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Tuhi-Ao Bailey hopes coastal commuters will get on board the bus trial to prove demand for a daily service.
Six bus trips a week will replace a single weekly service along the Taranaki coast next month.
The bus from Ōpunakē to New Plymouth currently runs just one return trip each Friday, but from November Taranaki Regional Council will instead trial two return journeys every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.
The Southlink Coastal trial bus schedule meets work and school commuting needs, with the first bus leaving Ōpunakē at 6:50am and the final bus departing New Plymouth at 5:20pm.
The council’s transport and engagement manager Cheryl Gazley said public input in March was vital in establishing the trial expansion, which will run for a year to gauge demand.
“We had an absolutely fantastic response to our community conversation earlier in the year when we asked what public transport improvements people wanted to see.”
“We’ve listened to that and we’re delighted to launch a trial of this new service… along State Highway 45.”
Climate Justice Taranaki campaigner and Pungarehu resident Tuhi-Ao Bailey said a fresh attitude from new staff was a tipping point.
“Our whānau have been using the weekly coastal bus for over a decade and asking repeatedly for a daily service for the hundreds of regular coastal commuters.”
“They actually went out to community groups and had some long discussions with them and did some surveys and that kind of thing, which they hadn’t really done much of before.”
Bailey, who is also an iwi representative on TRC’s Policy and Planning Committee, said previous staff who didn’t use public transport didn’t understand the issue as “it’s not part of their world.”
“They had to do the bare minimum of providing services for people who didn’t have anything – but public transport is more than that for those who care about the environment and social equity.”
Buses will stop at Rāhotu, Pungarehu, Ōkato and Oākura.
Bailey hoped regular travellers would swap some of their journeys for inexpensive bus rides to prove demand exists for a daily service.
“If you can start rearranging the way you commute to work or to school to incorporate the bus it’s totally the right path for the future.”
Tickets for the full journey are $4 with discounts for community services and Access disability cardholders, free travel any time for children under five years old and free off-peak travel for SuperGold cardholders.
The trial comes as the council again seeks public views about more bus services.
Gazley said bus frequency, new routes including a link from New Plymouth to the airport, weekend services and express services are under consideration in the draft strategy Better Travel Choices for Taranaki.
“We need to make sure we’re on the right track, so it’s crucial that current and potential bus users take a look at the proposals and provide their feedback.”
Feedback can be lodged at trc.govt.nz/transport before 29 October.
The New Plymouth District Council, Stratford District Council and South Taranaki District Council are also seeking online feedback on their speed management plans.
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