ORC’s General Manager Regional Planning and Transport Anita Dawe says people can rest assured the Council is working in conjunction with the steering group and is communicating regularly with group members.

“We apologise for any confusion we have caused with our survey and clarify we’re working closely with the group.”

“We want to thank group members for collecting data from their trial, which is very helpful and will support future discussions on public transport services. It is important that we are also clear with the community that any potential future services will depend on what we find when we consider the options alongside costs, how we fund this service and related decisions on fare zone structures.”

“We’re conducting the current ORC survey to get additional data to that already obtained through the community trial.”

The survey has attracted 558 submissions so far. It closes on 6 May and is available at www.orc.govt.nz/dosurvey

The Council will consider next steps in June 2026.