Bus tracking trial in place after frustration

Orbus users in Queenstown can now live track their buses after the Otago Regional Council partnered with the TrackABus service. Photo: Tracey Roxburgh
Orbus users in Queenstown can now live track their buses after the Otago Regional Council partnered with the TrackABus service. Photo: Tracey Roxburgh
Queenstown public transport users can now live-track their buses after the Choice app pilot, trialled in the resort, came to a quiet end and left some confused commuters waiting in the cold.

The regional council has partnered with TrackABus to provide accurate live-tracking information for Queenstown bus users.

The Choice app was launched with great fanfare in August 2017 at the Hilton by then-Transport Minister Simon Bridges, attended by senior managers from the regional and district councils and the NZ Transport Agency.

Billed as a ''world-first'' and developed at a cost of $770,000, the multi-lingual app - which was later updated to include te reo Maori - aimed to connect users with transport options, including the $2 Orbus network, focusing on winter activities and moving visitors from Queenstown Airport to the town centre and ski areas.

It also included a ''tracking'' service to show where buses were on the network; however, that only worked intermittently, and users had no way of knowing which bus was theirs.

Over the past few weeks bus users have started voicing their frustration about lengthy bus delays, particularly on the Arrowtown-Arthurs Point route during peak travel times, and their inability to track buses because the Choice app has not worked for months.

In a statement, NZ Transport Agency southern media manager Frances Adank said the app pilot finished at the end of last year and ''active'' users were ''individually advised that the pilot was completed''.

''Information was also posted on the NZTA website.''

The app was now being redeveloped and a release date would be forthcoming.

Available on desktop and mobile, the tracking shows the location of buses through live GPS information on each route, along with the time and distance away from upcoming stops.

Users could also text for up-to-date information on a particular stop on their bus route.

ORC transport team leader Julian Phillips said it would be a ''quick and convenient way'' for users to get information without having to access the website.

The system went live last night on an indefinite ''trial basis''.

''We're still working out the kinks, but there's great potential here for a feature that bus users are really keen to have.

''We'll be asking people what they think of the real-time tracking and how it could be improved through Orbus QT Facebook in a couple of weeks.''

Mr Phillips said the trial would help develop real-time tracking for the Orbus Dunedin network.

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