MEDIA RELEASE

14 September, 2007

Re-Making The Link… a new standard in bus public transport

The Prime Minister, the Rt Hon Helen Clark, today officially launched the new Link bus service for Auckland.

The launch is a significant step forward in the provision of better service, better reliability and greater environmental sustainability for Auckland bus public transport.

Following the unveiling by the Prime Minster, a completely new fleet of 20 new-technology buses will take to the road week commencing Monday 17th September offering commuters a brand new service in every way.

The new buses, costing $350,000 each, have been purpose built and especially designed inside and out for this service so as to be a significant step up in terms of passenger comfort and reliability.

With the new bright green livery the buses will be easily recognisable by Aucklanders. Inside they have additional standing space and wider doors for speed of entering and exiting the buses, to suit the many short-distance passengers who use The Link. Air conditioning will also improve passenger comfort, while in-bus television displays show the bus location and regularly updated news feeds from TVNZ. CCTV is also fitted for increased passenger safety. The drivers have been specially trained in customer service and to be able to cope with driving on what is regarded as one of New Zealand’s most demanding bus routes.

The new Link service not only provides new-age customer comfort and reliability, the buses will also be the first in New Zealand to meet the latest European Union emission standard, Euro 5. These buses will have exhaust emissions that are up to 90% lower than the buses they replace.

Steve Wade, spokesman for NZ Bus, which operates The Link, said: “We have been working hard to improve the spacing and reliability of The Link service, which has been adversely affected on occasions by the general increase in traffic congestion in central Auckland over recent years”

“We have responded to this by fine tuning timetables and scheduling to enhance reliability. GPS monitoring now shows that The Link is now one of the most reliable bus services in Auckland.”

“Over the medium term we will continue to work with Auckland Regional Transport Authority and Auckland City Council to improve real-time bus-stop signage, the regularity of buses and to enhance bus priorities, so that buses are less affected by general road congestion,” Mr Wade said.

The Link currently provides 2.5 million rides a year on its 60 minute circuit – it is one of the main public transport services in Auckland and NZ Bus is committed to making it grow markedly.

The Prime Minister Helen Clark has welcomed the new service. "Today’s launch of the new bus service for The Link marks the change to a higher gear for public transport in Auckland. I hope that passengers and fellow road users will see The Link as the preferred way to travel reliable, fast, comfortable, giving value for money, and also less harmful to the environment than using motor vehicles," Helen Clark said.

Following her speech the Prime Minister then took the seat behind the wheel of one of the buses to experience first-hand the comfort for not only the passengers but also the drivers.

His Worship the Mayor, Dick Hubbard said today: “Every little bit of encouragement we can give to make the shift to public transport, the better. This sparkling new service is a major incentive to make that shift. It is a practical visible endorsement of a truly “clean and green” approach.

Lloyd Morrison, CEO of Infratil, which owns NZ Bus, said today: “We are investing across our business, so that we are able to consistently deliver services that are more comfortable, more reliable and more environmentally friendly, so that passenger numbers grow.”

“The Link is an investment of $7 million, and it sits alongside other capital investment announcements we have made this year totalling $50 million. Our goal is to attract more users by providing a better service. Not long after the change in ownership there was extensive coverage in the New Zealand Herald about reliability problems with The Link service and this was also the feedback from users. We decided to make The Link a test case of how much better public transport can be. We believe that the final result will be a real credit to our Link team and ARTA and the City Council.”

ENDS

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