Patronage of Queenstown's new public bus service is showing strong growth, indicating it should be able to become a commercial service.
The Otago Regional Council set up the passenger transport network in the Wakatipu Basin on a 32-month trial with the aim of it becoming a fully commercial service at the end of the trial - at the moment the council, through targeted rates is part-funding much of the service.
Council corporate services director Wayne Scott said when the services began in July 2010, 22,000 trips were taken and in November 2011 49,000 trips were taken. At its peak during ski season in July 60,000 trips were made.
"It's a significant increase."
The patronage numbers had encouraged the operator Connectabus to be optimistic that it would be able to provide commercial services to the "core network" by the end of the trial period, albeit with a modified timetable in some areas, he said.
Some discussion had been held on commercialising some services prior to the end of the trial.
