More direct travel and more convenient services are part of the new refreshed bus network being launched on Monday 15th November, following community consultation.

Passengers in Tauranga City, Mount Maunganui, Pāpāmoa and Te Puke will have new and improved bus routes and timetables. The changes will make it simpler and more convenient to get around on Bay of Plenty Regional Council’s Bayhopper buses.

The changes include all day direct services between Pāpāmoa and Tauranga city centre and routes that are much easier for passengers to understand.

Chairman of Regional Council Public Transport Committee, Councillor Andrew von Dadelszen, says the main catalyst for these changes is to better serve our community and make public transport use a more attractive option.

“Tauranga continues to be one of the most dependent cities in the world on single occupancy vehicle use and this network refresh provides a great opportunity to get people out of their cars.”

Regional Council Transport & Urban Planning Manager, James Llewellyn believes there’s a strong appetite for connected communities and making Tauranga a vibrant place to live.

“Convenient and reliable public transport is a key component for a liveable city and by getting on to the new bus services, people can enjoy the social, mental and physical health benefits of multi-modal travel.”

The refreshed network features the introduction of new flagship bus Route 2, between Pāpāmoa Beach, Pāpāmoa Plaza, Bayfair and Tauranga City. This frequent service will run every 15 minutes on weekdays and every 30 minutes on weekends and public holidays.  The City Link and Hospital Link routes will be replaced by new Route 5, which will run every 15 minutes on weekdays and every 30 minutes on weekends and public holidays between Tauranga city centre, Mount Maunganui and Bayfair. A new Route 20 will run hourly between Te Puke and Bayfair, where there will be connections to Mount Maunganui and Tauranga city centre.

Key benefits of the new Route 2 include travelling directly between Pāpāmoa and Tauranga City without needing to transfer, plus the frequent services and a scenic journey. To serve more members of the community, the bus route will have two different routes at the Pāpāmoa end of the journey; 2B travels via Livingstone Drive and The Boulevard and 2W via Wairakei Avenue and Emerald Shores Drive.

For more information and to view the new maps and timetables, please visit www.baybus.co.nz

Source: Bay of Plenty Regional Council