THE REGIONAL PUBLIC TRANSPORT PLAN

BUSES

Wellington’s 218 diesel buses and 60 trolley buses will be replaced by hybrid diesel-electric buses from 2017.

Hybrids will be replaced by fully electric buses once the technology is proven.

A bus rapid transit network will be established in Wellington over the next eight years. It will see high-capacity articulated or double-decker buses running along a dedicated north-south route linking Johnsonville to Island Bay (via the CBD and Newtown) and an eastwest route linking Karori to Seatoun (via the CBD, Kilbirnie and Miramar).

A new, simplified network of 34 bus routes will be introduced, compared with 43 now, which will see less service duplication and fewer buses running along the Golden Mile.

Main routes will see buses running every 15 minutes, seven days a week.

More frequent off-peak services will be introduced in 15 suburbs.

New weekend services will be introduced in 10 suburbs. TRAINS

Another 35 two-car Matangi trains will be introduced into the network.

The frequency of trains will increase between Wellington and hubs at Porirua, Waterloo and Johnsonville.

There will be faster express trains from stations on the outer parts of the network, originating from Waikanae, Upper Hutt and Masterton.

The rail line from Trentham to Upper Hutt will be double-tracked.

Upper Hutt station will be upgraded, as will the park-and-ride facilities on the Kapiti and Hutt Valley lines. FARES

One smartcard for all public transport will be introduced. Only one fare will be paid for an entire journey, regardless of whether you change between buses, trains or ferries.

Free travel for children under 5, a 50 per cent discount between 5 and 18, and a discount for off-peak travel.

Fare caps will replace daily and monthly passes. A fare cap means you stop paying once you reach a certain level of travel, which may be a dollar amount or a number of trips.

A weekend family pass will be introduced for up to four children travelling with a fare-paying adult.

SuperGold cardholders will retain their current entitlements.