An Otago Regional Council statement yesterday said there was a 21% increase in bus trips taken in the year from July 2023 to June 2024 compared with the same period between 2022 and 2023.
The total number of trips taken was 3,397,245, which was more than any point in the past six years.
Queenstown had a 51% jump in patronage in the past year — 1,897,200 trips taken from July 2023 to June 2024.
Public and Active Transport Committee co-chairwoman Alexa Forbes said the patronage increase showed it had recovered from disruptions caused by Covid-19 and driver shortages.
"It’s exciting to see numbers rising.
"The increase in both Queenstown and Dunedin shows people are making good use of our bus services — a growing trend in Otago."
The new Mosgiel express bus added to the patronage with 17,531 trips taken on it since it was launched 10 months ago.
Cr Forbes said there were record patronage figures in May 2024 with 337,078 trips recorded and there had been a 13% increase in total mobility patronage this past year in comparison with the previous year as well.
