Improvements to Auckland's Bus Routes #2
This post aims to cover improvements to services around Grey Lynn & Westmere
As I started to look into the Titirangi improvements, I went onto wonder what other suburbs with established routes could do with improvements. While scrolling around the map, I came to the Grey Lynn area, more specifically, the Westmere and Richmond Road areas. The only bus route to serve that area is the 105, which runs between Britomart (Lower Albert Street) and Westmere (Cox’s Bay Reserve).
Now admittedly, the service runs a 10 minute peak frequency in the peak direction which is cool and all, and the boardings per service hour (bpsh) numbers for 2024, say that it’s doing above the target range for nine out of twelve months of the year, with an average of 26.1 bpsh across those nine above target months, with the highest in March, with 29.2 bpsh. Now adding in the remaining three months, and the average drops down to 25.2 bpsh which continues to exceed the target range for RPTP set in July 2021.
Looking at the other two 10x (where x is replace by the last digit/letter), the 101, and the 106, I can see that the 106 consistently exceeded the target range for eleven out of twelve months, with an average of 24.4 bpsh across the eleven months, and the highest being 26.0 bpsh in March and November respectively. The average across all twelve months for the 106 is 21.5 bpsh. Important to note is that the 106 is run as a small anti-clockwise loop through the Freemans Bay area and back to Britomart.
Now the 101, which is the Western Suburbs Peak, and starts at Coyle Park, joining the OuterLink at Meola Road, and basically following the OuterLink all the way to its own terminus at Grafton Road, outside University of Auckland. The 101, continuously met the traget range for nine out of twelve months, with two below target ranges and one above target range.
The singluar above target range, which was 33.4 bpsh, happened to fall under March, which many Aucklander’s now lovingly refer too as March Madness, when Universities all return fully around the same time as each other, with Public Transport mostly unable to cope, and due to the 101’s proximity to CBD Universities, it can be seen as an alternative to the OuterLink which would often be at capacity due to timing of schools finishing for the day.
The 101’s patrongage data indicated also that the two below target range months, Janurary 2024 and December 2024 respectively, would be low due to less demand for the service during the summer holiday, as well as the intermitten weekend timetable run part-way through said months. The average for the 101’s nine within target range months is 26.5 bpsh, with a twelve month average of 25.8 bsph.
What I propose to happen should help improve service access, and open the doors to further improvements, that are deemed neccessary. The main changes will be to route and frequencies.
Route 101 would remain the same, being renumbered to 10W, as well as having a consistent 15 minute frequency in the peak direction.
Route 105 would become 10R, continuing to run the same as it does currently, but would be shortened to terminate at the Westmere Shops. The 10R would have an all day frequency of 20 minutes (when combined with new 10F will create 10 minute frequency to and from Westmere & Britomart) and a 10 minute peak frequency (to create a 7-10 minute peak frequency between 10F & 10R). This route’s time length is 20 minutes, compared to the 10F which is approximately 17 minutes in time length.
Route 106 would become the 10F, running along the Freemans Bay loop to Hopetoun Street where it would turn right into the slip to Hopetoun Street, then right into Ponsonby Road, left into Williamson Avenue, right into Gt North Road, ahead into Surrey Crescent, and follow current 105 to Cox’s Bay Reserve. This service will receive an all day frequency of 20 minutes (to create a 10 minute all day frequency between Westmere & Britomart, and a 7-10 minute peak frequency in conjunction with 10R).
Below is an example of the difference in service patterns between right now and proposed:
So what do you all think of this? Post your thoughts, objections, support or whatever below!