Half-hour wait on buses to go

The changes only affect off-peak buses - where the service switched to an hourly one - which was...
The changes only affect off-peak buses - where the service switched to an hourly one - which was where the delay has occurred. Photo: Greta Yeoman
The Waverley bus service will be tweaked on Labour Day after controversial changes in August left some passengers waiting for more than half an hour on the bus.

Otago Regional Council support services manager Gerard Collings said the changes, which would start on Monday, would no longer see the off-peak service having a half-hour stop at the top of Larnach Rd.

Instead, the buses would stop at the end of Scott St, which was the end of the Larnach Rd, Murano St, Belford St and Scott St loop in Waverley.

Before the bus headed back into town, the drivers would travel around the loop again - meaning passengers could get home without worrying about the stopping time and those heading into town also would not be stuck halfway around the loop.

The changes would only affect off-peak buses - where the service switched to an hourly service - which was where the delay had occurred.

The off-peak services are all-day on Saturdays, Sundays, public holidays, as well as between 9am to 3pm and then 6pm until the end of service for week days, Mr Collings said.

The service changes would start on Monday, which, being Labour Day and therefore a public holiday, would give drivers the whole day to get used to the new plan, Mr Collings said.

The update had been made because of the waiting time at the top of the hill and the need for people to walk to various locations to catch buses into town had been seen as a "little bit of an inhibitor to people actually catching the service into town'', he said.

"We're pretty comfortable that it's a positive change and we think the community will see it as that.''

GRETA.YEOMAN @thestar.co.nz

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