The suburb, which has a low median income and high levels of people reporting disabilities, has had no bus services since the 2011 earthquake.
One local has started a campaign to bring back the buses.
Before 2011, a bus route ran through the heart of Aranui, winding its way down the suburban roads. That was stopped after the earthquakes, when Environment Canterbury focused bus routes on the main roads - Pages Rd and Wainoni Rd - on either side of the suburb.
Long-time Aranui resident Pam Williams said many in the area had disabilities and couldn't make the long trek to the nearest bus stop.
"There's about 5000 people in this community between Wainoni and Pages Rd. A high percentage of them are elderly, with walking frames and the like.
"We can taxi, but [the bus route] would open up the whole area up. We are all stuck in our homes here."
At 76, Pam can't drive, due to health issues, and said her breathing difficulties made the 700m walk to the closest bus stop impossible.
"I can catch a taxi down to get my groceries, and then I have to send him away and get another one home. It's all stress."
Stats NZ figures show the median income for adults in Aranui is $29,100 compared to $41,500 for New Zealand as a whole. It also has a higher percentage of those who are physically disabled.
After the earthquakes, some Aranui schools were closed and Haeata Community Campus, which goes from year 1 to 13, was opened.
Haeata principal Peggy Burrows said the lack of bus access was a huge issue for students, as many families didn't drive or didn't own a car.
She said it was a real equity issue that needed to be addressed.
On the streets of Aranui, locals told RNZ Morning Report they were keen to see the bus return.
One local said many elderly people who couldn't drive found it difficult to get to medical appointments, so on several occasions, she has needed to transport people.
Williams has started a petition calling for the return of the bus route and has gathered more than 750 signatures, but said many in the community felt the area was so often overlooked for services that there was no hope of getting the route back.
Christchurch East Labour MP Reuben Davidson said there was clearly demand for public transport in Aranui, but currently, the stops were so far away that many couldn't make use of it.
"A lengthy walk, and in winter or in the dark, early in the morning, that is something that people either aren't able to do or don't want to have to do, and shouldn't have to do to catch a bus in or out of Aranui.
"We have buses that pass down Wainoni Rd, down Pages Rd, and all Pam is asking for - and the community is right behind her - is let's deviate those buses, not every time, but maybe on the hour, to provide a service up Hampshire Street."
Environment Canterbury was approached for comment, but did not respond before the publication deadline.
Williams said she was continuing to collect signatures to boost her plea to the council, but her lack of mobility was holding her back.
