Wellington's Airport Express service one year on
Just over a year ago Metlink launched their Airport Express service but one year on how has it fared.
One year ago a blue bus pulled away from the Wellington Railway Station bound for Wellington Airport finally reconnecting the city to the airport.
So how has that year been for the service which replaced the Airport Flyer bus…
It’s been good, great some may say with the Airport Express surpassing its forecast demand during its first year of operation with 364,191 trips taken.
Patronage has increased each month – peaking in March with 33,889 passengers compared to initial forecasts of 15,000 passengers per month.
In a media release speaking about the success of the Airport Express route Greater Wellington Transport Chair Thomas Nash said it was gratifying to see the Airport Express thrive.
“We knew that the Airport Express would be a vital transport link for the region and that’s why we set it up as a fully integrated part of our public transport network. The numbers show that it has been even more popular than anticipated. The blue buses have become a feature of Wellington – they will probably get a heritage listing!”
During a recent trip to Wellington, I tried the service myself while staying at the Airport hotel and commuting into the city centre.
I commented at the time on Twitter that accessing the service from the Airport had ‘Nice clear signage from the terminal, big timetable board and covered waiting area.’ Onboard there were ‘Lots of storage and comfy seats.’
It was fast, frequent and easy to use, the service was busy every time I went to board it (which included several off-peak trips), It is a service I would happily recommend to anyone.