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Politicians from across the Lower Hutt political spectrum have joined forces in a renewed push to save the only direct bus service connecting the “forgotten” Hutt Valley to Wellington Airport.
On Monday, Hutt South Labor MP Ginny Andersen, National List MP Chris Bishop, Hutt City Mayor Campbell Barry and Councilor Deborah Hislop wrote a joint letter to the Greater Wellington Regional Council asking it to step in and fund the Airport Flyer Bus, so you can keep running to and from the Hutt.
The call comes after Wellington Airport confirmed plans to cut the Wellington-Lower Hutt section of the route when Tranzit begins operating the service in early 2021 because it was no longer commercially viable.
Nicholas Boyack / Things
Hutt-based MPs, the Mayor of Lower Hutt and a city councilor have come together to push for the Airport Flyer bus to return to Hutt.
The letter also revealed that plans to introduce the Snapper card payment system en route and track the Airport Flyer on Metlink’s real-time information screens at bus stops had been hampered by an apparent lack of cooperation. of the regional council.
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Metlink CEO Scott Gallacher said he was in active talks with the airport about a service.
“We are working on various aspects of this, and we will work with the airport and others in the new year to explore what is possible. This includes the extent to which taxpayer funds may be needed to support a subsidized service. “
Since November 28, the Airport Flyer service to the city of Wellington has also stopped while the airport works out the terms of the new contract with Tranzit.
Previously, the bus ran from the airport, through Wellington City, to Lower Hutt.
The route change meant that Hutt residents had to take a Hutt Valley Line train to Wellington City and then board the Airport Flyer bus to get to the airport by public transport.
Andersen, Bishop, Barry and Hislop drafted the appeal to the regional council after meeting with representatives from Wellington and Tranzit airport on Friday.
Kevin Stent / Stuff
The Airport Flyer, the only direct public transport service from the city center to Wellington Airport, is no longer operational.
The group said it was clear to the airport that it would not operate service to Lower Hutt without funding from the regional council because it was too difficult to get real-time information and the Snapper card payment system worked in the city.
“This raises the question, why isn’t the service collected as part of the public network? Wellington Airport has made it clear to us that they are open to this as a solution, ”the letter said.
Resetting the Airport Flyer in Lower Hutt, the region’s second-largest city, would improve traffic flows by getting people out of their cars, politicians argued.
“We have been disappointed in the regional council’s reluctance to participate positively in a solution for our residents and taxpayers, and again, we feel that our people have been forgotten.”
Gallacher said that Hutt Valley is already connected to the city of Wellington by Metlink’s regular train, bus and ferry services, which allow people to travel to the hospital, zoo, airport and other points in the city.
A spokesman for Wellington Airport said the regional council seemed disinterested in operating the Airport Flyer, thus continuing negotiations with Tranzit.
No decisions had yet been made on bringing Snapper on board and including the Airport Flyer in Metlink’s real-time updates, the spokesperson confirmed.
