Nelson Tasman’s new buses are delayed – but it’s a service worth waiting for

Nelson Tasman’s brand-new bus service will now start on August 1 due to a delay in the arrival of new electric buses for the service.

Group Manager Infrastructure Alec Louverdis says the buses are already on their way from overseas, but due to delays related to access to international ports will take eight weeks to make the journey by sea.  

“It is disappointing that our community will have to wait a bit longer, but when it does start this service will be a gamechanger,” says Louverdis. 

Examples of the benefits bus users will experience include: 

• From August 1, prices will reduce to a $2 flat fare for journeys within Nelson and Richmond area (cheaper if you have a concession) 
• Urban buses every half hour, 7am to 7pm, 7 days a week 
• Simplified routes – less changing bus 
• New routes to Motueka and Wakefield from Nelson and Richmond that cover Mapua and Brightwater as well 
• A regular airport bus service that connects with The Brook, city centre and Tāhunanui
• Electric buses – helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 
• Digital displays and a better app giving people real-time information about arrivals and departures 

“When the new $2 flat fare is introduced a trip from Richmond to Nelson and back for work now costs less than the petrol you would spend as a single occupant in a car," says Louverdis. "It’s even comparable if there are two (or more) people in the car. 

“All urban routes (that’s routes 1-4) that operate within Nelson and Richmond will go every half an hour from 7am to 7pm, including weekends. That feeling of getting to the bus stop and realising there’s no bus for an hour or more will be a thing of the past.” 

New routes in Tasman includes buses that will go as far afield as Motueka and Wakefield, offering a genuine alternative to commuters who make the long drive on a regular basis. 

Buses out to Motueka will make four round trips a day, Monday – Friday, between 7am and 7pm. The Wakefield route will run six times a day. The buses become an express service once they reach the Richmond interchange. From here they will only stop at Nelson Hospital and then Nelson City Centre – so they are a pretty quick way to for people to get to work in our major centres.

Urban routes have been simplified. This means Council has essentially joined routes together, so people change buses less often. For instance, the old routes 3 (Atawhai) and 5 (Hospital) are combined into Route 3 in the new system. A passenger from Atawhai heading to the hospital will no longer have the hassle of changing bus.  

“We are also looking forward to getting real-time information boards installed at key interchange stops in Stoke, Tāhunanui, the airport, the hospital, Richmond, Motueka and Wakefield. These will alert people to things like delays due to a road accident. They come equipped with a button that can relay information in audio, so they are accessible for low vision groups as well. Better real-time tracking of buses will provide more accurate information about arrivals straight to people’s phones.” 

Another exciting addition to the service is a new regular service to Nelson Airport, meaning even if you are leaving Nelson you can choose to leave the car at home. This service will travel through the Brook, Nelson city centre and Tāhunanui and cost $2 per way.   

Tasman District Council and Nelson City Council will launch a public information campaign from the beginning of May to help the public understand the benefits of the new bus service.