Bus patronage in Taranaki has risen by 18%, Taranaki Regional Council figures show.
The new data reveals buses in Taranaki carried a total of 744,037 passengers across 42,973 bus trips in 2023.
The year also saw the Transit app, a free real-time bus journey and planning tool, continue to gain popularity among bus users, with an average of 16,200 sessions per month.
Council transport engagement manager Cheryl Gazley welcomed the rise in passenger trips as another positive trend for public transport in the region and expected the coming year to bring further increases.
In a statement, she said over the past couple of years there had been an incremental shift in attitudes towards public transport.
