Ways to Improve Auckland’s Explorer Bus!
How Auckland’s Explorer Bus can enhance its routes, stops, and services to offer an even better hop-on hop-off experience.
Recently, I booked a trip on Auckland’s Explorer Bus, while the overall experience was good, with the route passing by many iconic Auckland locations, I think this service could be improved in several ways.
What Do You Get?
For $55, you receive an all-day hop-on hop-off pass, valid for 24 hours. This allows passengers to exit and rejoin the bus at any stop between 9 am and 5 pm. All trips must start at Stop 1 near Waitematā Station. There’s also a 48-hour pass for $65. Additionally, there are concession passes and a 24-hour family pass for $150, which covers two adults and two children.
The Explorer Bus operates two routes, the Red Circle Route runs year-round, while the Blue Circle Route only operates from November to April.
The Red Circle route mainly serves the central city and eastern Auckland, and the Blue Circle route serves locations west of the city centre, both routes converge at the Auckland War Memorial Museum where passengers can change buses to travel on the other route season depending.
Suggested Improvements
1. Route Enhancements
There are additional stops worth considering, like a journey over or under the Auckland Harbour Bridge, the Chelsea Sugar Factory, or extending the route to include the ever-popular Wynyard Quarter. While adding stops might increase travel time and costs, it would provide more value to those on the bus, especially considering the current cost per stop is $6.11 on the Red Route.
It's disappointing that attractions like MOTAT, Auckland Zoo, Eden Park, and Maungawhau (Mt Eden) are missed during the winter months. I think stopping at these attractions could draw more passengers for the service if they were included in a year-round route.
With a combined route and the extra stops, the cost per stop would be around $3.82 although this would add around 20-30km to the trip, by just adding the stops at the Harbour Bridge and Wynyard Quarter it would only add around 8-10km to the journey.
A combination or extension of the Red and Blue routes could also allow the bus to run clockwise and anti-clockwise services, offering more flexibility for passengers travelling about the city.
2. Audio Guide Update
The audio guide is generally informative, but some segments are outdated or lack detail about the surrounding areas. Additionally, there seemed to be an issue with the audio playback, cutting in and out at times. Adding some ambient music or nature sounds could improve the atmosphere, especially for the closed-roof buses.
3. Improved Stops
Many of the Red Route stops are shared with Auckland Transport services, and some, like those at the Museum, Newmarket, and Bastion Point, lack seating for waiting passengers.
One solution could be to reach a commercial agreement to build themed shelters at various stops, potentially sponsored by nearby businesses or other route attractions. For instance, the city centre stop could be themed as a MOTAT tram, or the Maungawhau stop could reflect the Sky Tower’s design.
At Stop 1 near Waitematā Station, leasing one of the vacant street-side shops in Queens Arcade could provide a comfortable indoor waiting area, doubling as a tourism information hub.
Another good addition for the stops would be adding a simple tracking map accessible via QR codes at each stop and on the Explorer Bus website, this would help passengers monitor the arrival of the next bus rather than guessing when it might arrive.
4. Ticketing System
Currently, passengers need a physical ticket, which can only be obtained at Stop 1. Introducing a digital ticketing system would streamline boarding and allow passengers to join the bus at any stop. This system could work alongside paper tickets, with digital and physical versions scanned upon boarding.
5. Buses
The route is served by two glass-topped double-decker buses and one open-top bus. During my trip, I rode both the BCI Citirider and the ADL Enviro500 glass-top buses. While both were clean and comfortable, they were showing signs of age.
Thankfully the wrap on the outside of the bus does not cover any windows as other Auckland buses experience and the windows were nice and clean.
There is an open-top bus but it does not appear to have been in operation on the day I rode the Auckland Explorer Bus, the service is also occasionally supported by other bus units from Ritchies.
A long-term investment in electric or hybrid buses would modernize the fleet and make the service more eco-friendly as well as making for a more comfortable ride, another option to consider is refurbishing or converting the existing buses to electric or hybrid buses to extend their life.
Compliments
On a positive note, every staff member I interacted with was friendly and helpful. The website was user-friendly, the buses were clean, and the audio guide was clear. Overall, the Explorer Bus offers a good experience, but there is room for improvement to make it even better.