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Mahurangi residents queued to get into the Old Masonic Hall last month to figure out how to get the best use of the new Warkworth bus service, which kicked off last Sunday.
Most attending the Auckland Transport (AT) public information event sought help with journey planning and the AT HOP cards – a prepay smart card that offers substantial discounts on regular fares.
Senior citizens were also able to buy Gold AT HOP cards, which allow free use of the buses after 9am on weekdays and all day on weekends.
Snells Beach resident Geoff Cooper said it was the first time he had ever had a HOP card and he was looking forward to using the new service.
“I will use it to go the city in the weekends. It saves taking the car. I will much prefer taking the bus than driving,” he said.
Another Snells Beach resident, Dianne Osborne, who purchased a Gold AT HOP card, said the bus service would be perfect for getting to North Shore Hospital, Albany and Orewa.
She said the timing could not have been better as her husband insisted he could not drive for much longer.
AT senior public transport planner Dave Hilson, who was on hand to answer questions, said a common question was how easy it would be to get to North Shore and Auckland Hospitals.
He said the answer was relatively easy in both cases, though it did involve a couple of bus changes.
To get to North Shore Hospital, passengers coming from Warkworth will change at Hibiscus Coast Station and then at Smales Farm, Takapuna.
To get to Auckland Hospital, passengers will change at Hibiscus Coast Station and then at any Northern Busway station from Albany to Akoranga.
Mr Hilson said people were pretty excited about the new service.
“The closest we got to a negative comment is, ‘you should have done it years ago’,” he said.
New Enviro 200 buses will be used for the new Warkworth services. The 45-seat buses feature drop down platforms and fold away seats to accommodate wheelchairs and strollers.
