Moving Manawatū | New route options | Moving Manawatū | Manawatū Public Transport Review

Rank the routes!

As you may have read here, we're reviewing public transport in Manawatū. We've already asked for your broad thoughts about what we currently have on offer. We've taken your feedback and used it to create some suggested changes to the network.

We have three potential options for the 301 Orbiter and two for the 311 Palmerston North - Feilding commuter, as well as some possible tweaks to the 311. You can learn more about them below before giving us your thoughts via the survey. You have until Friday 22 November 2024 to complete the survey.

There are some things we think should happen to the services no matter how the routes are designed:

Operate seven days a week.
Operate 6.30am - 7.30pm weekdays and 8am - 7pm weekends.
Services running at least every hour on weekdays, with additional frequency at peak times, and every 90 minutes on weekends.

The services generally work well, with use growing over time. However, there is always room for improvement. We’ve heard:

Residential growth is happening to the north-east of Aorangi Feilding and those households will need public transport options.
There are not enough Saturday or late-night services and no services on Sunday.
Some people want tweaks made to routes to get greater efficiency.

Any changes won’t happen overnight. Once we settle on a final network design we must agree a contract with an operator, who will need time to organise their drivers and buses. We will do plenty of promotion before any possible changes go live.

How to do the survey

Toggle between the tabs below to look at the options for the 301 Orbiter and 311 Palmerston North - Feilding commuter. On each tab, use the arrows on either side of the images to scroll through the options.

The third tab is where you go to do the survey.

301 Orbiter

A one-way loop bus route around Feilding.

Option 1: One-way loop

This option is similar to what exists now. The bus would run in one direction, clockwise, from Feilding Railway Station, through Manchester Square, around town going as far as Port St East, where residential growth is taking place.

A loop running in both directions around Feilding.

Option 2: Bi-directional loop

This option would run just like Option 1, but with another bus running in the opposite direction at the same time. This would give double the level of service, and allow people to catch the bus from different sides of the road. It would also make it quicker for people, especially those on the western side of Feilding, to get to and from the town centre.

Two different bus loops, one servicing the east side and the other the west side of Feilding.

Option 3: Two different loops

This would turn the single Orbiter route into two different routes – East and West – servicing different parts of Aorangi Feilding. Both would start and end at Feilding Railway Station, enabling quicker transfers between them for people travelling across town or wanting to connect to the 311 Palmerston North - Feilding commuter service.

311 Commuter

A bus doing a loop around Feilding before travelling to Palmersotn North.

Option 1: Do the loop

This is similar to how the service runs now, starting at Feilding Railway Station and doing a loop of Aorangi Feilding before heading to Papaioea Palmerston North via Bunnythorpe. This route enables people across Feilding to get on the bus in various locations and ride it all the way to Palmerston North without a transfer. However, this means the bus takes longer to get to Palmerston North.

A bus running far more directly to Palmerston North from Feilding

Option 2: Run it straight

This option would be a more direct route between Aorangi Feilding and Papaioea Palmerston North, running ‘Square to Square’ between Main Street Bus Hub and Feilding Railway Station, via Bunnythorpe.

This route would be approximately 20 minutes faster than how the service runs now, and we may be able to use those savings to put on even more services. However, this option might require people to catch a 301 Orbiter service to Feilding Railway Station, then transfer to the 311.

The dotted line is the route this option would take when returning to Aorangi Feilding.

Other changes

The Commuter bus route showing its current route via Palmerston North Airport terminal

Do the airport loop?

Should the 311 service continue to go via Palmerston North Airport terminal? Taking this stop out can save time, and there is a bus stop a five-minute walk from the airport, but removing the loop would be less convenient for people heading to and from the airport.

Do the survey

Name

Connect | Horizons Regional Transport

Phone

Free phone 0508 800 800

transport@horizons.govt.nz

In writing

Attn: Transport Team

Horizons Regional Council

Private Bag 11025

Manawatū Mail Centre

Palmerston North 4442

Phone	0508 800 800
Email	help@horizons.govt.nz
Website	www.horizons.govt.nz

0508 800 800

help@horizons.govt.nz

Moving Manawatū | Rank the Routes