Environment Canterbury Regional Council has announced Aranui’s new trial bus service will run hourly between New Brighton and The Palms Shopping Centre, following strong support from the community.
The Council (Environment Canterbury) said more than 870 submissions were received over a two-week consultation on the trial route’s destination, with 64% of respondents voting for The Palms as the destination for the new service.
In March, Environment Canterbury voted unanimously in favour of the trial bus service, after continued advocacy from the Aranui community.
Public Transport Core Service Co-Lead, Councillor Ashley Campbell said she was proud of the community for its advocacy on the transport issue.
“I’m excited about how this service will help respond to the community’s needs,” she said.
“The response to our consultation was strong, highlighting how much demand there is for this service and giving us a clear direction on which destination will provide the best opportunity for a successful trial. Thank you to everyone who took the time to let us know their preferred destination.”
More than 650 respondents said they would use the service to access shops, while 455 said they would use it to connect to other buses, and 357 said it would provide a close and more convenient option. Close to 250 respondents said they would use it for health appointments. education, work and other more specific needs.
Customers will be able to board bus services such as the Orbiter from The Palms to Eastgate Mall, which was the other destination the community was keen to reach, Council said.
Cr Campbell said the service will provide better connectivity for that community.
“The service will be aligned with other services, allowing for easy connections to wider Christchurch and the city centre from The Palms. While The Palms has been chosen as the destination, we’ve listened to people’s feedback about also connecting to Eastgate. Our public transport team will work with the community to make sure they know where the bus stops are and how to then transfer to a connecting bus for free,” she said.
Council staff are working with Christchurch City Council and Kinetic to finalise details for the new service, including its timetable and planned stops.
The 12-month trial service is set to begin later this year.
