Wellington's trolley buses take last ride after Transport Minister says he won't save them

Tuesday, 31 October 2017

Trolley bus users, led by climate change advocate Roland Sapsford, protested in Wellington on Tuesday night, and vowed to keep the pressure on.

Any hopes of an 11th-hour reprieve for Wellington's electric trolley buses have been dashed, in what has been described as a 'sad day' for the capital.

The trolley bus wires will start to be removed on Wednesday as planned, after new Transport Minister Phil Twyford said he had no plans to intervene and rescue the iconic vehicles.

The recent change of Government had raised hopes of a stay of execution for the trolleys, given two of the three coalition partners now in power - the Greens and NZ First - had previously stated they should not be scrapped.

At a Greater Wellington Regional Council meeting on Tuesday, councillor Sue Kedgley had planned to push for a vote on whether to ask the Government for support in retaining the trolleys on some routes. However, Twyford's announcement put a stop to that.

**READ MORE:

About 40 people protested in Wellington on Tuesday night against the diesel buses that have begun replacing Wellington's electric versions.

* New government inspires trolley bus rescue bid

* [20-year-old buses brought to Wellington

*](https://www-alpha.stuff.co.nz/national/97728362/twentyyearold-diesel-buses-brought-into-wellington-to-meet-rising-demand) Wellington's electric trolley bus wires to start coming down

* Trolley buses to continue amid uncertainty over hybrid replacements

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Transport Minister Phil Twyford has quashed any hope the trolleys would be given a stay of execution.

* Pressure put on NZ Bus to deliver Wrightspeed buses**

He told RNZ it would cost too much to reverse the council's 2014 decision to discontinue the trolleys, as tens of millions would have to be spent on cancelling contracts with companies that had hired staff and equipment to decommission the wires, and restore decommissioned buses.

Work to remove the remainder of the trolley bus wires will begin on Wednesday.

Kedgley did not hold back in her criticism of Twyford's decision to seal the trolleys' fate.

'This is a very sad day for Wellington,' she said. 'This is an extremely short-sighted decision the minister has made.'

Greater Wellington regional councillor Sue Kedgley said Twyford's decision was short-sighted.

The capital's remaining 40 trolley buses will be taken off the roads and refitted with hybrid Wrightspeed motors, which operate mostly on rechargeable electric batteries, topped up by a small conventionally-powered motor.

Twenty buses have already been removed from service.

Councillor Daran Ponter says losing the trolleys makes it a sad day for Wellington.

The technology is still being developed and it is hoped the Wrightspeed-powered buses will be operating in the capital by July. Diesel buses, sourced from Auckland, are replacing them in the meantime.

'I predicted this would happen and we would be left with diesel buses in the interim period, and I was laughed at,' Kedgley said.

Regional councillor Roger Blakeley said it was disappointing the Government had not taken a stronger stand.

'We are moving back at a million miles an hour.'

Councillor Daran Ponter, deputy chairman of GWRC's sustainable transport committee, shared Kedgley's frustration, saying it was a 'sad day in Wellington's history'.

'I'm not proud of this, but I am accepting of it, as long as we can make some real moves to an electric future and see Wellington become New Zealand's first electric public transport city.'

Ponter proposed an alternative recommendation to Kedgley's, passed by council, which called for officers to request Twyford confirm his stance on supporting the provision of electric-powered public transport.

The council will also request trolley bus operator NZ Bus provide an update on the progress of the Wrightspeed technology.

Councillors were shown the first prototype of a Wrightspeed motor at NZ Bus' Newlands depot earlier this year, but haven't heard anything more for 'three to four months'.

NZ Bus chief executive Zane Fulljames said recently that the motors were about two weeks behind schedule, but were still expected to be rolled out in July 2018.

Councillor Roger Blakeley also expressed his frustration at the trolleys' demise.

'It's very disappointing the Government has not been able to take a stronger stand.'

An unused emergency section of trolley bus wires was taken down earlier this month, with the rest to be taken down from Wednesday.

A group of Wellingtonians opposed to the capital's return to diesel buses protested in Willis St on Tuesday night.

More than 40 hands were raised when Roland Sapsford, a trolley bus and climate change advocate, asked protesters who would tell Twyford that Wellington's public transport mattered too.

'If Auckland gets light rail, Wellington deserves more than a cloud of diesel,' he said.

'The new Government has said that climate change is the nuclear issue of our time, and this is their opportunity to do something good for Wellington.

'Now the Government has the opportunity to show the leadership it promised.'

One protester, Lyall Bay resident Yvonne Weeber, said she wanted to see a cleaner, more sustainable transport option implemented immediately.

'I think we're going back into dirty diesel, and it's not going to very pleasant. It's a really bad move of the regional council.'