Public transport in Invercargill

Public transport in Invercargill, New Zealand is mainly by bus. An unusual feature is the provision of some zero-fare bus services.

Free bus services

The Mayor of Invercargill, Tim Shadbolt told a conference of New Zealand's Disabled Persons Assembly in October 2002 that Invercargill had an innovative approach to public transport, and that he hoped in future that all buses in Invercargill would be free and accessible. [ [http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:sJ4-BVkdSAoJ:www.dpa.org.nz/publications/bites/2003/janfull.html+%22purple+circle%22+bus+invercargill+nz&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=5] ]
* The Freebie is a zero-fare loop service in the inner city. [http://www.invercargill.org.nz/travel-guide/Getting-Around.asp Invercargill Getting Around ] ]
* All other suburban bus services operate zero-fare during off-peak hours [http://www.passengertransport.co.nz/index_files/Page509.htm from Passenger Transport's website] ]

Bus Routes

Passenger Transport provides the following suburban services under contract to the Invercargill City Council [ [http://www.icc.govt.nz/icc/index.cfm?2EBF3512-50BA-1DC3-65AE-56CE5E82E5F3&search=y&word=bus&lan_uuid=2EBF3512-50BA-1DC3-65AE-56CE5E82E5F3] :]

Free Services

*Freebie Bus Service (inner city loop) – operates 10.00am-2.30pm, Monday to Saturday

Partly-Free services

These services incur fares during peak hours but are zero-fare from 9.00am-2.30pm (to 2.15pm on the Purple Circle) Monday to Friday and 9.00am-3.00pm on Saturdays.'How to use circular bus routes'9PDF) available at [http://www.google.co.nz/url?sa=t&ct=res&cd=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.icc.govt.nz%2Ficc%2Findex.cfm%3FF4B90F89-FEC7-E0B2-4260-D249534FBF09&ei=ZXUnSP-yO5vSpgTU3aW_Cw&usg=AFQjCNGEHe-P-RxeIfoeD5Ro2zFLngLqCQ&sig2=yybKDF0ay2fiijpxsMrtLA 'Bus Timetables' web page] , Invercargill City Council] .
*Purple Circle - North (suburban loop)
*Purple Circle - South (suburban loop)
*City to Heidelberg/Newfield to City
*City to Newfield/Heidelberg to City
*City to Claredon/Clifton to City
*City to Rosedale/Windsor to City
*City to Clifton/Claredon to City
*City to Windsor/Rosedale to City
*City to Kingswell/Kingswell to City
*City to Waverly/Hawthorndale to City
*City to Waikiwi/Waikiwi to City
*City to Hawthorndale/Waverly to City

Many of the routes to or from the city provide either a direct route or a route via the adjacent suburb. Passengers are advised to watch for and signal buses travelling in either direction: "flag it down, it will bring you to town".

Other transport services

Taxis

Invercargill has two taxi companies:
* Blue Star Taxis
* City Cabs

Airport transport

The Airport is only 3km from the centre of the city and transport is mainly by taxi and shuttle van. [ [http://www.invercargillairport.co.nz/TerminalFacilities.htm "Terminal Facilities" on Invercargill Airport website] ]

Organising public transport in Invercargill

The Invercargill City Council specifies, tenders, subsidises and contracts with bus operators for provision of public transport in Invercargill. Passenger Transport Ltd currently holds this contract. [ [http://www.icc.govt.nz/icc/index.cfm?2EBF3512-50BA-1DC3-65AE-56CE5E82E5F3&search=y&word=bus&lan_uuid=2EBF3512-50BA-1DC3-65AE-56CE5E82E5F3 Buses ] ]

Past service modes

Trains

From the opening of the Bluff Branch in 1867 until the cancellation of the final service in 1967, passenger trains operated between Invercargill and Bluff for commuters and school children. In 1950, seven trains ran each way on the average weekday, with eight on Fridays, five on Saturdays, and one on Sundays. By 1967, only one train ran each way on weekdays for the benefit of school children, and due to being unviable, it was cancelled.

Trams

Invercargill formerly had the southernmost tram system in the world. [Graham Stewart, "The End of the Penny Section: When Trams Ruled the Streets of New Zealand", rev. ed. (Wellington: Grantham House, 1993), p. 112.] Construction began in January 1911 and two lines of 4' 8.5" (1,435 mm) standard gauge track were opened on 26 March 1912, one to Waikiwi and one to Georgetown. Later that year, two more lines opened, one to North Invercargill and one to South Invercargill; the latter was the southernmost electrified street tram line in the world and ran to Tramway Road.Stewart, "The End of the Penny Section", p. 236.] In practice, the network operated as two routes: Route A between Georgetown and Waikiwi and Route B between North and South Invercargill. [Stewart, "The End of the Penny Section", p. 142.]

The Waikiwi line closed in 1947, though a portion remained in operation until 1951. The Georgetown route was closed on 2 July 1951, but the portion to Rugby Park Stadium remained open until August 1951. The South Invercargill line was next to close, on 31 May 1952, and the system's final route, to North Invercargill, ceased operations on 10 September 1952.

References

External links

* [http://www.icc.govt.nz/icc/index.cfm?F4B90F89-FEC7-E0B2-4260-D249534FBF09&printversion=true Invercargill City Council bus timetables and routes webpage]
* [http://www.passengertransport.co.nz/ Passenger Transport website]