Better bus services for Kapiti - tell us what you think

More reliable bus and train connections, a new Waikanae town bus service and more services for more Otaki residents - these are all planned for Kāpiti. And the Regional Council wants to know what people think.

Nigel Wilson, Regional Councillor for Kāpiti, says the new bus operating contract and the reclassification of State Highway One through Kāpiti provided a valuable opportunity to review services and do some fine-tuning to better meet customers' needs. "We want to make bus services a more attractive option for more people by making them easier, smarter and better.

"We know, for example, that bus and train connections are extremely important for people, it's imperative that you can rely on a bus to get you to your train on time and that there'll be a bus waiting at the station for you to take you home. So we're proposing more direct routes between Paraparaumu and Waikanae Beaches and the respective stations. As part of the changes, every train service to Paraparaumu will have a connecting bus to the beach. All Paraparaumu and Raumati services would travel direct from the beach to town and then return via Coastlands which makes it more convenient for people returning home after shopping.

"Similarly in Waikanae, we're proposing introducing a new route around Kapanui and Waikanae East, meaning the route between Waikanae Beach and the station would be more direct and quicker.

"In Otaki, we're proposing to introduce more services and redirecting the route to provide more access for people who live around Otaki township."

Cr Wilson says in order to make these improvements, some poorly used services would need to be removed. These include the Paraparaumu East service which is not used by many people at all - this would be replaced by a two day a week dial-a-ride service to the station, Coastlands and the Kāpiti Health Centre.

Off-peak services to the Kāpiti Health Centre, currently part of the Paraparaumu Beach - town route, would be replaced with a daily dial-a-ride service.

"The fine-tuning changes we're proposing are largely what customers and operators have told us they would prefer. We really value people's feedback and want to know what they think."

The agreed changes will form part of the tender for the new partnering contract for Kāpiti bus services that would come into effect around the middle of 2017.

From next Tuesday (June 7) people can find out more and give us your feedback.

Or they can pick up a brochure on board the bus, or from the local library or railway station.

For media comment, call 021 914 266