Bus commuters on Auckland's North Shore should have a faster run after the new Northern Busway extension opens today.
Photo: 123rf
The extension will see commuters travel traffic-free from the Harbour Bridge to Albany.
Waka Kotahi's director regional relationships Steve Mutton said the extended busway should be an incentive for change to Aucklanders.
"As we've seen in the past, Aucklanders will leave their cars at home if there's a better, reliable, faster option that will improve their commute. Traffic-free travel and around half an hour back per week, that would otherwise be spent in rush hour traffic, is incentive for change," he said.
Auckland Transport chief executive Shane Ellison said at its pre-Covid peak, the Northern Busway carried more than 36,000 people every day, that represented 12 percent of all bus trips for the Auckland region.
He said investment in fast and efficient public transport infrastructure was the only way to keep Auckland moving.
The $313 million project is a partnership between Waka Kotahi and Auckland Transport and is part of the Northern Corridor Improvements (NCI) project.