The public is likely to be disappointed Otago Regional Council staff have recommended restoring only southern route bus links between Green Island and Concord and not with South Dunedin.
That is the view of bus users group Bus Go Dunedin co-president Alex King, on the recommendation, which will be considered at a council committee meeting today.
A petition, signed by about 400 people and urging the restoration of a multi-stop No 70 "local'' bus service, linking Brighton and South Dunedin, was presented to the council in March.
The service was lost when the council introduced a more direct southern route bus service to the central city last July.
The petition was organised by the Greater Green Island Community Network and supported by Bus Go Dunedin.
A report by corporate services director Nick Donnelly considers a range of bus route options, including the main option of regular direct services between Green Island and South Dunedin.
The report, to be tabled today, identifies costs of at least $425,000 in running the service, which will be at least partly offset by income.
The report said the cost of implementing this change was between 10% and 30% of the overall contract value, which had a "gross cost'' value of $1.15million.
This service would be in "direct competition'' with other services, including through Caversham, and was considered to be "contrary to the principles'' for the new network structure adopted in the regional public transport plan.
Because of the need for further public consultation, no further route change, including the recommended Concord-Green Island link, could take effect until next February, the report said.
Mr King said improving links between Concord and Green Island would help Concord people access Green Island facilities, but many people would be disappointed that their hopes of achieving direct links between Green Island and South Dunedin were "not directly addressed'' and not being recommended, he said.
A community worker at the Green Island network, Leanne Stenhouse, said the proposed recommendation would help Concord people to link with Green Island and would offer "some benefit'' to them.
But this would not "solve the problem'' of restoring direct local links between Green Island and South Dunedin, which was the main goal sought through the petition.
There were clearly going to be some "very disappointed people'' who had "thought there would be a more positive outcome'', she said.
However, fears bus users travelling short distances could have faced higher bus fares to visit four Dunedin shopping centres- at the Botanic Garden, Cargills Corner, Roslyn and Mornington - had been allayed, Mr King said.
