Auckland Transport (AT) is making it easier for its public transport customers to get around the city with new services taking people to more places, more often.

AT is also making changes to bus lanes and parking to make travelling by bus more efficient and reliable. These changes have also been designed to support the loading needs of local businesses and residents.

AT’s Service Network Development Manager Pete Moth says we know more people travel by bus than by any other mode on some road corridors.

“With the changes coming to bus services on 12 November, more buses will be travelling on K’ Rd at all times of the day. This means there will be more people travelling on buses along K’ Rd outside of peak hours. Currently, bus lane operating hours do not always give reliable journey times through the area. It is important that road space is relocated to the people who need it most, to boost patronage on public transport and to make buses a viable alternative to travelling by car,” he says.

Transforming the bus network in West and Northwest Auckland so you can use buses to travel to more places more often:

At the heart of the network is the new WX1 Western Express connecting Westgate to new bus interchanges at Lincoln and Te Atatū which then continue to the City Centre.

This service will start on 12 November, connecting West and Northwest Auckland with Karangahape and the City Centre. Buses will run every 10 minutes via the Northwestern Motorway.

There will be a range of new local routes to connect with motorway services at Westgate and these bus interchanges.

Karangahape Road changes:

From 12 November, bus lane times will change on Karangahape Road and there will be no general parking at any time, seven days a week. This will allow for more consistent journey times for bus customers, no matter when they are travelling.

Loading is available outside bus lane hours, and parking is available on side streets.

This improvement will benefit bus customers travelling from Northwest Auckland, Ponsonby, Newmarket, and the North Shore.

Pre - Covid there were 110,000 boardings / alightings per month at Karangahape Road bus stops. The 12 November changes, which will increase all-day frequency of buses to and from the Northwest, will result in more people using these buses and give greater access to K’ Rd.

“AT has seen the positive impact that more bus customers in an area can have on businesses. The more people arriving to an area on bus, the better this is for business,” says Graeme Gunthorp – AT’s Programme Director for the City Centre.

“There will be more people walking the streets, spending money and enjoying the ambience of café culture on K’ Rd,” he says.

Newton Road’s new lane:

To provide a more reliable and quicker bus journey into the City Centre, a new bus lane is being added on Newton Road, to give buses priority for turning right onto K’ Rd.

In addition, the bus shoulder lanes on the Northwestern Motorway are being extended between Westgate and Newton Road and at motorway interchanges to increase priority for buses.

This will make bus trips quicker and more reliable for the new WX1 services, which start on 12 November.

See more at: https://at.govt.nz/projects-roadworks/west-bus-services/new-west-bus-services-for-west-and-northwest-auckland

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