Over the next six months NZ Bus will be upgrading 34 of its buses to give customers a more consistent experience across the network by bringing them in line with the Metlink brand and internal layout standards.

Metlink General Manager, Scott Gallacher says discussions with NZ Bus have focused on the most optimal way to upgrade the buses without losing any capacity on routes.

“Initially, there will be one bus taken out of service to develop a proof of concept for the upgrade work programme. From there on five buses will be in the upgrade programme at a time through to the completion of the programme, at the end of February 2021,” says Mr Gallacher.

Each bus takes approximately four weeks to complete and while these upgrades take place Metlink customers will see a number of interim single-door buses, previously used for the Airport Flyer, out and about on the network.

These interim buses will have some Metlink branding applied to them and customers will still be able to use Snapper for on-board payment and track the buses on Real Time Information boards at stops and on the Metlink website and app.

“We will continue to work closely with NZ Bus to get the upgraded buses back on the road as they are completed and to ensure the replacement buses are running as effectively and efficiently as possible,” adds Mr Gallacher.

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