Auckland Outer Link bus changes planned to stop delays and 'bunching'

Wednesday, 6 November 2019

Auckland's Outer Link bus services could be halved as part of a series of changes planned by Auckland Transport (AT).

The service currently runs on a continuous loop from Newmarket to Parnell, the CBD, Ponsonby, Herne Bay, Pt Chevalier, Mt Albert, St Lukes, Mt Eden and back to Newmarket, with a new bus every 15 minutes.

But under the revamp AT would remove the southern section of the Outer Link bus service which takes in St Lukes, Balmoral, Dominion Rd, Mt Eden Village and Manukau Rd.

'This is the least used section of the Outer Link and it would mean we can improve reliability of the busiest sections of the routes … as these are subject to buses bunching and unreliable timings resulting in a poor customer experience,' AT spokesman Mark Hannan said.

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'We are also proposing to increase the frequency and span of service for route 650 converting it into a frequent bus service across the isthmus. A new school bus service between Mt Eden, Balmoral and Epsom schools will also be introduced.'

Hannan said there had been a number of problems with the Outer Link service and the proposed changes were necessary.

Even though more buses were added to the route in July 2018, it hadn't resolved the issues.

Matt Lowrie from transport blog Greater Auckland said the proposed changes were good and would help address many of the problems highlighted by Hannan.

'The problem with link services is they do tend to bunch up, whereas having more dedicated start and end points would make for more reliable services.'

Increasing the frequency of the existing route 650 service would also be a step in the right direction, he said.

'Currently it's every half an hour along Balmoral Rd and through St Lukes. It doesn't make it very useful for cross-town commuters,' Lowrie said.

'But what I've seen they are looking at is upping it to every 15 minutes, so I think it's a positive.'

Public consultation on the changes will run from November 18 to December 13.