A bus service run by a community group, for gold coin donations, became a big hit with cruise ship passengers in Dunedin yesterday.
The Otago Heritage Bus Society runs the service - using restored buses from the city's past - on Christmas Day, Good Friday and Easter Sunday, when the usual commercial bus services are not operating.
And 302 people used the service yesterday, including many cruise ship visitors.
Dunedin i-Site visitor centre manager Louise van de Vlierd said tourists had enjoyed using the bus service, with some travelling to St Clair and others exploring the hill suburbs.
Guided tour options were also popular, and many visitors had gone to Larnach Castle, with others opting for other attractions, including Olveston.
Bus society volunteer driver Peter Dowden said ‘‘a great many cruise ship visitors'' had used the service, many opting to stay on for the return trip.
Visitor support ultimately meant a ‘‘win for everybody'' because the extra revenue helped make the unsubsidised volunteer bus service more financially viable.
Feedback from Dunedin residents yesterday also highlighted the importance of running buses on statutory holidays, he said.
Had buses not been running, some people could not have attended church services yesterday morning.
