A school holiday initiative by Waikato Regional Council that tripled bus patronage has been such a success it’s set to return.
Two Waikato regional buses pass each other en-route. Photo: Michael Jeans
Council transport staff are also looking to collaborate with Waikato-King Country communities on other innovative ways to boost bus use.
Groups like the Fat Bottomed Girls and Boys Walking Club help produce fresh ideas for travel.
On Friday, members of the Cambridge-based club took the Te Huia train to Huntly to sample Main Street Café’s award-winning rhubarb and raspberry pie.
Te Huia
The group was en route to Auckland for the Diva Exhibition in August at the War Memorial Museum when they learned Main Street Café had just won the title of New Zealand’s best boutique café pie at the Bakels NZ Pie Awards.
Group member Carol-Ann Torrie of Leamington came up with the idea as they travelled through Huntly. So, on Friday morning, they boarded Te Huia at Frankton Station in Hamilton – “better to go from there so we can sit together,” Torrie said.
After enjoying the pies and exploring Huntly’s main street, they returned on the 11:32am service to Hamilton.
“I just think we need to use the buses and trains more so we get the best system we can,” said Torrie.
Most of the group travel free using Gold Cards loaded onto their Bee Cards.
The school holiday promotion was supported by Good Local Media’s publications in Cambridge, Te Awamutu, and King Country.
Half the passengers came from Waipā – 326 from Cambridge and 571 from Te Awamutu.
Sandra Sesto-Dekic
Sandra Sesto-Dekic, the council’s Customer Focus team leader, was pleased with the progress of the public transport portfolio.
Electric buses are now well established, and timetables have been “souped up.”
Adjustments have been made where needed – like adding more services in Cambridge for high school students. In August, 608 passengers used this, up from 202 the previous year.
Te Awamutu (24 service) has edged ahead of Cambridge (20) in annual patronage, taking 436,173 passengers for the nine months ending September 30, compared to Cambridge’s 404,985.
However, Cambridge saw more passengers in the last four months, confirming Sesto-Dekic’s belief that bus use there is on the rise.
On the (regional) buses. Photo: Michael Jeans
A new Bee Card retailer has opened in Cambridge, and during a recent promotion, council staff engaged with retirement villages to raise awareness.
Sesto-Dekic believes further growth will come from within communities.
However, local journeys remain low. Last month, only 45 passengers travelled between Cambridge and Leamington, and 13 between Te Awamutu and Kihikihi.
Other regional connector services – Te Kūiti (26), Taumarunui (25), South Waikato (30) and the smaller buses for Tauwhare (27) and Tamahere/Mātangi (28) – also require more passengers to be viable.
Community engagement is key, especially in South Waikato and King Country, where many passengers are students commuting to Wintec or Waikato University. With holidays approaching, new strategies are needed to fill seats.
The council is also listening to public feedback. In Kihikihi, for example, they fought to retain a loop service to improve coverage.
Meanwhile, the rollout of the new national card to replace the Bee Card has been delayed due to teething issues. It was expected to be live by now but is two years away.
Gold Card holders can load their details onto a Bee Card for free travel on Waikato buses and trains. Photo: Michael Jeans
