A new chapter could be written in Whanganui’s public transport history but community support is needed to get it started.
Horizons Regional Council’s draft 10-year plan for 2024-34 has earmarked $1 million for an urban bus service over the next three years – enough to bring a high-frequency, high-ridership service to the city.
Anthonie Tonnon, Whanganui District Council’s representative to the Horizons Regional Council passenger transport committee, said in the late 1970s there were 800,000 trips a year on the Greyhound buses service.
The Greyhound buses took over from Whanganui’s tram service that ran from 1908 to 1950, which operated a coverage route system – where buses ran every two hours but went “down every other street”. Fast forward to 2022 and the city racked up only 90,000 bus trips. \
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Whanganui recently ‘The Tide’ frequent bus services.
