Proposal: Changes to Route 44 Shirley/Westmorland

This is one of Metro's busiest routes, becoming more popular over the last few years. It is also the least reliable service in the urban network, with around 20% of northbound trips running at least ten minutes late. We know that this isn't good enough, which is why we're proposing changes.

At the same time, we’ve had requests for better bus access for residents in the growing Prestons area. To meet this demand, we’re proposing to amend Route 44 Shirley/Westmorland so it covers Marshlands Road and extends further into Prestons. This provides better access to about 2000 residents, providing a direct connection to the city centre.

To improve reliability, we’re also proposing to simplify the route in Westmorland by removing the eastern Ravensdale Rise loop and adding a bus layover point. This will allow extra time for buses time to recover from traffic delays, so each trip starts on time.

The proposed changes would:

• Remove The Palms to Dallington section and extend either Route 100 Halswell & Wigram/The Palms or the Orbiter to cover Dallington. Dallington passengers could also transfer at The Palms to Route 7 or Route 60 to reach the city centre.
• Extend the route to cover Marshlands Road, and North and South Prestons
• Remove Ravensdale Rise section and stops in Westmorland
• Introduce layover time in Westmorland to reduce delays
• Add later services (last bus at 11pm on Saturday and 10pm Sunday) initially on a trial basis.
• Increase weekend frequency from hourly to every 30 minutes.

Map showing the routes as they currently are.

Map showing the proposal: the removal of Route 135, the extension of Route 44 and other servicing routes in this area.