More residents taking the bus

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from Northern Outlook

By David Hill, local democracy reporter

The rising cost of fuel is encouraging more Waimakariri residents to leave the car at home and take the bus to work in the city.

Environment Canterbury says bus patronage across the Greater Christchurch network for June was higher than pre-Covid levels for the first time.

There were 1,083,709 public transport boardings recorded across the network in June, which was 100.9% more than in June 2019.

The rise in patronage comes despite 21% of respondents, in a Metro survey earlier this year, saying working from home had affected their travel patterns over the past 12 months, an Environment Canterbury spokesperson said.

Rangiora route 1 express trips for June were 2175, compared to 2992 in June 2019, while 1702 people boarded the bus in July compared to 3845 in July 2019.

But new express services were introduced for the Waimakariri district in 2021 - Rangiora 91 and Kaiapoi 92.

The Rangiora service was used by 2164 passengers in June and 2087 in July, while in Kaiapoi patronage was 1515 and 1509 for the same two months. The Waikuku/Pegasus 95 express service has also experienced a dramatic increase in passenger numbers, with 2009 passengers in June and 1675 in July, compared to 679 and 808 for the same two months in 2019.

New flat fares of $2 and $1 for Metrocard holders were introduced on July 1, while children under 13-years can now ride for free with a Metrocard.

The new fares coincided with the end of the national half price fares promotion on June 30. The $2 flat fare applied to adult Metrocard holders, while the $1 flat fare was available to Metrocard holders aged under 25-years, Community Service Card holders, Total Mobility users and students.

■ Public interest journalism funded through New Zealand on Air.