Bicycle racks back in action on Connect services

Horizons Regional Council senior transport planner Isaac Mills says the racks have been out of action since November due to a compliance debate within the bus industry.
 
“The restriction was issued by bus operators across New Zealand following a safety notice from NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA), as NZTA determined the way some bicycle racks are fitted on some buses can partially obscure headlights.”

NZTA granted an exemption on Thursday 10 April, enabling bicycle racks to be used again as long as the racks were compliant with the exemption’s terms, says Mr Mills.
 
“As we have different models of buses in use across our services, not every service will have bicycle racks back in action at all hours of the day from Monday.
 
“From Monday 14 April, bicycle racks will be in use on all Palmerston North services (including the Ashhurst Connector) at all hours.
 
“Whanganui urban and Feilding services, including the 311 between Palmerston North and Feilding, will have bicycle racks in use during daylight hours.
 
“We are working with operators to try to have all bicycle racks in use at all hours. We will provide updates as and when we have more news to share.
 
“We know having bicycle racks out of service has been inconvenient for passengers, as the racks help to provide low-emissions transport options. We thank passengers for their patience while we worked through the issues.”
 
For more information about public transport in the Horizons Region, see horizons.govt.nz/buses-transport or follow Connect - Horizons Regional Transport on Instagram and Facebook.