The Te Kuiti Connector links the King Country with Hamilton. Photo / Waikato Regional Council
The Te Kuiti Connector links the King Country with Hamilton. Photo / Waikato Regional Council
Two Waikato districts are celebrating the launch of new bus services, the Te Kūiti Connector and Tokoroa Connector.
Since the services kicked off in February, more than 1030 passengers have travelled on the Te Kūiti Connector, and 2200 people have used the Tokoroa Connector.
Both services provide their local towns with a public transport connection to and from Hamilton.
Meanwhile, bus service operator Go Bus says they have solved the driver shortage in Hamilton with over 30 new drivers employed.
Regarding the Te Kūiti and Tokoroa bus services, 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 that are 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 the Waikato Hospital, Transport Centre in the city’s CBD and Wintec Rotokauri Campus.
Waikato Regional Council Taupo-Rotorua Ward councillor and Transport Committee chairman Mich'eal Downard.
The Route 32 bus gets passengers via Lichfield, Putāruru and Tīrau to Cambridge, Tamahere, the University of Waikato and Hamilton City. Both routes are weekday services and only run once a day from Monday to Friday.
Downard says the Te Kūiti service so far had a positive impact on the King Country community.
“We already know of students and professionals who are riding the bus regularly to get to and from their classes and jobs.
“There are also people using the bus to access other amenities in Hamilton, like the hospital and shopping centres, as well as to catch up with family and friends.”
To mark the launch and give the community an opportunity to find out more about the service, an official event was held on Thursday at the Te Kūiti i-site.
Meanwhile, Hamilton’s bus service operator Go Bus says they have solved the driver shortage as the company employed 31 new drivers.
Many local bus services were impacted by the nationwide post-Covid driver shortage, but thanks to the new drivers, Go Bus is projecting a return to full driver staffing in Hamilton over the coming weeks.
Go Bus is owned by Australian-based transport operator Kinetic Group whose New Zealand head Calum Haslop says the new drivers were coming from overseas.
“We’ve made a large investment to bring in drivers quickly from the Philippines, India and Fiji to supplement our local recruitment endeavours.
“Training of course is super important, and getting all the licences and permits sorted can take some time. Fortunately, all the authorities, such as Waka Kotahi and VTNZ, are mindful of the need to get bus drivers on the road and have been very helpful.”
Go Bus and its sister company NZ Bus which is also owned by Kinetic Group, have recruited about 559 drivers nationwide since November. The dates for the return of full timetables in Hamilton are still to be confirmed.
