Nelson eBus service gets strong patronage

Nelson’s electric bus service has shown strong patronage growth in its first year, says Nelson mayor Nick Smith.

The number of journeys jumped from 462,055 in the final year of the former NBus service to 931,328 in the first year of eBus – a 101% increase, he says.

The fleet of 17 new Foton electric buses rolled out on August 1, 2023.

“The (Nelson/Tasman) region can be hugely proud of having the first electric bus service of this scale,” says Smith.

“The expansion of the bus frequency and destinations to cover 3885 kilometres each day has helped drive a doubling in use. 

“Our new eBus service has had a few bumps and will need continued refinement,” he says.

“We are doing a one-year review to look at how it can be further improved.

“Our goal is to further grow the service to achieve a million journeys a year.” 

The eBus service has had a massive impact for Tasman communities, says Tasman mayor Tim King. 

“Over 70,000 journeys across the Motueka and Wakefield routes is a testament to how essential these routes are for us,” he says.

“Add to that, the peak hour overflow buses and the Motueka bus at capacity in the school holidays, and you can see a real appetite for public transport in Tasman.”

Route 7 is the overflow bus that follows Route 1 from Richmond to Nelson in the morning and vice versa in the afternoon. It only travels during weekdays, collecting students and commuters. 

The overflow has connected a further 20,000 passengers to the network that would otherwise have had to rely on private transport, says the Nelson City Council.

An immediate patronage increase from July (NBus) to August (eBus) was clear and the numbers continued to rise, it says.

“Patronage has fluctuated over the year but aligns with standard movements in public transport such as winter patronage numbers.”

Patronage peaked in March 2024 at 91,687, but there are no signs of a plateau as improvements continue to be made, says Nelson City Council infrastructure group manager Alec Louverdis.

“Thanks to funding from NZTA Waka Kotahi, both councils have installed shelters, solar lighting and wayfinding signage across the network,” says Louverdis.

“Nelson City Council has installed 18 new bus shelters across 16 sites including the Tāhunanui interchange on Muritai Street and busy routes like The Brook.

“This funding also allowed us to upgrade the shelters at the busy hospital interchange where we will also install solar lighting.”

In Tasman, 16 bus seats have been installed with new shelters in Wakefield and Motueka. 

NZTA funding also covered the installation of wayfinding signage across the whole network – added to each bus stop to indicate to passengers which routes use the stop.

Many passengers say the new service is better suited to their needs and is fit for purpose.

“Navigating wet streets on a bike can be tricky; I’d rather enjoy a cozy bus ride than risk a slippery adventure on two wheels,” says bus user Gina.

“Arriving at work dry and warm makes me much more productive in the morning,” she says.

An incentive from her workplace to use public or active transport is a further bonus, along with cost savings.

The eBus came along at the right time for 71-year-old Robert.

“My little runabout had finally given up the ghost and my health was deteriorating so I wasn’t sure if I would be able to continue driving,” he says.

“I saw that The Brook was one of the new routes so thought I’d wait to see whether I could replace my car with the bus.”

Four months later eBus launched with a bus stop outside Robert’s house.

“I have a Supergold card and travel off-peak, so travel is free for me,” says Robert.

“I use the bus three or four times a day, for hospital appointments, to get to the library and everything in between.”

In the year since the eBus service launch, various additions and adjustments have been made. 

In April 2024, eBus started a trial to allow large dogs onboard with a muzzle – considered a success so far and the council will be seeking to extend it through the summer. 

The council has been seeking feedback on the new service via the eBus Shape page, with timetable scheduling, Bee card queries and route requests all common themes.

This feedback will be considered during the upcoming one-year review of the eBus service, with a focus on route timetables, it says, adding some early changes have already been made in response to passenger feedback.

“In July 2024 for example, the first timetable adjustment was made for Route 5 and Route 6.”

Louverdis says it’s about providing a public transport system that works for its users.

“The previous timetable wasn’t consistent with actual travel time, didn’t have proper allowances for passenger boardings and was putting too much pressure on the schedule.”

Plans include (subject to NZTA funding) extending the Motueka and Wakefield routes to the weekends, and a park-and-ride facility for Richmond.

New national ticketing solution Motu Move will be rolled out region by region and is planned to launch in Nelson in 2026.

Passengers will be able to use their debit or credit card to tag on and off public transport throughout Nelson and around the country.