Definitely end of the road for capital’s trolleys
Any hopes of an 11th-hour reprieve for Wellington’s electric trolley buses have been dashed, in what has been described as a ‘‘sad day’’ for the capital.
The trolley bus wires will start to be removed today as planned, after new Transport Minister Phil Twyford said he had no plans to intervene and rescue the iconic vehicles.
The recent change of government had raised hopes of a stay of execution for the trolleys, given the Greens and NZ First had previously stated they should not be scrapped.
At a Greater Wellington Regional Council meeting yesterday, councillor Sue Kedgley had planned to push for a vote on whether to ask the Government for support in retaining the trolleys on some routes. However, Twyford’s announcement put a stop to that.
He told Radio NZ it would cost too much to reverse the council’s 2014 decision to discontinue the trolleys.
Kedgley did not hold back in her criticism of Twyford’s decision to seal the trolleys’ fate.
‘‘This is a very sad day for Wellington,’’ she said. ‘‘This is an extremely short-sighted decision the minister has made.’’
The capital’s remaining 40 trolley buses will be taken off the road and refitted with hybrid Wrightspeed motors, which operate mostly on rechargeable electric batteries, topped up by a small conventionally-powered motor.
Twenty buses have already been removed from service.
It is hoped the Wright speed powered buses will be operating in the capital by July. Diesel buses, sourced from Auckland, are covering in the meantime.
‘‘I predicted this would happen and we would be left with diesel buses in the interim period, and I was laughed at,’’ Kedgley said.
‘‘We are moving back at a million miles an hour.’’
Councillor Daran Ponter, deputy chairman of the sustainable transport committee, agreed it was a ‘‘sad day in Wellington’s history’’.
‘‘I’m not proud of this, but I am accepting of it, as long as we can make some real moves to an electric future and see Wellington become New Zealand’s first electric public transport city.’’
Ponter proposed an alternative recommendation to Kedgley’s, passed by council, which called for officers to request Twyford confirm his stance on supporting the provision of electric-powered public transport.
The council will also request trolley bus operator NZ Bus provide an update on the progress of the Wrightspeed technology.
Councillors haven’t heard anything for ‘‘three to four months’’.
NZ Bus chief executive Zane Fulljames said recently the motors were about two weeks behind schedule, but were still expected to be rolled out in July 2018.
An unused emergency section of trolley bus wires was taken down earlier this month, with the rest to be taken down from today.
A group of Wellingtonians opposed to the capital’s return to diesel buses protested in Willis St last night.
More than 40 hands were raised when Roland Sapsford, a trolley bus and climate change advocate, asked protesters who would tell Twyford that Wellington’s public transport mattered too.
‘‘If Auckland gets light rail, Wellington deserves more than a cloud of diesel,’’ he said.
‘‘The new Government has said that climate change is the nuclear issue of our time, and this is their opportunity to do something good for Wellington.
‘‘Now the Government has the opportunity to show the leadership it promised.’’
One protester, Lyall Bay resident Yvonne Weeber, said she wanted to see a cleaner, more sustainable transport option implemented immediately.
‘‘I think we’re going back into dirty diesel, and it’s not going to very pleasant.
‘‘It’s a really bad move of the regional council.’’