Could Wellington be getting its first ‘bendy’ buses?

Monday, 10 July 2023

The Karori Tunnel isn’t tall enough for a double decker, meaning alternative solutions need to be found.

Wellington may soon be using “bendy” buses – already phased out in several cities due to safety and functionality issues – to help solve a unique problem.

While double decker buses are widely across the city, they’re absent in Karori for one reason – they can’t fit through the tunnel.

The Greater Wellington Regional Council is keen to increase passenger capacity on the number 2 route with vehicles able to traverse the capital’s oldest road tunnel.

Bendy buses like this were once a common sight on Auckland’s roads. Now, double deckers have taken their place.

Metlink group manager Samantha Gain confirmed articulated buses – those fitted with a joint covered by accordion-shaped weatherproofing to increase manoeuvrability – were among the options councillors would be briefed in early August.

Transport Committee chairperson Thomas Nash said they were the obvious way to increase capacity on the busy number 2 route.

“There’s some work to do to make sure longer buses can navigate corners safely and integrate with bus stops, and that is all being looked at now.”

Bendy buses are not new to Wellington, although their presence on the streets was limited to a few demonstrations in the 1970s and 80s.

They were used in Auckland for decades, from the early 80s until the mid 2010s. Advantages included faster loading of passengers and improved mobility access, but they took up more space at bus stops.

Wellington’s double decker buses have spread across the city. But the tunnel means Karori is out of bounds.

Their most infamous usage overseas was in London where, in 2004, they replaced the iconic but ageing AEC Routemasters.

By 2006, Transport For London recorded 1751 accidents that year, with 90 people killed or seriously injured by the buses.

On top of getting continually stuck on narrow streets, they had an issue with catching fire. Seven went up up in flames between 2010 and 2011, earning the nickname “chariots of fire”.

The buses were eventually exported to Malta, where three fires in three days prompted the Maltese Government to order them off the road.

So if London’s experience is anything to go off, are bendy buses just flammable mobile road blocks? Not necessarily.

For Auckland’s sprawling suburbs and wide arterial roads, bendy buses were ideal for transporting commuters quickly over long distances.

However, Auckland Transport metro specification manager Edward Wright told The Post for the most part, they were a thing of the past.

“The main reason for this is that our bus stop infrastructure is better suited to double decker vehicles, and this is particularly important in the central city where kerbside space is at a premium.”

Cycle Action Network project manager Patrick Morgan hoped the introduction of bendy buses in the capital would not create additional risk for pedestrians, cyclists, scooters and other road users.

“I think any trial should be accompanied by rigorous safety audits to see if these are appropriate for Wellington streets.”

The other alternative for increasing capacity was to increase frequency, Morgan said.