A new service allowing more people to take a bus more often and from more destinations across Nelson and Tasman district – with lower fares and fewer emissions – has been heralded as a first.
But the success of the $5 million-a-year bus service would hinge on people’s willingness to use it, and greater government investment and better urban planning was needed to enable “viable public transport systems” across the region and country, some politicians and regional leaders said.
Nelson mayor Nick Smith told people gathered for the launch of the service at the Nelson interchange on Tuesday that the region was now the first in New Zealand to have a full electric bus service.
