New Orbus routes came into effect today.
Last month, Mountain Scene reported Otago Regional Council was finalising bus timetable changes — long-time resident Greg Thompson suggested changes to four or five of the existing routes, primarily ensuring Five Mile and Queenstown Central were serviced more regularly.
While he’d suggested all but one of the existing routes should stop there, ORC’s stopped short of that.
New direct trips between Kelvin Heights and Quail Rise (Route 3) offer a direct connection to Frankton shopping centres for Quail Rise passengers, while Route 3 (Lake Hayes Estate) will feature new bus stops in Lake Hayes Estate — drivers will only pick-up/drop-off at dedicated stops — and stops at Five Mile Shopping Centre and Queenstown Central.
And the Arrowtown-Arthurs Point service (Route 2) will no longer detour to Quail Rise.
ORC says passengers wanting to get to Shotover Country, Lake Hayes Estate or Arrowtown from Quail Rise will have to take a Route 3 bus to the Frankton Hub and then transfer on to a Route 2 bus, or walk or bike to the bus stop opposite Bunnings, on State Highway 6, and catch either a Route 2 or Route 5 (Lake Hayes Estate bus).
To get to Queenstown, Arthurs Point or Sunshine Bay from Quail Rise, passengers can transfer at the Frankton Hub, or catch a Route 2 or 5 bus outside Bunnings.
