Trips & Tramps co-owner Steve Norris and other operators are calling for action ahead of government decision-making about the future use of the Milford Road, State Highway 94.
A motorcyclist died and two other people were injured on the road this week.
An investigation by the Otago Daily Times today reveals increasing police and public concern about the national park road as visitor numbers rise post-pandemic.
Although overtaking is not believed to be a factor in the crash, the ODT investigation found dangerous passing was a particular risk factor.
Other risky behaviours included speeding, taking photos while driving, and not wearing a seatbelt.
Mr Norris said using buses would "make the journey more pleasant for us and visitors".
Milford Opportunities Project — a collaboration of government agencies and Ngāi Tahu — will submit options to government by the end of June after consulting tourist operators.
Options being consulted on included limiting self-driven vehicles allowed to park at Milford Sound, limiting how far up the road self-driven vehicles can drive without a permit, and requiring day trippers in self-driven vehicles to pass through a park and ride hub where they could be encouraged to use a bus.
The project’s "master plan", launched in 2021, envisaged a "hop-on-hop-off park and ride service from Te Anau using zero emission buses."
About eight in ten day trippers are from overseas.
However, the project said restricting international drivers was just one part of one option.
Overseas visitors could, however, be required to pay park entry fees — a survey found a willingness to pay if funds went towards conservation.
Project director Chris Goddard said ministers
would be able to "trade off what they feel is best for the country and take that forward, rather than us picking an option and running with it".
Concerns about congestion had been raised since the 1980s and Milford Sound visitor numbers were rising again.
Between 2012 and 2018, numbers had more than doubled, to 883,000.
Raw data for this season indicated numbers were already at 80% of this level, Mr Goddard said.
A bus was "often a better experience and safer."
Fiordland tourism operator Real NZ’s acting chief executive Paul Norris said "as long as the service is seamless, it should be implementable in a way that is good for the region, the operators and most importantly, international tourists".
Mr Norris anticipated more purpose-built large coaches would operate from Queenstown, as well as Te Anau.
Rosco’s Milford Kayaks owner Rosco Gaudin said some visiting drivers took "undue risks".
"There needs to be a change to the status quo," he said, but stressed the road was "not all about tourism".
The needs of other park users needed to be considered, such as anglers, he said.
