stuff.co.nz JUNE 22, 2016, HAMILTON PRESS 1

improvements set to take place over the next 18 These improvements include: months, Regional Council is continuously n more buses running to The Base THE BUS improving your bus network. n new Flagstaf and routes that will run “Our aim is to provide passengers with a reliable, every half hour, seven days a week WORKS. eicient and friendly service,” said the council’s public n transport operations manager, Andrew Wilson. Sunday and public holiday services for the Hillcrest and Fitzroy areas “We’ve worked hard to grow our public transport TRY IT! n straightening out some routes to provide network in recent years, with route extensions to key quicker trips. With 28 bus routes in Hamilton and Hamilton locations. 10 others throughout the region, “For example, bus improvements made within the Rototuna and Flagstaf areas earlier this year have seen THE Waikato Regional Council’s BUSIT great passenger uptake,” Mr Wilson said. BUS service can work for you. Together with our bus operators and Hamilton City WORKS TRY Waikato has a comprehensive local bus network, Council, which is responsible for providing the bus attracting more than four million passenger trips each stops, shelters and other operational infrastructure, FOR IT! year. Hamilton has around 900 bus stops and the we’re looking forward to rolling out signiicant network is growing. With rolling route and timetable improvements in the next 18 months. ME.

Let us help plan your next journey. Visit www.busit.co.nz for the online Journey Planner, timetable and route information, call our 24 hour helpline, 0800 4 BUSLINE (0800 4 2875 463) or visit the friendly BUSIT team between 8am and 4.30pm Monday to Friday at the Transport Centre, on the corner of Bryce and Anglesea streets. 5 GREAT SIGNAL REASONS TO TAKE THE DRIVER When you’re waiting for a bus, it’s really important to signal the THE BUS driver to indicate your intention to board. Most bus stops service No more wasting valuable multiple routes, so when you see your bus approaching, please let 1 time trying to ind a parking us know that you want to get on! space. Take away the stress of 2 driving – sit back, relax and enjoy being driven. IT’S A LOT Catch up on your messages EASIER TO 3 and emails while you travel. CATCHABUS Enjoy the banter on the bus THANITIS 4 with the other regulars. TO CHASE It’s cost-efective, reliable 5 and we go right through your ONE! neighbourhood. PLEASE SIGNAL THE DRIVER! 2 HAMILTON PRESS, JUNE 22, 2016 stuff.co.nz

RUGBY SHUTTLE FACTS RECORD PATRONAGE OVER Thanks to everyone who has used BUSIT’s There are over free rugby shuttles this Chiefs season. We’ve 900 900 bus stops had record numbers on the buses to some of the games – particularly when the Chiefs are BUS in Hamilton. winning! The free buses will be back for the STOPS Mitre 10 Cup season from August and for the All Blacks game on Saturday 10 September. BUSIT’s rugby shuttles operate for all Chiefs, Waikato and All Blacks home games at FMG . Buses run every 10 minutes for an hour before the game, leaving from Hood St (outside the Knox St carpark), and travelling via Victoria, Ulster and Abbotsford streets to the ground. Passengers will be picked up from any oicial bus stop along the way. Buses will depart directly after the inal whistle on Tristram Street near the Mill St intersection. They travel back to the CBD via Anglesea, Knox and Victoria streets. Drop ofs 38 will be made at any oicial bus stop. Waikato Regional Council provides 38 bus routes DON’T USE THE throughout the region. BUS? WE’D LIKE 4125517 TO KNOW WHY. Hamilton is extremely well connected by buses, with more than There were 4,125,517 trips made on 90% of households, workplaces, shopping and entertainment the region’s buses in the last 12 months. areas being within a seven minute walk of a bus route. If you haven’t used a bus before, or you use the services infrequently, we’d like to know why. All of our bus eet is fully Do the timetables not suit you or do you ind them diicult to understand? Are the buses not frequent enough? Is the bus stop too far from your house? accessible for wheelchair users. Do you think the journey will take too long? Whatever your reasons, we’d like to hear from you so we can continue to improve our BUSIT network. Fill out our online survey at www.busit.co.nz,email [email protected], Most bus There are hundreds or call us on 0800 4 BUSLINE (0800 4 2875 463) and let us know why you don’t services in of wheelchair use the bus. 365 Hamilton journeys made DAYS operate on the buses HOW MUCH 365 days of each month. the year. WILL THE BUS

With a BUSIT card, COST ME? adult fares are only $2.40 ADULT CHILD Cash fare BUSIT card and child fares are $1.70. $2.40 $1.70 Adult $3.30 $2.40 FREE Child $2.20 $1.70 BUS 60+ N/A $1.70 ROUTES Adult City Explorer $7.90 $6.30 8 bus routes travel to The free CBD shuttle Westield Chartwell. runs every 10 minutes. Child City Explorer $5.80 $4.50 stuff.co.nz JUNE 22, 2016, HAMILTON PRESS 3 THE BUS WORKS FOR US! Thousands of Hamiltonians use the bus daily for all sorts of reasons. Meet some of our regular passengers and read what they have to say about why they take the bus.

G BUSITS CARD AND I use the bus for work and to The buses run so regularly that get into town at lunch, one will turn up soon. And we START especially when it is raining! don’t have to rely on someone It’s a great service. else to drive us around. SAVING Clint. Regular passenger. Seli, Rosalie and Claire Maree . Regular passengers. A BUSIT card is a stored value card thatsavesyoumorethan20per cent on bus fares. If you’re going to use the bus regularly, pick up a BUSIT card and get a discount on your fares every time. BUYING AND USING YOUR CARD Purchase your card from the driver or at the Transport Centre – there’s a one-of $5 cost to pay for the card and then you can top it up with any amount of $10 or more. The bus drivers are always I don’t have to worry about You just have to present your card when you get happy and the fares afordable. parking or paying to park. The on the bus and the driver will give you a ticket as And, it takes me straight from bus stop is near my house and usual. You’ll see a igure on your ticket that shows home to the doorstep at work! close to work. And it’s cheap! you how much credit you’ve got left on your card. When it gets low, just pay the driver in cash to top Alex. Regular passenger. Adi. Regular passenger. it up for you, or by cash or Eftpos at the Transport Centre. OTHER HANDY FARE TIPS COLOUR BRIGHTENS n Children under 5 travel free. n SuperGold card holders travel free on all BUSIT services between 9am and 3pm, THE BUS STOPS and after 6.30pm weekdays and all day on weekends and public holidays. In the last four years a number of bus stops in n Child fares apply to children aged 5-14 and to year 9-13 students with approved school ID, or Hamilton have been brightened by colourful when in school uniform. artwork by local artist Jeremy Shirley. n With every Hamilton bus ticket purchased, The varied images on the bus passengers are entitled to an hour of free shelters have had a twofold transfers to any other city bus. beneit, of enhancing the look n The City Explorer fare allows for unlimited of the area and reducing graiti. bus trips per person within the Hamilton city The work has been arranged boundary. Travel is valid on the day of issue and resourced by Tagbusters, as overall, bus shelters are the city’s most-tagged public asset. Since April 2012, 39 shelters have been transformed with murals by Jeremy Shirley, a full-time artist with more than 20 years experience painting murals. Jeremy has worked in a variety of creative roles including art tutor for the Department of Corrections and team leader for the exhibition team at . His clients include a variety of corporate and council projects as well as private commissions. Some of the artwork which has brightened up bus shelters around Hamilton by local artist Jeremy Shirley. 4 HAMILTON PRESS, JUNE 22, 2016 stuff.co.nz

flagstaff NORTH Borman Hamilton Routes 4N Moonlight Cumberland rototuna direct east Maui Key Routes THE RDE These routes also run on T Farringdon Alconbury Rototuna Sundays and public holidays Te Huia Wentworth Somerton 21 44 T Shops T Terminus T BUS NORTHERN Thomas CONNECTOR 1 River Limited Service Discovery Cate Barrington &Pukekohe Tupelo T O Orbiter 15 WILL O Thomas Moreland 1 Pukete 16 Rototuna 4 flagstaff 16 St James Wiltshire T ROtotuna 2 Hamilton Flagstaff Silverdale 17 East Uni WORK Alandale Shops Callum Brae 3 Dinsdale 18 RDW Huntington Pukete 4 Flagstaff 21 Northern rototuna Connector FOR Totara direct west Flagstaff 4N 26 Bremworth North THE BASE T 5 29 Lake and Oakfield Chartwell Gardens Glen Hukanui YOU. te rapa Lynne northerner 18 6 Mahoe 30 Northerner Sandwich 30 Crosby 7 Glenview RDE Rototuna T Herbert Direct East 14 TRYIT! Tasman Te Rapa Bryant RDW Rototuna 8 Frankton Direct West 5 9 WESTFIELD Nawton With 28 bus routes chartwell CHARTWELL Wintec O 10 20 Campus Hillcrest Cambridge Braid fairfield Fairview in Hamilton and 10 Avalon 11 11 Fairfield 22 Paeroa Bankwood Davies T 12 Fitzroy 23 Raglan and others throughout O Corner Snell Whatawhata nawton 9 River Tramway 13 University 24 the region, Waikato Powells 44 Rotokauri Clarkin 14 Claudelands Pukekohe T Holland Regional DINSDALE frankton 8 Council’s 3 Waterworld Claude Fifth 51 CBD Shuttle Hamilton Rotokauri T Victoria Garden Zoo Heaphy A&M Place Museum BUSIT T Matai Victoria Casey Claudelands Event Centre Liverpool Bridge service can Farnborough T Peachgrove Transport Caro Alexandra work for you. Waikato Centre Stadium Te Aroha Fraser Ellicott Rimu Old Frankton Farm Hyde Shops Silverdale Peachgrove Western Ellicott 2 Heights 13 railway Wilson Nevada Rifle Museum University Range Station TRANSPORT T CENTRE 17 Newcastle Queens Clyde Cameron Crosher T HAMILTON 23 Killarney O EAST uni Raglan and Ruakura Whatawhata Pembroke Hillcrest Warehouse lake and Knighton gardens 29 Grey 15 Dinsdale Hamilton T Lake Naylor Bremworth Greenwood Jellicoe T Amanda Lake Hillcrest Morrinsville Hospital Brookfield 22 lake and 29 Hamilton O Gower gardens T Gardens Paeroa Night Rider Waikato River

Bader T Challinor Discovery Melville Fitzroy Shops Riverlea glenview 10 FITZROY The Base Chartwell Urlich 7 12 Bruce Hillcrest Shops T Waterford Forest lake Bankwood University Garden 20 Dixon T Heights Cambridge bremworth Grandview Hillcrest temple view Victoria Cowley Glenview T 26 Shops Dinsdale Hamilton East T 24 mahoe 6 Acacia Te Awamutu

MORE STOPS, MORE SHELTERS FOR HAMILTON While Waikato Regional Council and retirement “It’s all about making public the shelter while in term four, new shelters will manages the bus services in and homes. As part and then sells be installed in the Rototuna area, around Hamilton, it is Hamilton of a suite of transport options easier to advertising servicing Rototuna Junior High City Council which provides the works around access and more convenient, space on School, Te Totara Primary School and the Dinsdale to support growth of the panels, Hamilton Christian School. By the infrastructure for those buses, roundabout area, something end of the year there will be a further whether it’s the local roads they we have almost passenger numbers as our which Kirsty shelter near Dixon Road and two on operate on, the sites for bus inished re-siting city continues to grow.” says is a win- Peachgrove Road, both supporting stops, or new bus shelters. and upgrading win for the nearby retirement villages. Kirsty Horridge, Network Engineer for bus stops on Whatawhata Road, as well city and for the company. All new bus shelters are being the Council’s City Transportation Unit, as installing new signalised crossing The remainder are supplied by a New developed with accessible kerbs, says people are often surprised to ind points,” Kirsty says. Zealand company in kitset form and making it easier for people of all ages to access the buses. out there are around 900 designated “It’s all about making public transport constructed on site. bus stops in Hamilton, with around 220 options easier to access and more “The new shelters are designed to “Removing barriers for people to access bus shelters, and more being installed convenient, to support growth of reduce opportunities for graiti and public transport is important if we are all the time. passenger numbers as our city continues anti-social behaviour, and are also low to get more people using the buses,” “We are co-ordinating our new bus to grow.” maintenance to reduce ongoing costs,” Kirsty says. “More people on buses means less cars on the road, which shelters around high pedestrian Around 60 of the bus shelters in Kirsty says. areas and also trying to target them eases congestion and is better for the Hamilton are a partnership with an Work is already underway on two new around schools, shopping centres environment and safety.” advertising company which installs shelters near Wintec’s Avalon campus,