Latest news with #Orbiter
Scoop
23-05-2025
- Scoop
Meteor's Milestone Million
Press Release – Waikato Regional Council Launched in September 2023, the Meteor is Hamiltons third high-frequency service and now the second most popular bus service in the Waikato after the Orbiter. Hamilton's Meteor bus service is celebrating a major milestone after completing its one millionth passenger trip in the first week of this month. Launched in September 2023, the Meteor is Hamilton's third high-frequency service and now the second most popular bus service in the Waikato after the Orbiter. The high-frequency service replaced the regular-frequency Silverdale (2) and Frankton (8) buses, which were carrying a combined weekly average of 5159 passengers at the time. The Meteor continues to outperform the old services, averaging 12,144 passengers each week. Waikato Regional Councillor and Deputy Chair of the Future Proof Public Transport Subcommittee Angela Strange says the 135 per cent increase demonstrates demand for more frequent buses or more express routes across the city. 'The numbers confirm what people have been telling us: they will take the bus when it operates frequently enough. We hope more people will see our public transport system as a convenient transport option.' The Meteor runs approximately every 15 minutes in both directions from 7am to 6pm on weekdays, and every 20 to 30 minutes at all other times. Recent service improvements include two extra stops in Hillcrest and additional bus stop infrastructure in the Baverstock Road area. To celebrate the one millionth passenger trip, BUSIT is running the Meteor 1 Million promotion from Friday 23 to Thursday 29, May 2025 on Instagram. Passengers can enter by taking a selfie on the Meteor and posting it as an Instagram story with @busitwaikato tagged in the post. Three pairs of Sony noise-cancelling headphones are up for grabs and passengers can enter as many times as they like with bonus entries for using the hashtag #1Million Note: Averages taken from the Silverdale (2) and Frankton (8) services' final 12 months (September 2022 to August 2023) and the Meteor's most recent 12 months (May 2024 to April 2025).
Otago Daily Times
30-04-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Canterbury bus fares to increase from July
Canterbury bus users will face a fare hike from July. Environment Canterbury decided to increase the standard adult fare from $2 to $3 in the Greater Christchurch area, at a meeting on Wednesday. The council has been under pressure from NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi to increase bus fares, but councillors wanted to keep bus rides affordable. ECan chairperson Craig Pauling said he was aware the fare increase will have an impact on individuals and families who use public transport frequently. ''We know that any change to the household budget will have an impact, however after spending many hours going over the numbers, we're pleased that we can provide reliable and accessible public transport for a maximum Metrocard adult fare of $3.'' Mr Pauling said the bus fare increase was intended to coincide with the roll out of the national ticketing solution (Motu Move) in Canterbury, but this has been delayed. While standard adult fares will increase to $3, child (5-18-years) and community service card holder fares will increase from $1 to $1.50, total mobility card holder fares from $1 to $2 and youth fares (19-24-years) to $2.50. Tertiary student fares are being phased out, but ECan customer experience and marketing manager Thomas McNaughton said students may be eligible for a community services card. He said ECan staff had met with the University of Canterbury Students' Association, which was keen to promote the benefits of having a community services card. NZTA has set targets of increasing the private contribution of bus fares to 18 percent for the 2024/25 financial year, 25% for 2025/26 and 38% for 2026/27. But ECan accepted a staff proposal in March to increase the private share to 12% this year, followed by 13% and 14% increases each year after. The existing $2 and $1 bus fares contribute just 11.7% to the cost of fares ECan deputy chairperson Deon Swiggs said he was ''grumpy'' about the pressure coming from central Government, but the council needed to get on with fare changes give the community more certainty. The flat fare structure could change to a two-zone or three-zone fare structure, depending on what option is adopted in the 2025/26 annual plan. Under the annual plan proposal, Waimakariri bus users would pay $3 to travel within the Waimakariri district and $4 to travel into Christchurch. The third zone, if adopted, would apply in the Selwyn district. These changes, if approved, would take effect in February. Bus patronage has returned to pre-earthquake levels, but service capacity was still 18% below pre-earthquake levels in terms of buses and kilometres travelled. ECan has attempted to overcome its challenges by adding electric buses to its core routes, including the Orbiter, number 3 (Airport to Sumner) and number 7 (Queenspark to Halswell) bus routes. It is proposing to invest in the number 1 (Rangiora to Cashmere) and number 5 (Rolleston to New Brighton) bus routes, if it gets the support from NZTA. David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter ■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
RNZ News
30-04-2025
- RNZ News
Canterbury bus fares to increase from July
Environment Canterbury will increase its standard adult fare from $2 to $3 in July. Photo: LDR / David Hill / North Canterbury News Canterbury's bus commuters face a fare hike from July, the regional council has confirmed. Environment Canterbury (ECan) decided to increase the standard adult fare from $2 to $3 in the Greater Christchurch area, at a meeting on Wednesday. The council has been under pressure from NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi to increase bus fares, but councillors wanted to keep bus rides affordable. ECan chairperson Craig Pauling said he was aware the fare increase will have an impact on individuals and families who use public transport frequently. ''We know that any change to the household budget will have an impact, however after spending many hours going over the numbers, we're pleased that we can provide reliable and accessible public transport for a maximum Metrocard adult fare of $3." Pauling said the bus fare increase was intended to coincide with the roll out of the national ticketing solution (Motu Move) in Canterbury, but this has been delayed. While standard adult fares will increase to $3, child (5-18-years) and community service card holder fares will increase from $1 to $1.50, total mobility card holder fares from $1 to $2 and youth fares (19-24-years) to $2.50. Tertiary student fares were being phased out, but ECan customer experience and marketing manager Thomas McNaughton said students may be eligible for a community services card. He said ECan staff had met with the University of Canterbury Students' Association, which was keen to promote the benefits of having a community services card. NZTA has set targets of increasing the private contribution of bus fares to 18 percent for the 2024/25 financial year, 25 percent for 2025/26 and 38 percent for 2026/27. But ECan accepted a staff proposal in March to increase the private share to 12 percent this year, followed by 13 percent and 14 percent increases each year after. The existing $2 and $1 bus fares contribute just 11.7 percent to the cost of fares ECan deputy chairperson Deon Swiggs said he was ''grumpy'' about the pressure coming from central government, but the council needed to get on with fare changes give the community more certainty. The flat fare structure could change to a two-zone or three-zone fare structure, depending on what option is adopted in the 2025/26 annual plan. Under the annual plan proposal, Waimakariri bus users would pay $3 to travel within the Waimakariri district and $4 to travel into Christchurch. The third zone, if adopted, would apply in the Selwyn district. These changes, if approved, would take effect in February. Bus patronage has returned to pre-earthquake levels, but service capacity was still 18 percent below pre-earthquake levels in terms of buses and kilometres travelled. ECan has attempted to overcome its challenges by adding electric buses to its core routes, including the Orbiter, number 3 (Airport to Sumner) and number 7 (Queenspark to Halswell) bus routes. It is proposing to invest in the number 1 (Rangiora to Cashmere) and number 5 (Rolleston to New Brighton) bus routes, if it gets the support from NZTA. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Scoop
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Canterbury Bus Fares To Increase From July
Article – David Hill – Local Democracy Reporter Greater Christchurch bus fares will increase in July, with the standard adult fare increasing from $2 to $3. Canterbury's bus commuters face a fare hike from July, the regional council has confirmed. Environment Canterbury decided to increase the standard adult fare from $2 to $3 in the Greater Christchurch area, at a meeting on Wednesday [April 30]. The council has been under pressure from NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi to increase bus fares, but councillors wanted to keep bus rides affordable. ECan chairperson Craig Pauling said he was aware the fare increase will have an impact on individuals and families who use public transport frequently. ''We know that any change to the household budget will have an impact, however after spending many hours going over the numbers, we're pleased that we can provide reliable and accessible public transport for a maximum Metrocard adult fare of $3.'' Mr Pauling said the bus fare increase was intended to coincide with the roll out of the national ticketing solution (Motu Move) in Canterbury, but this has been delayed. While standard adult fares will increase to $3, child (5-18-years) and community service card holder fares will increase from $1 to $1.50, total mobility card holder fares from $1 to $2 and youth fares (19-24-years) to $2.50. Tertiary student fares are being phased out, but ECan customer experience and marketing manager Thomas McNaughton said students may be eligible for a community services card. He said ECan staff had met with the University of Canterbury Students' Association, which was keen to promote the benefits of having a community services card. NZTA has set targets of increasing the private contribution of bus fares to 18 percent for the 2024/25 financial year, 25% for 2025/26 and 38% for 2026/27. But ECan accepted a staff proposal in March to increase the private share to 12% this year, followed by 13% and 14% increases each year after. The existing $2 and $1 bus fares contribute just 11.7% to the cost of fares ECan deputy chairperson Deon Swiggs said he was ''grumpy'' about the pressure coming from central Government, but the council needed to get on with fare changes give the community more certainty. The flat fare structure could change to a two-zone or three-zone fare structure, depending on what option is adopted in the 2025/26 annual plan. Under the annual plan proposal, Waimakariri bus users would pay $3 to travel within the Waimakariri district and $4 to travel into Christchurch. The third zone, if adopted, would apply in the Selwyn district. These changes, if approved, would take effect in February. Bus patronage has returned to pre-earthquake levels, but service capacity was still 18% below pre-earthquake levels in terms of buses and kilometres travelled. ECan has attempted to overcome its challenges by adding electric buses to its core routes, including the Orbiter, number 3 (Airport to Sumner) and number 7 (Queenspark to Halswell) bus routes. It is proposing to invest in the number 1 (Rangiora to Cashmere) and number 5 (Rolleston to New Brighton) bus routes, if it gets the support from NZTA.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
NASA captures 'first-of-its-kind' image of 1,000ft-long winding trail cut through Mars' sand
NASA has captured a first-of-its-kind image of a long, winding trail across the surface of Mars. As Elon Musk puts the Red Giant in his sights and sees it as a potential savior of the human race, curiosity surrounding Mars couldn't he higher. The US space agency has made huge strides in gathering proof of extra-terrestrial life on Mars, from finding alien-like masses to other odd formations. But away from finding alien life for a moment, NASA has snapshotted one of its own over on our neighbouring planet. A 1,000-foot-long pathfinder was spotted cutting through the planet's sand, thanks to the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, which has been circling Mars since 2006. If you look at the image below, the black speck at the end of the trail in the large Gale Crater impact basin is the Curiosity rover. Curiosity has been roaming Mars alone for over a decade now, exploring and gathering information about the planet's geology and water history. Even though the Orbiter and the rover have shared Mars for nearly 13 years (or 4518 Martian days), NASA believes this is the first time the Orbiter has caught Curiosity in the middle of a drive like this. The tracks left behind by Curiosity's wheels stretch around 320 metres (1,050 feet) - which is the result of 11 short driving sessions between February 2 and February 28, when the photo was snapped. In total, the rover has travelled 34 kilometres (21.3 miles), which isn't a lot. But remember that it moves at a top speed of 160 metres (525 feet) an hour, which is 40 times slower than the average person's walking pace. Of course, this is understandable as Curiosity has to preserve its power and navigate Mars' rough terrain. But tracks following Curiosity's journey won't be visible forever as the powerful winds on Mars will eventually sweep them away. This is why the captured photo is pretty memorable. Elsewhere, scientists are working hard to explain the existence of pure sulphur - a basic ingredient for life on Earth. However, this chemical has never been found on its own in 30 years of Mars exploration. Right now, the rover is slowly working its way toward the base of Mount Sharp, where there's a web of ridges known as boxwork formations. These are important because they hint that water once flowed there, leaving minerals behind in cracks underground. Experts hope to dig further under the formation. It's believed that had conditions been warmer and wetter, it would be one of the best bets for where microbial life could have survived on Mars.
