BusIt confuses with Raglan bus timetable change

BusIt, the Waikato Regional Council’s bus service, has confused bus users with the changes it made on Tuesday 18th April to Raglan’s bus timetable. After a lengthy consultation period using questionnaires on buses, online questionnaires and market info stalls, Busit slipped the changes in almost unannounced. A quick check by John Lawson showed that several people missed their bus because of the changes. In pleading posts on Facebook people asked where they could get information on the changes. Raglan 23 appears to have been the only media channel to publicise the changes in advance: https://www.raglan23.co.nz/2017/apr-18-new-bus-timetable-for-raglan-hamilton-route-23-service/

Raglan bus champion, John Lawson, has written to Andrew Wilson of the Waikato Regional Council asking why the changes were so poorly publicised:

Dear Andrew

A fortnight ago I asked BusIt to ensure there was publicity for today’s bus timetable changes. Today the few legible timetables in Raglan are still showing a bus at 11.20am. The BusIt website only changed the timetable page yesterday, though it could have been done without causing confusion on Thursday afternoon, albeit with a temporary note that no buses would run on Sunday and Monday.

I understand you had 7 at the Transport Centre in Hamilton waiting for the retimed 10.15 this morning. I only checked at Raglan Library, where a backpacker and a local were waiting. One needed to catch a 2.30 InterCity, which your retimed 1.40 just misses. The other was already having a life crisis and having to wait 2hrs 10mins added to that.

Are you checking with the 12.15/1.40 driver to see what they heard about delayed journeys and the problems created? When are the Raglan bus stop timetables being changed? How many would you expect to stress tomorrow and on future days and do you have a plan to reduce the damage that will do to bus ridership? Why did the media release (https://www.waikatoregion.govt.nz/community/whats-happening/news/media-releases/new-wave-of-raglan-bus-services-coming/) not mention the cancellation of the 10.15/11.20 and why was the new timetable not advertised in local media (the exception being https://www.raglan23.co.nz/2017/apr-18-new-bus-timetable-for-raglan-hamilton-route-23-service/, though that only the day before)? Are you planning to better for future timetable changes?

Thanks
John
825 7866.

2 thoughts on “BusIt confuses with Raglan bus timetable change”

Ed Prince says:

April 19, 2017 at 8:42 am

you can always look on the busit website. that’s where I look for information on buses timetables etc. seems pretty simple to me.

1. John Lawson says:
  
  April 19, 2017 at 4:25 pm
  
  Presumably most intending passengers had looked on the website, which would explain why there weren’t as many passengers waiting as would normally be on the bus. However, the backpacker had looked before the website was changed. Many people still don’t use the internet. Many are used to the times the buses run and, since the media release made no mention of changing the time of the 10.15/11.20 and the bus stop timetables still showed them, would have no reason to know they should check online. BusIt now agree the bus stop changes should have been done on Thursday, rather than late yesterday. BusIt report they are still having to inform passengers that the 10.15 isn’t running.

2 thoughts on “BusIt confuses with Raglan bus timetable change”

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