Locals are being invited by Bay of Plenty Regional Council staff and councillors to discuss proposed changes to the Tauranga bus network at community meetings in Maungatapu, Pāpāmoa and Otumoetai over the next two weeks.
The community sessions follow the recent Public Transport Committee meeting where councillors agreed to make changes to the current Matua/Otumoetai routes and reinstate a Pāpāmoa/Maungatapu to central business district service.
Public Transport Committee Chairman Lyall Thurston says the meetings will give the community the opportunity to have input into the preferred changes that will be put forward by staff.
“Since the new network began on December 10 the majority of feedback regarding the new network has been from Maungatapu and Pāpāmoa residents wanting a direct bus route to the CBD.
Under the proposal Pāpāmoa residents will get an extension to the old route 36 which will see a service use Sandhurst Drive to get into the city centre. A new off peak route is being proposed for Matua and Otumoetai to go via Brookfield,” Cr Thurston says.
Further changes to other parts of the network are also being scoped with Regional Council staff working with contractor NZ Bus to find the best solutions to any route changes.
All public feedback received will be considered in a final decision that is expected to be made by Regional Council at the end of March.
Community meeting dates
- Maungatapu - Opopoti Marae, 25 Wikitoria St, Sunday 3 March 3:00pm – 4:30pm
- Otumoetai – Otumoetai Primary School Hall, Otumoetai Rd, Tuesday 5 March 6:30pm – 8:00pm
- Pāpāmoa – Pāpāmoa Community Centre, Gravatt Rd, Thursday 7 March 6:30pm - 8:00pm