Wānaka’s second Community Shuttle Trial has concluded with “great feedback from the service users”, Community Networks/LINK community development coordinator Joanna Perry says.

The trial, which wrapped up last Friday (August 18), was co-ordinated by Community Networks/LINK and delivered by Yello, with funding from Queenstown Lakes District Council  (QLDC) and Lake Wānaka Tourism. 

Data from the three-month trial will be collated into a report which will help inform discussions on the future of public transport in the Upper Clutha.  

Joanna said the friendliness, timeliness and convenience of the service were particularly well received by shuttle users across its two loops.

The trial featured two offerings: an express route from Hāwea to Wānaka; and an intra-city loop connecting the Wānaka CBD, the health centre, Three Parks, Albert Town, Northlake and Anderson Road.

“While numbers for the express service started well and gradually trended upwards throughout the trial, intra-city loop usage remained lower,” Joanna told the Wānaka App. 

“As with the first trial, we know that it can take time for new initiatives to be absorbed by the community, and even longer for behaviour change to happen - this is the reality of public transport initiatives across New Zealand.”

Joanna said it was great to see the impact of the shuttle on vehicle kilometres travelled (VKT).

“Early analysis of survey data shows that approximately 60 percent of respondents would otherwise have travelled by car.”

A three-month shuttle trial connecting Hāwea, Hāwea Flat, Albert Town, and Wānaka took place  late last year and organisers took feedback from the initial trial into account when they created the route for the second trial.

As a result of feedback, they streamlined the Hāwea-Wānaka route and developed a more frequent service running five days a week.

Joanna said this made the service more convenient for commuters but meant some “difficult decisions” around the number of stops in areas such as Hāwea and Hāwea Flat”.

“Some in these communities who had supported the first trial found that this second trial no longer met their needs,” she said.

Joanna said the next step will be to analyse the data from the second trial and produce a report, which will be shared with QLDC, Otago Regional Council, and the public.

“Conversations about public transport in the region are taking place through the Public and Active Travel Advisory Group, which includes members of both councils, and the learnings of the Community Shuttle Trial will help inform the group’s discussions around the future of public transport in the Upper Clutha,” she said.

Joanna thanked QLDC, LWT, ORC, Yello! and “everyone in the community who showed their support throughout both trials”.

Community members can still give feedback on the trial here.

PHOTO: Supplied