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Green light for new Renwick and Blenheim bus services
Green light for new Renwick and Blenheim commuter bus services
Two new Marlborough bus services begin running on Monday 17 February.
The Blenheim to Renwick service and a new Blenheim commuter service will provide Marlburians with greater transport options and complement the existing Blenheim to Picton and Blenheim bus services.
The Blenheim to Renwick service will operate from Monday to Saturday, and will run four daily circuits on weekdays - one early morning, one mid-morning, one mid-afternoon and one early-evening. It will also run two circuits on a Saturday - one mid-morning and one mid-afternoon.
The service will begin and end at the Seymour Street Countdown and will include multiple stops in both directions including Springlands Countdown, Pak’nSave, the Marlborough Airport and Woodbourne.
Fares for this service will be $3 for adults and $1.50 for school-aged children. Children under 5 years travel for free. SuperGold card holders can travel for free during off-peak hours in the mid-morning and mid-afternoon.
Wairau-Awatere Ward Councillor Cynthia Brooks says it’s great news, especially for Renwick residents and for Blenheim commuters wishing to take the bus rather than drive to work. The Blenheim to Renwick bus service will also provide people from Blenheim with the opportunity to pop out to Renwick for a few hours for coffee or lunch, or hire a bike to cycle around the many cellar doors in the area,” she said.
“Council took on-board lots of feedback from the public, who suggested routes and travel times. I think we have found a good solution that meets the needs of our community and our growing population,” Councillor Brooks says.
The new Blenheim commuter service will operate Monday to Friday and will provide two simultaneous services to Southern Blenheim.
The morning services will depart at 7.30 am and 8.00 am. The evening services depart at 5.15 pm and 5.45 pm. These services will depart from and return to the Countdown Seymour Street bus stop and each circuit will take around 23 minutes to complete.
The West route will travel along Maxwell Road, Taylor Pass Road, Forest Park Drive, Hillcrest Avenue, Wither Road and Howick Road.
The East route will travel along Stephenson Street, Houldsworth Street, Muller Road, Redwood Street, Wither Road and Weld Street.
The fares for this service are $2 for adults and $1 for school-aged children. Children under 5 years will travel for free.
Both services will be operated by Ritchies Transport Holdings Ltd through a variation to the Blenheim Bus Service contract.
Councillor Brooks says people need to support the new services.
“The new bus services are an 18-month trial. Through the public survey we ran last year, I know many residents are passionate about improving public transport in Marlborough. If the new services are supported by the public, they are much more likely to continue for the long term.”
The timetables and locations of bus stops for the new services will be posted on the Council website by Wednesday 12 February.
Visit: www.marlborough.govt.nz/services/parking-roads-and-transport for the latest information.
Attached is a map of area serviced by the Blenheim commuter bus route, and a map of the area serviced in Renwick.
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