Palmerston North’s new bus services, designed to provide faster, more direct and frequent trips for more people, will leave some existing passengers behind.
Age Friendly Palmerston North chairperson Marian Dean made a last-ditch plea to Horizons Regional Council’s passenger transport committee to retain routes through some of the city’s poorer suburbs.
The new services hit the road on February 19 next year. In preparation, a new fleet of 42 electric buses is starting to be shipped to New Zealand, and recruitment is under way for 52 more bus drivers.
Dean said the loss of routes through Roslyn, Highbury and Awapuni would remove the only form of transport for many elderly people, those with disabilities, and new migrants without private cars and driver’s licences.
“The changes will have a huge impact on quality of life and will cause social isolation for many older passengers,” she said.
