending the route. To get from Castlecliff to Aramoho or vice versa, you’ll have to do a transfer. You have two places to do this – at the main bus terminal at Trafalgar Square, or Puriri St near Midway Dairy. If you do a transfer within an hour, your transfer is free. We’re designing the timetable to make sure transfers involve minimal wait times.
Why will the bus no longer come down my street?
We recognise changes to routes will benefit some people more than others. To create direct, fast and frequent lines across the city, we have to have buses go down main streets. This means some streets will not have buses going down them anymore. The new network will see 52% of Whanganui residents will live within 400 metres of a route which runs every 20min, and 72% of residents will live within 400 metres of a route running at least every hour. The old/current network only has 31% of Whanganui residents within a bus running every hour. The new network will also see extended Saturday services and the introduction of Sunday services.
Will the buses be EV buses, like Palmerston North?
Whanganui buses will not be EV buses at the moment. Public transport across the country is moving towards being fully electric from 1 July 2035, so EV buses will come to Whanganui in the future. Keeping the current diesel buses helps to keep the overall cost lower for now. The next contract, which will be tendered next year will have to have decarbonised buses as part of the above target. The new contract comes into effect in October 2028.
You recently put up bus fares. Are you increasing fares to pay for the new services?
No. The fare increases – 10% in January 2026, and another 15% increase to come in the 2026/27 financial year – are a response to a national directive from NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi. We have been directed to lift the amount of revenue we get from bus users. They are the first price increases on our services in 15 years. All other parts of our fares, including free transfers and fare capping (where you only pay for a certain number of trips in a week before all other trips are free), are unchanged.
How are you paying for these changes?
Money for public transport services in the region comes from three sources: central government grants, fare and advertising revenue, and rates. This is no different for the Whanganui buses. We are gathering more rates revenue to pay for the improvements which will only be spent on Whanganui buses. This equates to $3.80 per $100,000 in capital value a property has for the 2025/26 year, and $6.65 per $100,000 in capital value a property has for the 2026/27 year. Horizons consulted on this during the 2024-34 Long-term Plan and 2025/26 Annual Plan consultations, with most of the Whanganui residents who submitted in favour of the additional investment. We wanted funding from central government (specifically, NZTA) to help with the improvements, but were unsuccessful. Instead of upping rates to cover the lack of NZTA funding, we decided to do a smaller series of improvements to the Whanganui network. That’s how we managed to get more frequency and weekend services, but maybe couldn’t have as many bus routes or as many buses running at 20-minute frequency.
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