Lacking a hospital connection
Catching public transport to Auckland Hosptial is easier than getting to Middlemore, a Mangere Bridge man claims
Leslie Williams wants to use public transport to get to upcoming health appointments
But under the new bus network, he says his suburb appears to be missed out for direct connections to Middlemore.
‘‘I got the timetable in the mail, but couldn’t see anything that went directly,’’ he says.
‘‘It really looked like Mangere Bridge was missed out...there isn’t much choice.’’
So Williams called Auckland Transport for his options.
The result: walk to Mangere Bridge township, then catch a bus down to Papatoetoe. From there Williams would have to get off the bus and walk over to the train station.
The final leg would be catching the train to Middlemore Hospital.
Williams says the transfers would make it difficult for elderly people wanting to get to the hospital.
He says it was easier to get to Auckland Hospital, in central Auckland, on public transport.
‘‘I’ve caught the bus there before and it was straightforward, but it was to a hospital outside our area.’’
He says there should be more options to get to hospitals.
Costly public parking at Middlemore would deter some who could drive, he says.
‘‘I wonder about others who need to get to the hospital? I’ve seen some nearby getting a taxi to their appointment.’’
Counties Manukau Health also runs a courtesy shuttle for patients from selected stops in Otara and Mangere.
Williams would get on at Mangere Bridge and head south to Manukau SuperClinic in Wiri. The shuttle would head then head back up towards Middlemore.
Auckland Transport media spokesman Mark Hannan says the new network is designed for more connections between transport hubs.
In turn the shorter bus routes would be more efficent.
‘‘Whilst we understand that some journeys take more planning and may require transfers, the network is designed to work as a more cohesive set of routes across south Auckland,’’ he says.
Hannan says having a train station at the front of the hospital means it is more effective for buses to take passengers to transfer stations, like Otahuhu Station.