9 April 2012

Hundreds Use Dunedin's First Good Friday & Easter Sunday Public Transport

The Otago Heritage Bus Society really turned the clock back 30 years this past weekend by operating on Good Friday and Easter Sunday. As well as ferrying cruise ship passengers around the St. Clair – Normanby route, we transported Dunedin people to Dunedin things, with loadings similar to a peak weekday service of 1982 for much of the day.

We took people to church, to the pharmacy, to visit granny, to feed the ducks, to the hospital, to escape the rest home, to the beach, to work, to the supermarket; then we took them all back again. A lot of the passengers would have had to walk or stay at home so really appreciated our classic bus service. We even had a chance to use the pram rack on the front of the bus.

Support from the general public of Dunedin was overwhelming during Easter services as Otago Heritage Bus Society volunteers piloted their classic Leyland Leopard bus along Dunedin's flagship St Clair-Normanby route in the city's first Good Friday and Easter Sunday bus service in over thirty years.

“Even Dunedin residents not using the service waved and cheered the bus as it passed.” Dave Harris, Society Member said.

The service used three volunteer drivers and three on-board assistants who worked as bus conductors. A further ten volunteers handled administration, marketing, vehicle maintenance and publicity leading up to the Easter weekend service.

Passengers made a gold coin or an Easter egg donation as the fare and monetary proceeds from the Easter Shuttle went to our local Neurosurgery Campaign and the Easter eggs went to a local food back.

Bus 194, the last Leyland model to leave Dunedin's former city council bus depot, did 560km of revenue service. "If it had been allowed onto the highway, it would be close to Queenstown, Temuka or Bluff which is outstanding for an old bus that we were cautious about letting onto the Kilmog," Society Operations Manager Andrew Robinson said.

"To me, it seemed to be a game of three halves: we had the unexpected cruise ship traffic and other visitors to the city, a large number of residents who wanted to check us out just for fun, as well as locals who really did rely on us for transport, some locals didn't realise we weren't the regular service and solemnly asked for a 2-zone ticket." Andrew said.

"We were determined to provide a service to the public of Dunedin and showcase a piece of heritage transport equipment that would otherwise have been stripped for scrap metal," Peter Dowden Deputy Chairman of the Otago Heritage Bus Society said.

We are currently seeking volunteers to operate excursions and events, just like this one. If you are interested please email info@otagoheritagebus.co.nz.

New members and volunteers from all skill levels are welcome to join and can obtain further details from our website www.otagoheritagebus.co.nz

ENDS

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