PAUL TAYLOR
Route: Fernhill to Queenstown
Scheduled time: 7.45am
Actual time: 8.01am
Verdict: Not too painful. I’d use it again.
It is me and the two kids this morning. My wife, full disclosure, is event-managing the Orbus launch event in Camp St, so drove into town at 5am. It’s my job to corral a 4-year-old and 19-month-old on to the bus and to daycare in town. It’s a rush and a faff to get out the door for the 7.45am bus, which should drop us in Camp St at 8.02am. We needn’t have worried — the bus eventually turns up at 8am. This is the end of the line. Fourteen passengers get on. We’re offered a GoCard by the driver. The 4-year-old is ridiculously excited by all of this, although nervous there are no seatbelts: "Why don’t buses have seatbelts — isn’t that dangerous?" she asks.
She’s not wrong — we’re chucked about a bit as the driver makes up for lost time. There are two other stops in Fernhill and by the time we’re heading down into town the bus is full except for one seat. I’m the only person with children. It’s mostly Queenstown Resort College students. There is what appears to be a broken-down bus at the bottom of the hill.
It takes us eight minutes and 47 seconds to get to Camp St, quicker than the advertised time had there not been the delay. A good thing about the new service is it doesn’t go around all the hotels like the old one did. At Camp St someone gives the 4-year-old a cupcake (for breakfast!) and balloon, so the walk to daycare is slow.
HANNAH MARTIN
Route: Kelvin Heights to Queenstown
Scheduled time: 7.13am
Actual time: 7.33am
Verdict: Fine from Frankton.
We were about 20 minutes late due to [Kawarau] bridge traffic. I think also the bus driver was from Auckland so got a little bit lost, maybe. She had a day of training yesterday and that was it. She had no GPS but typed-up notes sitting beside her. We had to change buses at Frankton — I would have missed it, but they come so frequently to Frankton it was OK. I think when the bridge is finished next year, and when the drivers know where they’re going, it will be so much more effective.
TRACEY ROXBURGH
Route: Arthurs Point to Queenstown
Scheduled time: 8.06am
Actual time: 7.57am
Verdict: I’ll be riding the buses again, although I’m still unconvinced I was on the right bus yesterday.
A bus pulled up earlier than we expected and four of us waiting hopped on. Unfortunately, a friend also planning to take the 8.06am service hadn’t arrived yet, so she thought she’d missed it, meaning she’d have to wait for another hour. Fortunately, another bus turned up at the scheduled time and picked up the six passengers waiting with her.
Adding to our confusion was Orbus’ schedule information at the bus stop was the Arrowtown to Arthurs Point times. I had downloaded the Choice app to check on my bus ... but I’m told my "transport option isn’t available right now".
I wasn’t offered a free GoCard on the bus, but they were handing them out like lollies at the official launch a couple of hours later. The seven passengers and I made excellent time to Queenstown, but confusion was rife when we got here. We thought we’d be going to a Camp St bus stop, but our driver turned right on to Stanley St.
There was a moment of panic for all of us new public transport users because we thought we might accidentally end up in Arrowtown. But the driver pulled up on yellow lines and told us this was the Queenstown stop. He slowed, opened the doors and we stood to get off before he started moving forward again and then hit the brakes with force.
Ultimately, I didn’t expect it to run smoothly on day 1, but I made it to work way earlier than I needed to (but will have to stay later than I should to get the bus home tonight). My maths says I will save, on average, about $60 a week and I’ve already made new bus friends. Consider me converted.
GUY WILLIAMS
Route: Lake Hayes Estate to Queenstown
Scheduled time: 8.05am
Actual time: 8.15am
Verdict: Needs tweaks, but it was good to see so many people giving it a go.
The bus was full, with people standing, by the time it reached the highway.
The driver was unaware of a bus stop for those wanting to get off near Hardware Lane, and had to be told by passengers where it was.
We arrived at the Frankton hub at 8.27am, exactly 10 minutes late. It stopped on the golf course side of Kawarau Rd, which meant most passengers walked across the highway, in front of busy traffic, to the hub.
The bus to Queenstown was full immediately, with passengers in the aisle. Overall, the service on this route clearly needs a lot of tweaks, but it is hard to complain in the first week when it is free.
