Big changes to South Auckland's public transport system have got off to a relatively smooth start, with just 50 complaints received.
Auckland Transport staff in hi-vis vests were stationed on routes to help people find their buses. Photo: RNZ / Joanna Mackenzie
The number of bus routes in the area has been cut from 52 to 39, with 300 new or relocated bus stops and 104 stops closing.
People who used to catch the bus into the city will have to take the train as part of an integrated system of public transport.
South Auckland commuters wait to board a bus running on the new schedule. Photo: RNZ / Joanna Mackenzie
Auckland Transport said the scale of the overhaul, which was part of its "New Network" plan, was unprecedented.
Almost 100 Auckland transport staff were on public transport routes in south Auckland this morning to help commuters with their journeys.
At Ōtāhuhu's old bus depot on Avenue Road, staff in high-vis vests were personally escorting people to the right bus stops.
The suburb's new bus station was now part of a $28.7 million transport hub, which was officially opened at the weekend.
Auckland Transport spokesperson Brandon Main said this phase of the New Network had been a long time in the planning.
He expected there to be problems early on as new drivers learned the routes, but on the whole he was happy with how the roll-out was going.
Mr Main said there had been a very low number of complaints so far today, with about 50 calls received.
"Of course, any change of this nature requires customers to be able to have time to get familiar with what the best options are for them, so we'll be out on the streets to help customers out over the next few days," Mr Main said.
Transport Blog editor Matt Lowrie said making changes of this scale had been a huge exercise for AT, but on the whole, the process had been managed well.
"What's been seen overseas, is initially you might see a reduction in usage overall and that's simply because there are going to be some people who are going to be put off by the changes.
"But overall, once people start to learn about what the New Network enables - so you've got more frequent services to more locations - you'll see long term growth."
Major changes are also in the pipeline for the rest of the city with the next phase happening in west Auckland in the middle of next year.
Changes for East Auckland and the central suburbs will be in late 2017 and the North Shore in early 2018.
