The Wānaka App took a ride on the Upper Clutha’s first public transport option yesterday (Wednesday November 9), to find out first-hand how useful the community shuttle is for locals.

The Community Networks/LINK shuttle trial, delivered by local transport provider Yello! (Wānaka Transport Group), began at the end of September and will run through until Christmas. 

The shuttle connects Wānaka, Albert Town, Hāwea and Hāwea Flat, servicing 13 bus stops between the Wānaka CBD, Wānaka Lakes Health Centre, Three Parks, Albert Town, Lake Hāwea and Hāwea Flat, for just $2 per ride. 

The Wānaka App hopped on the shuttle at Hawea Flat at 9.20am, and quickly got talking to driver Kiel and the other passenger, a regular customer on her way to work.

The passenger said she uses the shuttle once a week and finds it “super convenient”. She takes her bike with her (which Kiel loaded and unloaded from the handy bike rack on the back of the 13-seater Mercedes Sprinter).

She said she appreciates the $2 fare, adding “with the price of petrol, it’s a pretty good deal”.

Keep an eye out for the shuttle stops around the area.

Kiel said there has been some confusion about what service the shuttle offers, with a few passengers asking him to drop them somewhere off the route. But it is a bus service, he says, and he sticks to the route and the timetable.

The number of people using the shuttle is “building slowly,” Kiel said.

His busiest day so far has been a day last week when he had 33 passengers.

“The average is about 10-15 a day,” he said.

A group of regular passengers take the shuttle into Wānaka on Wednesdays. Kiel drops them in town for lunch, picks them up later from the supermarket after they’ve done their shopping and takes them home. 

They joke about “taking the Mercedes out for lunch”, he said.

A local who works in Lake Hāwea takes her e-bike on the shuttle from Wānaka to Hāwea then bikes home; saving any hassle (and expense) with her car.

“The deeper you get into summer the harder [parking] will get,” Kiel said.

He has had tourists take the shuttle to Lake Hāwea with their bikes; have lunch; then bike back via the Hāwea River Track.

Recently a couple of walkers came off the Te Araroa Trail and saw the shuttle. Their eyes lit up at the prospect of not having to walk the 15 kilometres to Wānaka, Kiel said.

The walkers told Kiel that information on the shuttle should be part of the trail information if it becomes a fixture.

Kiel has had “loads of feedback”, he said, including retired people from Lake Hāwea who say “we’ve been wanting this for years”.

He’s also been told “if you get this going Monday to Friday I can build my schedule around it.”

The current timetable works well for Kiel - the only driver. He has some free time in between the three loops, with time for disc golf or a spot of fishing at Lake Hāwea. 

After hopping off at Dungarvon Street just before 10am, the Wānaka App had time for an excellent coffee and a slice of Key Lime pie at Wee Tart in the Precinct, a trip to the library, a work meeting or two, some socialising and shopping, with plenty of time to wander back to the bus stop for a 12pm pick up.

On the return journey, long-time Wānaka local Daneen was heading to the Lake Hāwea Community Centre for her regular line-dancing session.

The shuttle ride is “lovely”, she said, adding she enjoys seeing more of the Upper Clutha, and has time to visit her daughter too. 

The novelty of being driven means you can sit back and enjoy the scenery - and take part in the friendly chat with Kiel and the other passengers if you wish.

Taking in the scenery is easy when you’re the passenger.

Passenger Kylie had just moved with her family from Wellington to Lake Hāwea. 

“We didn't realise how rural Hāwea was,” Kylie said. Not a driver, she was thrilled to learn about the shuttle and she and her daughter had used it to venture into Wānaka for the first time.

“It was nice to come out for an adventure today and go for a coffee, and go to the playground,“ she said.

Community Networks/LINK community development coordinator Joanna Perry said they had seen “a huge amount of enthusiasm for the trial - both on and off the bus - but lower ridership than we would like”. 

“We know Wānaka is ready for public transport, and we need that enthusiasm to show up in the numbers. We really encourage everyone to give the trial a go – whether it’s a one-off trip or making it part of your weekly schedule. 

“With its limited scope, we know there might be a little bit of compromise involved - but we hope the financial and environmental benefits of public transport overshadow that,” she said.

Community Networks/LINK and Yello! will collect customer feedback throughout the trial to inform longer-term public transport planning. 

Find the shuttle timetable and more information on the trial at the Community Networks/LINK website.

PHOTOS: Wānaka App