The Transport Ministry wants to allow bigger buses on the roads.
In a consultation document it proposes amending a 2002 rule on the size and weight of vehicles to extend the axle mass limits of high-capacity urban buses.
Associate Transport Minister Craig Foss says about 5000 buses were operating on New Zealand roads, and heavier ones that could carry more passengers would reduce congestion and increase tourism opportunities.
He said it will also make more viable the introduction of hybrid diesel-electric buses, which were heavier because of their storage batteries.
