Bus user says timetable 'not fit'

Bus user Teena Henderson says the new Dunedin bus timetable (left) is not fit for purpose...
Bus user Teena Henderson says the new Dunedin bus timetable (left) is not fit for purpose compared with the previous one (right). PHOTO: JESSICA WILSON

The Otago Regional Council bus timetable and map is not fit for purpose, a bus user says.

Teena Henderson, of Brockville, catches the bus three to four times a week and does not like the council's new timetable booklet and map.

When the Great King St bus hub opened last month, a new A4 timetable booklet and fold-out map was released.

Mrs Henderson said the previous A5 booklet was a "great size''. She was able to put it in her handbag and "take it anywhere''.

"It's lovely. It has 81 pages in it and it tells you literally everything you would possibly need to know.''

It had a colour-coded map, timetable for each bus, and information about the routes and stops.

The replacements, however, were an "absolute waste of ratepayers' money''.

One of her main issues was the 38-page A4 booklet was too big to carry every day.

"I can't lug this with me if I'm going to a funeral.''

Three routes were colour-coded pink, which was difficult to decipher on the map, and the times had changed from being read vertically to horizontally.

"A lot of elderly are confused by it.''

The map did not give her any relevant information and was poor quality, she said.

Written on the back was the bus name and number, and the frequency of its departures.

"I need to know how long my trip is going to take to get there and back.''

She had had it for about a month and it was already ripped.

"I don't know why they changed the format.''

Otago Regional Council manager transport Gerard Collings said "on the whole, feedback on the map and timetable has been positive.''

"We put a lot of work into making the map and timetable as accessible as possible for as many people as possible, but unfortunately it cannot meet every passenger's expectations.''

JESSICA.WILSON @thestar.co.nz

Comments

Time to put in an OIA request to find out exactly what 'positive' feedback the ORC has received...

 

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