Tokoroa local Dion Wilson has gained a new sense of mobility thanks to the new South Waikato bus service to Hamilton. Photo / South Waikato District Council
Tokoroa local Dion Wilson has gained a new sense of mobility thanks to the new South Waikato bus service to Hamilton. Photo / South Waikato District Council
Tokoroa local Dion Wilson has gained a new sense of mobility thanks to the Tokoroa-to-Hamilton bus service launched earlier this year.
Dion is living with a neurological disability called dystonia which causes muscles to contract involuntarily and means he is in need of a wheelchair to get around.
“I used to feel stuck in Tokoroa - even heading up to Hamilton for an appointment at the hospital was a mission,” says Dion.
The launch of the bus service connecting South Waikato to Hamilton has given Dion a new lease on life and loads of opportunities to explore places he has never been to before.
“[I] head up to Hamilton at least once a week... Some of [my] favourite places include Chartwell and the Base. I [also] got to go to Mystery Creek for the first time ever to see Fieldays. I’ve always wanted to go, so it felt good ticking that one off my list,” Dion says.
When he comes to Hamilton, Dion explores the city with his motorised, stick-controlled wheelchair, which almost ended in close calls a couple of times: he was out and about for so long, he nearly ran out of battery in his chair or missed the bus back home.
He also makes shorter trips to Putāruru or Tīrau for a change of scenery.
The Tokoroa-to-Hamilton service - called the Tokoroa Connector - launched in February and is now seeing up to 1000 people use the service per month. Up to 50 of these users are disabled people. It was launched at the same time as the Te Kūiti Connector, with both services providing their local towns with a public transport connection to and from Hamilton.
“It’s important for other disabled people in the district to know that this service is accessible to them because it opens opportunities and changes up your everyday routines. There’s a long way to go for accessibility in this country, but this is a great step in the right direction,” Dion says.
The Te Kūiti Connector (Route 26) and Tokoroa Connector (Route 32) are the two newest public transport initiatives in the regional network. Photo / Waikato Regional Council
Waikato Regional Transport Committee chairman Mich’eal Downard says the King Country and South Waikato have “never been so accessible”, as these communities previously had very limited transport options available.
“Now the regional transport network is growing, we can connect more communities to the places they need to go.”
The Te Kūiti Connector (Route 26) and Tokoroa Connector (Route 32) are the two newest public transport initiatives operated by Waikato Regional Council together with Waitomo, Ōtorohanga, Waipā and South Waikato District Councils, as well as tertiary providers the University of Waikato and Wintec.
The Route 26 bus travels from Te Kūiti through Ōtorohanga, Te Kawa, Te Awamutu, Ōhaupō and stops at locations across Hamilton, including Waikato Hospital, the Transport Centre in the city’s CBD and Wintec Rotokauri Campus.
