Lower Hutt Mayor Campbell Barry, City Councillor Deborah Hislop and MPs Ginny Andersen and Chris Bishop have joined together to lead the Fight for the Flyer Campaign - encouraging people to submit to the Regional Council to ensure the airport bus service is returned to Lower Hutt.

Greater Wellington Regional Council is currently consulting on its Regional Public Transport Plan. This includes a proposal to introduce a public bus service by 2022 between Wellington Station to Wellington Airport, but to axe the Lower Hutt service.

The Fight for the Flyer campaign encourages people to make a submission to the Regional Council to support reinstating an airport bus service between Lower Hutt and the airport. Submissions can be made at hutt.city/airportflyer or by visiting any library or community hub in Lower Hutt.

Lower Hutt Mayor Campbell Barry says the Regional Council’s preference is shortsighted, and is a backward step for the region.

"Our city and region is growing, and our public transport networks need to support that. People need a range of high quality public transport options, which should include a bus service between the Lower Hutt and Wellington Airport," Campbell Barry says.

"The previous Airport Flyer service had been in place for 20 years, and that should have been the starting point for a future service. Instead, it’s possible the Hutt may be completely left off the map."

Councillor Deborah Hislop, who chairs Hutt City Council’s Infrastructure and Regulatory Committee, says submitting on the Regional Public Transport Plan provides an opportunity to bring the airport service back.

"I encourage the people of Lower Hutt to join this campaign, and let the Regional Council know that our city needs a direct bus service to Wellington Airport," Deborah Hislop says.

The Fight for the Flyer campaign is strongly supported by Hutt South MP Ginny Andersen, and List MP based in Hutt South Chris Bishop.

"We have successfully fought for this service before, and we are again asking people across Lower Hutt to join this campaign to make their voices heard, and let the Regional Council know how important this service is for us," Ginny Andersen says.

"We need to make sure the Regional Public Transport Plan serves people in Lower Hutt, not just those in Wellington City. Our residents are regional ratepayers, and not reinstating this service is frankly insulting for our city," Chris Bishop says.

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