Friday night drinks will be a thing of the past when changes to Glenfield's 952 bus service come into play, as Valerie Schuler reports.
Hillcrest commuters will still be able to jump on a direct bus to Auckland City, but only if they reach the bus stop before 8am.
As The Aucklander reported earlier this year, Northstar's 952 service from Glenfield was up for review because of low patronage. Following public consultation, Auckland Regional Transport Authority decided to retain four of the 11 daily journeys.
Resident Colette Thomas is pleased the service hasn't been cut completely. "At least the transport authority has compromised and we can still get to work in the morning.''
Another regular commuter, Julia Zuccani, is less impressed. "If you miss your bus, it will be a nightmare. I think it's bloody ridiculous to cut or reduce any bus service when we are constantly being told to use public transport.''
From December 24, the 952 will travel to the central city at 7.25am and 7.55am daily. There will be two services back to Glenfield in the evenings. The last one will leave the central city at 5.20pm.
People travelling from Hillcrest at other times will have to catch a bus to Takapuna and get on a transfer service from there.
"It's unfair and ridiculous that there's no later buses home on a Friday night. What if you want to stay in town and have a drink?'' says Ms Zuccani.
The 952 is not the North Shore's only bus service affected by the review.
The 945X from Glenfield to the CBD and the 873 from Constellation Drive to Takapuna will also be reduced and the 963 and 964 from Browns Bay to Newmarket will be withdrawn.
The transport authority says the services were cut or reduced because too few people used them.
All changes are effective from December 24.
