A Christchurch public transport advocacy group is disappointed in Environment Canterbury's latest bus route changes, and
is calling for improvements.
Better Public Transport, an advocacy group started in east Christchurch, is concerned that the regional council's
amendments are not enough to provide people who rely on public transport what they need.
"We are pleased that there has been some response to our campaign out east, says group spokesperson Jackie Simons, "But
the new 155, for instance, is only going to be running three times a day and only during off-peak hours - that leaves
workers and students without their bus still."
ECan announced modifications, such as mergers, reductions in frequency, and route changes, last week. Affected routes are 28, 107, 108, 135, 145,
150, and 535, mainly impacting eastern suburbs and Lyttelton.
"ECan's consultation methods showed they weren't up to scratch when we had to pick up the issue and it looks like we're
going to have to keep on fighting for decent public transport for the east," says Simons,
"We have about 1000 signatures to our petition and we're looking forward to presenting them to ECan in person next
Thursday."