Bus use in Queenstown jumps 51 percent: ORC

More people are taking buses than ever before in Queenstown.

The latest data released by the Otago Regional Council shows people made close to 1.9 million trips on buses in the year to the end of June, a 51 percent increase on the year previous.

As a result revenue from fares has jumped by close to a third, up 32 percent to $3.3 million.

Queenstown-based regional councillor Alexa Forbes is co-chair of the council's Public and Active Transport Committee, which is meeting today in Dunedin, where staff are presenting a report on the year's performance for the region's public transport network.

Councillor Forbes says the fresh figures show bus patronage in Queenstown has recovered well from Covid-19 and driver shortage disruptions.  

It is a trend reflected across the region, with bus use also up in Dunedin - 21 percent year on year.

"It’s exciting to see numbers rising," Councillor Forbes says.

The report shows a network functioning reliably, with 99.4 percent of scheduled trips across the network operating. The 0.6 percent of missed trips are blamed on driver availability, mechanical breakdowns, and accidents.

The regional council introduced the Queenstown Orbus service in late 2017, and no other year has seen as many people using the service.

However, it is a different story for ferries running in Queenstown on Lake Whakatipu, where use is down 29 percent for the year.