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Turning up to an information day ahead of a new Wellsford bus service was the fulfilment of a long-cherished dream for Wellsford resident Valerie Jarvis.
Seven years ago, Valerie, 87, presented a petition to Auckland Council with 2000 signatures seeking such a service, but the plea went nowhere.
But Valerie said she was “very pleased” to be at the information day for the new service, which started last Sunday.
She said Wellsford was a good place to live if you had a car, but was problematic if you didn’t drive and needed specialist medical attention.
“There is nothing up here that will meet those needs, so how do people get on if they don’t have a vehicle?” she said.
The 998 bus service to Warkworth is being funded by Rodney Local Board’s controversial transport targeted rate (see Rates Watch).
Valerie said paying the targeted rate was worth it for the increased mobility it gave to people who needed it.
The Wellsford representative on the Rodney Local Board, and fierce opponent of the introduction of a targeted rate, Colin Smith, was also at the information day.
Mr Smith said despite his opposition to the targeted rate, the introduction of the bus service was a good thing, though he said the area’s need for road sealing exceeded its need for a bus service. About 230 people purchased AT HOP cards at the information day – 90 per cent were for SuperGold cards, which allow senior citizens free travel after 9am on weekdays and all day on weekends.
Views on the bus service …
Valerie Partridge
I plan to go to Warkworth every week on the bus. It’s where I go to see the optician. I drive occasionally but for the last six weeks the traffic has been terrible. I hope it’s going to be a very handy service.
Kath Bezzant, 72
We have a daughter who lives in the middle of Auckland in an apartment so it costs a lot of money to park the car. We can get there on the bus now, go and see her and not worry about the car.
Ivan Tomas, 85
It’s a free bus service with a gold card so why not use it? It’s worth paying the targeted rate. It certainly helps a lot of people who need help, and I don’t think we should begrudge them that.
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