Bus Route Review 17 and 28
Public consultation for bus routes 17 and 28 closed on 5 December
Bus routes 17 and 28 are being reviewed
Route 17, Bryndwr to Huntsbury starts at Sheffield Crescent near Wairakei Rd and Roydvale Ave and finishes up at Huntsbury Hill.
Route 28, Casebrook to Lyttelton, starts in Northwood and finishes at Lyttelton Port with some morning and afternoon trips extending to Rapaki.
Proposed changes include:
two new bus routes made up of a combination of the routes 17 and 28
increasing bus frequencies
extending one route to the Christchurch Airport
improving access to Ara and Moorhouse retail areas
supporting higher frequencies with new electric buses
Why are we reviewing routes 17 and 28?
The Greater Christchurch Public Transport Futures programme, a ten-year plan, is about increasing service and accessibility to public transport for the community. It also aims to increase our low emission fleet, develop our response to climate change, and as a result, encourage people to make a change in their choice of transport.
Bus routes 17 and 28 are the first routes to be reviewed. We are looking at how we can design these routes to cater for both increased frequency and the inclusion of new or growing destinations.
Thank you
Thank you to everyone who provided feedback for the review. The over 700 responses we received indicate a strong interest in these proposals as well as the overall improvement of our bus services.
There was a positive response to the proposed new routes, temporarily called:
Port to Port
Northwood to Huntsbury
The increased frequency proposed for these routes was welcomed. The suggestions of extending the Port to Port to Christchurch Airport and redirecting the Port to Port past Ara and Moorhouse retail areas gained a large number of comments. These responses are important in carrying out our review and all suggestions will be considered.
We also received useful feedback regarding the possibility of a slight rates increase in order to purchase electric buses that would support the increased frequency on proposed routes.
See "Proposed changes" section below for more information.
What now?
We are currently looking through all feedback and a report will be presented to the Environment Canterbury Council in February 2022. From this, a decision will be made regarding whether proposals will be adopted or if more information is required for final decisions to be made.
To support an increase in frequency for each route, new buses need to be ordered and built. We hope for this decision to be made in the new year.
Christchurch City Council will be consulting with the public regarding infrastructure upgrades from March 2022.
A full report of the consultation will be available on this site early 2022, and we expect that the proposed changes will be implemented in 2023.
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Proposed New Routes
Two New Routes
The new routes will look a bit different and have been given the following names until the routes are confirmed and allocated a number.
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Port to Port - This route will start at Lyttelton Port, and Rapaki, and will continue through Heathcote, Opawa and Waltham to the Bus Interchange. The northern end from the city will travel up Wairakei Rd, Bryndwr, with a proposed extension to Orchard Rd, finishing at the Christchurch Airport (see map).
- Northwood to Huntsbury - This route starts in Northwood and travels through Casebrook and Bishopdale to Northlands Mall. It continues down Cranford St to St Albans and the Bus Interchange. The southern end travels down Waltham Rd to St Martins before going up Huntsbury Hill (see map).
Airport Connection
We are proposing extending the route from Wairakei Rd to Christchurch Airport. This will offer more people the opportunity to access both the airport for flights and adjacent businesses. We are excited about planning to extend this service and increasing availability to the growing number of businesses around the airport. (see map)
This proposal will mean that the bus will not circle Sheffield Crescent, but instead will turn up Wooldridge Rd towards Harewood Rd.
Route 125 Bus Stop At The Airport
As part of this proposal, the route 125 (Redwood to Westlake) that presently stops at the airport terminal would instead use the bus stop outside the Antartic Centre on Orchard Rd and not go into the terminal.
Redirecting the Port to Port route past Ara
With the aim of connecting to both Ara and the growing retail areas on Moorhouse Ave, the Port to Port would travel from Brougham St up Shakespeare Rd, Waltham Rd and Moorhouse Ave, into the one-way system to reach the Bus Interchange. This efficiently delivers passengers to more key destinations. (see map)
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Port to Port - This route will start at Lyttelton Port, and Rapaki, and will continue through Heathcote, Opawa and Waltham to the Bus Interchange. The northern end from the city will travel up Wairakei Rd, Bryndwr, with a proposed extension to Orchard Rd, finishing at the Christchurch Airport (see map).
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Increasing Bus Frequencies
Increasing bus frequencies increases the reliability of catching a bus when you need it. Knowing that your next bus is not far away takes the stress and planning out of your day.
The Port to Port route will have increased frequencies of 15 mins during weekdays until 6pm, 20 mins on Saturdays, and 30 mins on Sundays. This increase will make it a high frequency, core route.
The Northwood to Huntsbury will have consistent 20 mins on weekdays until 6pm and 30 mins on weekends.
The Port to Port route has been prioritised for moving straight to 15 minute frequency because this schedule is more suitable for this frequency due to the nature of the streets. Both routes' schedules are simplified to ensure simplicity and consistency.
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Electric buses are environmentally friendly
Environment Canterbury is committed to reducing carbon emissions. There are two main ways that we are actively working towards this aim.
- Encouraging more people to catch the bus. The emissions from one diesel bus roughly equates to five petrol cars. By enhancing the service to be more reliable with more frequent trips and efficient trips, it will encourage more people to leave their cars at home and catch the bus.
- More electric and low emission buses. Environment Canterbury is working towards having 40% of the bus fleet being electric and low-emission by 2023. This work includes 25 more electric buses in the region by 2022. Electric buses cost more to purchase but Metro sees the value in upgrading the fleet.
New Electric Buses
New buses are needed to support higher frequency of services and increased capacity. Currently, we have funding for new low-emission diesel buses. Electric buses are desirable for metro to respond to climate change, but require extra funding.
